Johnny Horton - Songs

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Johnny Horton (April 30, 1925 - November 5, 1960) was a highly acclaimed country, honky-tonk, and rockabilly singer, songwriter, and guitarist with a flair for history-inspired story songs who became famous during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for the military-styled, tongue-in-cheek "The Battle Of New Orleans" (1959), which topped both the Pop/Rock and Country charts and won a Grammy for Best Country & Western Performance in 1960.

Born John LaGale Horton in Los Angeles, California, he began in the late 1940s writing songs and performing on radio programs, eventually landing his own show, "The Singing Fisherman." By the early 1950s, he had become a regular on "Louisiana Hayride" and was recording and touring with his own band. He debuted in 1956 on the Country charts with the self-penned "Honky-Tonk Man," which was followed by a long string of hits through 1963 that includes three chart-toppers: "When It's Springtime In Alaska (It's Forty Below)" (1959), "The Battle Of New Orleans" (1959), and "North To Alaska" (1960), the latter used during the opening credits of the same-named 1960 movie starring John Wayne. Other top hits that also became Pop/Rock crossover favorites include "Sink The Bismarck" (1960) and "Sleep-Eyed John" (1961).

Johnny Horton's many honors include being inducted into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, and the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame (2025). His rendition of "The Battle Of New Orleans" was awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award (2002) and was ranked at #333 in the Recording Industry Association of America's "Songs of the Century" (2001). Sadly, his life and career were cut short at age 35 in an automobile accident in 1960 at the height of his commercial fame.

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Johnny Horton

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