Johnny Horton

Grammy Award-winning rockabilly / country music singer and guitarist Johnny Horton was born on April 30, 1925, in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for history-inspired songs including “The Battle of New Orleans” and “Sink the Bismark” as well as “When It’s Springtime in Alaska (It’s Forty Below).” Raised in Cherokee County, Texas, his family spent time in California and Texas as migrant workers. After attending college in Texas and Washington, he briefly studied geology and spent time searching for gold in Alaska. Johnny Horton began writing songs and after returning to Texas, he won a talent contest, which encouraged him to move back to California to pursue a music career. After appearing on local broadcasts and hosting his own show called The Singing Fisherman, he recorded tracks for Cormac Records before they went out of business. Johnny Horton relocated to Shreveport, Louisiana once he became a regular on the popular radio show Louisiana Hayride. He signed with Mercury Records and released the single “First Train Headin’ South.” He began working with the Rowley Trio in 1952 and began touring as The Singing Fisherman and the Rowley Trio but eventually changed their name to Johnny Horton and the Roadrunners. After leaving Mercury Records in 1954, he took a hiatus from the music business but was eventually convinced to return when he signed a deal with Columbia Records in 1955. Inspired by Elvis Presley, he moved away from country music and embraced the energy of rockabilly. The single “Honky-Tonk Man” was released in 1956 and reached number 9 on Billboard’s Country Singles chart. More hits followed including “I’m a One-Woman Man” (number 7), “I’m Coming Home” (number 11) and “The Woman I Need” (number 9). After a few minor singles, he rebounded with 1958’s “All Grown Up” (number 8) and two number 1 singles in 1959: “When It’s Springtime in Alaska (It’s Forty Below)” and “The Battle of New Orleans,” which won a Grammy Award in 1960 for Best Country and Western Recording. More hits followed in 1960 with “Sink the Bismarck” (number 6) and “North to Alaska” (number 1). At the peak of his success, Johnny Horton was killed in a car crash on November 5, 1960, in Milano, Texas as he and two of his band members were heading home after a show in Austin, Texas. He was 35 years old. After his death, his label continued to release tracks that he had recorded before his passing. Many compilations have been released since his death, and Johnny Horton has been inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and the Delta Music Museum Hall of Fame.