Terry Gilkyson (June 17, 1916 – October 15, 1999) was an American
folk singer and songwriter.
Biography
Gilkyson was born Hamilton Henry Gilkyson in
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and graduated from
St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island in 1935. By his early twenties, he had become a worker on a ranch in
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
, then joined the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. In 1947, he married Jane Haughton 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
Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer and songwriter whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performa ...
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
''High Noon'' is a 1952 American Western (genre), Western film produced by Stanley Kramer from a screenplay by Carl Foreman, directed by Fred Zinnemann, and starring Gary Cooper. The plot, which occurs in Real time (media), real time, centers ...
'', 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". He appeared and sang in the 1956 Western ''
Star in the Dust'' with
John Agar,
Mamie Van Doren, and
Richard Boone.
In 1956, he formed a group called
The Easy Riders with Richard Dehr and
Frank Miller. The group had a major hit with "
Marianne". 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
Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...
backed by the Easy Riders. An adaptation of the song became an anthem for refugees from the
1956 Hungarian Revolution. In 1959, he wrote and recorded an album, ''8 Story-Songs from the Bible''. The song "
Greenfields" co-written with band-mates Frank Miller and Richard Dehr became a number two song in North America in 1960 when performed by
The Brothers Four.
In the 1960s, he left the group to work for the
Walt Disney Studios, writing music both for movies and the television series ''
The Wonderful World of Disney'' especially "
The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh." In 1968, he was nominated for an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
for "
The Bare Necessities" from the 1967 animated film ''
The Jungle Book''.
Other songs Gilkyson wrote for Disney films were:
*''
Swiss Family Robinson'' (1960) Song: "My Heart Was An Island'"
*''
Savage Sam'' (1963) Song: "Savage Sam and Me"
*''
The Three Lives of Thomasina'' (1964) Song: "Thomasina"
*''
The Moon-Spinners'' (1964) Song: "The Moon-Spinners"
*''
The Jungle Book'' (1967) Song: "The Bare Necessities", as well as several unused songs composed for the film ("Brothers All", "The Song of the Seeonee", "Monkey See, Monkey Do", "I Knew I Belonged to Her", "In A Day's Work", and "The Mighty Hunters")
*''
The Aristocats'' (1970) Song: "Thomas O'Malley Cat"
Death
He died in
Austin, Texas
Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
, while visiting family. His interment was at Morris Cemetery in his hometown of
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. He was survived by his children, guitarist
Tony Gilkyson (formerly of the bands Lone Justice and
X), singer-songwriter
Eliza Gilkyson, and
Warner Bros. Records executive Nancy Gilkyson.
Filmography
*''
Slaughter Trail'' (1951)
*''
Star in the Dust'' (1956)
See also
*
:Songs written by Terry Gilkyson
References
External links
*Bio b
Don Richardson written shortly after he died
*Bio o
Music Theater Internationalsite
The Easy Riders biography at Yahoo! Music*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilkyson, Terry
1916 births
1999 deaths
20th-century American singer-songwriters
20th-century American male singers
American male singer-songwriters
American folk singers
Four Star Records artists
People from Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania
St. George's School (Rhode Island) alumni
United States Army Air Forces soldiers
Walt Disney Animation Studios people