Terry Gilkyson
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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
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, 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 International
site
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