Terry Gilkyson
Encyclopedia
Hamilton H. Gilkyson III (June 17, 1916–October 15, 1999), better known as Terry Gilkyson, was an American folk
singer, composer, and lyricist.
and graduated from St George's
high school in 1935. By his early twenties, he had become a worker on a ranch in Tucson, Arizona
, then joined the military during World War II
. In 1947, he married Jane Gilkyson and moved to California
to pursue a career as a folk singer.
He wrote and recorded "The Cry Of the Wild Goose", which became a hit song for Frankie Laine
in 1950, as well as the 1953 hit song "Tell Me a Story" recorded by Jimmy Boyd
and Laine. In 1951 Gilkyson appeared in, as well as wrote continuing songs for, the Cinecolor
Western
film Slaughter Trail
that, in the manner of High Noon
, had ballads throughout the film relating to the plot. He was also featured vocalist on The Weavers
No. 1 hit recording of "On Top Of Old Smokey", as well as their recording of "Across The Wide Missouri
".
In 1956, he formed a group called The Easy Riders
with Richard Dehr and Frank Miller
. The group had a major hit with "Marianne
", both written and performed by the trio. The record
sold in excess of one million copies, earning a gold disc
. The three also wrote "Memories Are Made of This
", which became a popular song in several versions, most particularly the one sung by Dean Martin
backed by the Easy Riders. An adaptation of the song became an anthem for refugees from the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
.
In the 1960s, he left the group to work for the Walt Disney Studios
, writing music both for movie
s and the television
series The Wonderful World of Disney especially "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh
." In 1968
he was nominated for an Academy Award
for "The Bare Necessities
" from the 1967 movie The Jungle Book
.
He died in Austin, Texas
, while visiting family.
Guitarist Tony Gilkyson
, formerly of the band X, and Austin singer-songwriter
Eliza Gilkyson
are Terry Gilkyson's son and daughter. His other daughter Nancy has served for 20 years as a vice president at Warner Bros. Records
.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer, composer, and lyricist.
Biography
Gilkyson was born in Phoenixville, PennsylvaniaPhoenixville, Pennsylvania
Phoenixville is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States, northwest of Philadelphia, at the junction of French Creek with the Schuylkill River. The population is 16,440 as of the 2010 Census.- History :...
and graduated from St George's
St. George's School, Newport
St. George's School is a private, Episcopal, coeducational boarding school in Middletown, Rhode Island, USA, just east of the city of Newport. The school was founded in 1896 by the Rev. John Byron Diman, a member of a prominent Rhode Island family. It sits on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean...
high school in 1935. By his early twenties, he had become a worker on a ranch in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, then joined the military during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1947, he married Jane Gilkyson and moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to pursue a career as a folk singer.
He wrote and recorded "The Cry Of the Wild Goose", which became a hit song for Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine
Frankie Laine, born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio , was a successful American singer, songwriter, and actor whose career spanned 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005...
in 1950, as well as the 1953 hit song "Tell Me a Story" recorded by Jimmy Boyd
Jimmy Boyd
Jimmy Boyd was an American singer, musician, and actor. He was best known for his recording of the novelty song "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus".-Early years:...
and Laine. In 1951 Gilkyson appeared in, as well as wrote continuing songs for, the Cinecolor
Cinecolor
Cinecolor was an early subtractive color-model two color film process, based upon the Prizma system of the 1910s and 1920s and the Multicolor system of the late 1920s and 1930s. It was developed by William T. Crispinel and Alan M...
Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
film Slaughter Trail
Slaughter Trail
Slaughter Trail is a 1951 Cinecolor Western produced and directed by Irving Allen, filmed in Corriganville and released by RKO Pictures.-Plot:...
that, in the manner of High Noon
High Noon
High Noon is a 1952 American Western film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly. The film tells in real time the story of a town marshal forced to face a gang of killers by himself...
, had ballads throughout the film relating to the plot. He was also featured vocalist on The Weavers
The Weavers
The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. They sang traditional folk songs from around the world, as well as blues, gospel music, children's songs, labor songs, and American ballads, and selling millions of records at the height of their...
