17 Facts About Johnny Horton

John LaGale Horton was an American country, honky tonk and rockabilly musician during the 1950s.

Johnny Horton is best known for a series of history-inspired narrative country saga songs that became international hits.

Johnny Horton had two successes in 1960 with both "Sink the Bismarck" and "North to Alaska", the latter used over the opening credits to the John Wayne film of the same name.

Johnny Horton died in November 1960 at the peak of his fame in a traffic collision, less than two years after his breakthrough.

Johnny Horton is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

Johnny Horton was born on April 30,1925, in Los Angeles, the youngest of the five children of the former Ella Claudia Robinson and John Loly Johnny Horton, and raised in Rusk in Cherokee County in East Texas.

Johnny Horton later attended Seattle University and briefly Baylor University in Waco, although he did not graduate from any of these institutions.

Johnny Horton soon returned to California and got a job in the mail room at Selznick International Pictures, where his future wife, Donna Cook, was working in the studio as a secretary.

Johnny Horton signed a contract with Mercury Records and began recording.

On September 26,1953, Johnny Horton married Billie Jean Jones, widow of Hank Williams, who had died on January 1,1953.

Johnny Horton parted ways with the Rowley trio but has appeared occasionally on Louisiana Hayride.

Johnny Horton had two other successes in 1960 with "Sink the Bismarck" and "North to Alaska" for John Wayne's movie, North to Alaska.

Billie Jean and Johnny Horton had two daughters, Yanina and Melody, and Johnny Horton adopted Billie Jean's daughter Jeri Lynn.

Johnny Horton died en route to the hospital, and Tomlinson was seriously injured; his leg was later amputated.

Johnny Horton Cash performed one of the readings, choosing Chapter 20 from the Gospel of John.

Johnny Horton is interred at Hillcrest Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Haughton, east of Bossier City in northwestern Louisiana.

Johnny Horton was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and posthumously inducted into the Delta Music Museum Hall of Fame in Ferriday, Louisiana.