One Woman Man
Buck Norris sings “One Woman Man” by Johnny Horton and later by George Jones.
At the end of 1951, Horton relocated from California to Shreveport, LA, where he became a regular on the Louisiana Hayride. However, Lousiana was filled with pitfalls — his first wife left him shortly after the move, and Robison severed all ties with Horton when he became Reeves’ manager. During 1952, Hank Williams rejoined the cast of the Hayride and became a kind of mentor for Horton. After Williams died on New Year’s Eve of 1952, Horton became close with his widow, Billie Jean; the couple married in September of 1953.
Although he had a regular job on the Hayride, Horton’s recording career was going nowhere — none of his Mercury records were selling, and rock & roll was beginning to overtake country’s share of the market place. Horton’s fortunes changed in the latter half of 1955, when he hired Webb Pierce’s manager Tillman Franks as his own manager and quit Mercury Records. Franks had Pierce help him secure a contract for Horton with Columbia Records by the end of 1955. The change in record labels breathed life into Horton’s career. At his first Columbia session, he cut “Honky Tonk Man,” his first single for the label and one that would eventually become a honky tonk classic. By the spring of 1956, the song had reached the country Top Ten and Horton was well on his way to becoming a star.
“Honky Tonk Man” was edgy enough to have Horton grouped in on the more country-oriented side of rockabilly. Wearing a large cowboy hat to hide his receding hairline, he became a popular concert attraction and racked up three more hit singles — “I’m a One-Woman Man” (number seven), “I’m Coming Home” (number 11), “The Woman I Need” (number nine) — in the next year. However, the hits dried up just as quickly as they arrived; for the latter half of 1957 and 1958, he didn’t hit the charts at all. Horton responded by cutting some rockabilly, which was beginning to fall out of favor by the time his singles were released.
In the fall of 1958, he bounced back with the Top Ten “All Grown Up,” but it wasn’t until the ballad “When It’s Springtime in Alaska (It’s Forty Below)” hit the charts in early 1959 that he achieved a comeback. The song fit neatly into the folk-based story songs that were becoming popular in the late ’50s, and it climbed all the way to number one. Its success inspired his next single, “The Battle of New Orleans.” Taken from a 1958 Jimmie Driftwood album, the song was a historical saga song like “When It’s Springtime in Alaska,” but it was far more humorous. It was also far more successful, topping the country charts for ten weeks and crossing over into the pop charts, where it was number one for six weeks. After the back-to-back number one successes of “When It’s Spring Time in Alaska” and “The Battle of New Orleans,” Horton concentrated solely on folky saga songs. “Johnny Reb” became a Top Ten hit in the fall of 1959, and “Sink the Bismarck” was a Top Ten hit in the spring of 1960, followed by the number one hit “North to Alaska” in the fall of 1960.
Around the time of “North to Alaska”‘s November release, Horton claimed that he was getting premonitions of an early death. Sadly, his premonitions came true. On November 4, 1960, he suffered a car crash driving home to Shreveport after a concert in Austin, TX. Horton was still alive after the wreck, but he died on the way to the hospital; the other passengers in his car had severe injuries, but they survived. Although he died early in his career, Horton left behind a recorded legacy that proved to be quite influential. Artists like George Jones and Dwight Yoakam have covered his songs, and echoes of Horton’s music can still be heard in honky tonk and country-rock music well into the ’90s. From www.Allmusic.com
Duration : 0:2:26
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And, have you got …
And, have you got to hear it now?
Yes, I like your …
Yes, I like your singing in this song.
Good work, Buck
Thanks Marcus, …
Thanks Marcus, solid Country.
Thanks so much.
Thanks so much.
I liked it very …
I liked it very much*****S
Good one Buck. **** …
Good one Buck. *****. Thanks.
I haven’t heard …
I haven’t heard that one will have to check it out.
Wow! 62! Tell him …
Wow! 62! Tell him congrats from me.
Heard this one from …
Heard this one from Johnny but never from George Jones. I guess my Grand Father is a one women man, after 62 years of marriage this month and still going. Great job! It’s a good song.
Yep, Maybe you know …
Yep, Maybe you know his song “Jim Bridger” another great historical song, and maybe my favorite of his.
Hi Johi he was a …
Hi Johi he was a super singer especially on the Historical Ballads like North To Alaska.
Good job, I listen …
Good job, I listen to Johnny Horton a lot lately, so this really fitted my mood! Great rendition!
I suppose I could! …
I suppose I could! 🙂
LOL Yeah that was …
LOL Yeah that was George’s thing, love it though!
Yeah, I need to do …
Yeah, I need to do that but that was George’s bit. I did Johnny Hortons version.
LOL, Blush. After …
LOL, Blush. After 35 years of marriage I guess you could call me that.
LOL, tried to get …
LOL, tried to get the little lady to pose but she is camera shy so I had to hire this plain jane! LOL
Is this your wife? …
Is this your wife?She’s purty!LOL!Great song,great job pickin’ and singin’5*****Jerry
Oh wait, is that …
Oh wait, is that your wife in the backround???? Thought you were a One Woman Man????? LOL LOL
Great job, this is …
Great job, this is a great song! I heard The Possum’s version 1st. Let’s hear you do those nice LOOOOOW
Thanks very much. …
Thanks very much. It is always good to hear from you two Scottish Lasses! Hugs.
Thanks Colin. …
Thanks Colin. Johnny Horton followed up “Honk Tonk Man” with this one. Quite a contrast. LOL
Really enjoyed this …
Really enjoyed this introduction Buck. I hope the weekend is going well and you’re all enjoying yourselves. Stars and hugs friend..
(Jan and Susan) ?
Fantastic Buck …
Fantastic Buck great song 5*****+…Colin.
Thanks Pete, don’t …
Thanks Pete, don’t know how I did it with that gal looking over my shoulder.