No. 1 hit recording of "On Top Of Old Smokey", as well as their recording of "Across The Wide Missouri
Oh Shenandoah
"Oh Shenandoah" is a traditional American folk song of uncertain origin, dating at least to the early 19th century...
".
In 1956, he formed a group called The Easy Riders
The Easy Riders (American band)
The Easy Riders were an American folk music band, that operated from 1956 to 1959, consisting of Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr, and Frank Miller. Their career was guided by Mitch Miller, who had them under contract for Columbia Records....
with Richard Dehr and Frank Miller
Frank Miller (singer)
Frank Miller is a singer and songwriter. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.With Terry Gilkyson and Richard Dehr, he wrote the song "Marianne." As a group called The Easy Riders, Dehr and Miller accompanied Gilkyson on the best-selling recording of the song in 1956.Subsequently, Frank Miller, Jerry...
. The group had a major hit with "Marianne
Marianne (Terry Gilkyson song)
-History:"Mary Ann," composed by calypsonian Roaring Lion , was popular with steelbands and revelers during a spontaneous Carnival celebration on V-J Day in Trinidad in 1945, at the end of World War II. The song's lyrics alluded to Mary Ann's occupation:-Recordings:Latin bandleader Xavier Cugat...
", both written and performed by the trio. The record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
sold in excess of one million copies, earning a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. The three also wrote "Memories Are Made of This
Memories Are Made of This
"Memories Are Made of This" is a popular song written by Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr, and Frank Miller in 1955.-History:The most popular version of the song was recorded by Dean Martin. It reached #1 on the Billboard chart for six weeks in 1956, and became his biggest hit...
", which became a popular song in several versions, most particularly the one sung by Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
backed by the Easy Riders. An adaptation of the song became an anthem for refugees from the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
1956 Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution or Uprising of 1956 was a spontaneous nationwide revolt against the government of the People's Republic of Hungary and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting from 23 October until 10 November 1956....
.
In the 1960s, he left the group to work for the Walt Disney Studios
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
, writing music both for movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s and the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series The Wonderful World of Disney especially "The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh
Doctor Syn
The Reverend Doctor Christopher Syn is the smuggler hero of a series of novels by Russell Thorndike. The first book, Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh was published in 1915. The story idea came from smuggling in the 18th century Romney Marsh, where brandy and tobacco were brought in at night...
." In 1968
1968 in film
The year 1968 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 30 - The film The Lion in Winter, starring Katharine Hepburn, debuts.* November 1 - The MPAA's film rating system is introduced.-Top grossing films :- Awards :...
he was nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for "The Bare Necessities
The Bare Necessities
"The Bare Necessities" is a song, written by Terry Gilkyson, from the animated 1967 Disney film The Jungle Book sung by Phil Harris as Baloo and Bruce Reitherman as Mowgli. Originally, it was written for an earlier draft of the movie that was never produced. The Sherman Brothers, who wrote the...
" from the 1967 movie The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book (1967 film)
The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Released on October 18, 1967, it is the 19th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It was inspired by the stories about the feral child Mowgli from the book of the same name by...
.
He died in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, while visiting family.
Guitarist Tony Gilkyson
Tony Gilkyson
Tony Gilkyson is an Los Angeles based musician. He is the son of songwriter and folk musician Terry Gilkyson and Jane Gilkyson. He is the brother of guitarist Eliza Gilkyson.-Career:...
, formerly of the band X, and Austin singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Eliza Gilkyson
Eliza Gilkyson
Eliza Gilkyson is an Austin, Texas-based folk musician. She is the daughter of songwriter and folk musician Terry Gilkyson and Jane Gilkyson. She is the sister of guitarist Tony Gilkyson, who played with the Los Angeles-based bands Lone Justice and X...
are Terry Gilkyson's son and daughter. His other daughter Nancy has served for 20 years as a vice president at Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
.
External links
- Bio by Don Richardson, written shortly after he died
- Bio on Music Theater International site
- The Easy Riders biography at Yahoo! Music
- [ Allmusic]