Hoyt Johnson
Hoyt Ray Johnson (born November 30, 1935 in Arley , Alabama , † August 9, 1989 in Indiana ) was an American country , rockabilly and gospel musician. Johnson was signed to various labels during his career, but never got the big break.
Life
Childhood and youth
Hoyt Johnson was born in Arley, which is near Jasper . He grew up on his parents' chicken farm. Johnson came from a musical family; each family member played an instrument and his mother even wrote her own songs.
Career
Johnson was discovered by local disc jockey Jim Atkins , who was working at WARF in Jasper at the time. Atkins soon became Johnson's manager and got him a recording contract with Sidney Erwin Ellis' label Erwin Records from Memphis , Tennessee . Johnson's first release with Erwin was the song It's a Little More Like Heaven (Where You Are) , written by Johnson and Atkins. Hank Locklin brought the song to fame in 1958 when it took it to number three on the Billboard Country Charts . Even Johnny Cash took the piece under the title You're the Nearest Thing To Heaven on and reached number five on the charts.
Johnson's second single came out in December 1957 with Enie Meanie Minie Mo / Standing In Your Window . Enie Meanie Minie Mo is now considered a rockabilly classic and was recorded with the studio band The Four Recorders , while the B-side was covered by Eddie Bond in 1958 . But this record also missed the charts again, despite moderate success. The single opened Johnson, among other things, to become a member of the Louisiana Hayrides .
In late 1958, Johnson's big break seemed to have come. He got a contract with the major label RCA Victor , where his songs were now produced by Chet Atkins . Although his first single as well as his second Little Boy Blue were commercial failures, RCA stuck to Johnson and in 1959 he received an invitation from the Grand Ole Opry , who wanted to hire him as a permanent member of the ensemble. Johnson's excessive alcohol consumption got in the way of his career and after his third single with RCA he lost his contract there. The Opry withdrew their offer, and Johnson fell further and further into the bottle.
In the 1960s, Johnson recorded other country and gospel pieces for small record labels such as Zone, Allstate and Satellite before he returned to Arley and lived on his chicken farm. Hoyt Johnson died in 1989 at the age of only 53. Country stars like George Jones appeared at his funeral .
Discography
| year | title | Label # |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | It's a Little More Like Heaven (Where You Are) /? | Erwin |
| 1957 | Enie Meanie Minie Mo / Standing In Your Window | Wolf 555 |
| 1959 | Sylvia / Bella Renee | RCA Victor 47-7522 |
| 1959 | Little Boy Blue / My Special Girl | RCA Victor 47-7607 |
| 1960 | Too Shy / Eca-La | RCA Victor 47-7731 |
| 1961 | I just can't learn / Cindy | Satellite 110 |
| 1963 | Standing In Your Window / You'll Never Be A Stranger To Me | Zone Z-1065 |
| 1964 (?) | I Bet You Didn't Know /? | Erwin E-65 |
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Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Johnson, Hoyt |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Johnson, Hoyt Ray (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country and rockabilly musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 30, 1935 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Arley, Alabama |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 9, 1989 |
| Place of death | Indiana |