Johnny Western
Encyclopedia
Johnny Western is an American
country
singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and radio show host. He is a member of the Western Music Association Hall of Fame
and the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame.
but was primarily raised in Northfield, Minnesota
. His father was an instructor and officer in several Civilian Conservation Corps
camps, which is where he spent many of his earlier years. He also lived on Indian reservations along the Canada–United States border.
When he was five years old, Western's parents took him to see the western film Guns and Guitars, which starred the actor and singer Gene Autry
. The young boy decided he wanted to be a singing cowboy. At the age of 12, he received a guitar. Within a year, he was performing professionally.
with a collegiate singing trio. He got a job on radio at the age of 13, which got him named in Billboard magazine as the youngest disc jockey and singer on American radio. At age 16, he started playing on bills with the Sons of the Pioneers.
He performed with Gene Autry
and was a part of the Johnny Cash
road show from 1958 till 1997. He wrote and performed the theme song "The Ballad of Paladin" for the television program Have Gun – Will Travel. In collaboration with Johnny Cash, he re-wrote the lyrics of "The Rebel - Johnny Yuma" (from the TV series The Rebel) and "Bonanza" (originally fom Bonanza
) before Cash recorded them for his own albums.
, Have Gun – Will Travel, Flight
, and Boots and Saddles
. He's had roles in several movies including The Night Rider, Fort Bowie
, and The Dalton Girls.
(1070 AM, later KFTI) a country music station calling itself "The Radio Ranch" in Wichita, Kansas. The station and sister station
KFDI-FM
were sold to Journal Broadcast Group in July 1999. In early April 2010, Johnny announced that he would retire from broadcasting. His last day on the air was Saturday, April 10, 2010. Just over a month and a half later the station would switch to an oldies format.
, a theme park located in Park City, Kansas
near Wichita
, had concerts scheduled to begin in October, 2007. However, the park declared bankruptcy in July 2007. Reasons given included a tornado that struck Greensburg, Kansas
on May 4, 2007, one day before the park's official opening, and foul weather that continued for 50 days of the park's three month run.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and radio show host. He is a member of the Western Music Association Hall of Fame
Western Music Association Hall of Fame
The Western Music Association Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Western Music Association. Inductees are those individuals deemed important to the traditional and contemporary music of the American West and the American Cowboy.-1989-1999:1989*Rex Allen...
and the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame.
Early life
Johnny Western was born in Two Harbors, MinnesotaTwo Harbors, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,613 people, 1,636 households, and 953 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,120.7 people per square mile . There were 1,631 housing units at an average density of 505.9 per square mile...
but was primarily raised in Northfield, Minnesota
Northfield, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,147 people, 4,909 households, and 3,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,452.2 people per square mile . There were 5,119 housing units at an average density of 732.1 per square mile...
. His father was an instructor and officer in several Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
camps, which is where he spent many of his earlier years. He also lived on Indian reservations along the Canada–United States border.
When he was five years old, Western's parents took him to see the western film Guns and Guitars, which starred the actor and singer Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
. The young boy decided he wanted to be a singing cowboy. At the age of 12, he received a guitar. Within a year, he was performing professionally.
Musical career
His professional career began as a young teenager, singing and playing rhythm guitarRhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
with a collegiate singing trio. He got a job on radio at the age of 13, which got him named in Billboard magazine as the youngest disc jockey and singer on American radio. At age 16, he started playing on bills with the Sons of the Pioneers.
He performed with Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
and was a part of the Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
road show from 1958 till 1997. He wrote and performed the theme song "The Ballad of Paladin" for the television program Have Gun – Will Travel. In collaboration with Johnny Cash, he re-wrote the lyrics of "The Rebel - Johnny Yuma" (from the TV series The Rebel) and "Bonanza" (originally fom Bonanza
Bonanza
Bonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
) before Cash recorded them for his own albums.
Albums
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Have Gun - Will Travel | Columbia |
| 1980 | Johnny Western | JRC Records |
| 1981 | The Gunfighter | Bear Family |
| 1984 | Sings 20 Great Classics & Legends | Americana Records |
| 1989 | Gunfight at O.K. Corral | Bear Family |
| 1993 | Heroes and Cowboys | Bear Family |
Guest appearances
| Year | Song | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Ballad of Palindrome | Riders in the Sky | A Great Big Western Howdy! |
| 2007 | Pancho and Lefty | Rex Allen, Jr. Rex Allen, Jr. Rex Allen, Jr. is an American country music singer, who started singing at the age of six; he had followed in the footsteps of his father, Rex Allen, a singing cowboy and the narrator of many Walt Disney films. Rex Allen, Jr... |
The New West |
Acting career
Western has appeared in several television programs and movies. He was seen in the television programs Tales of Wells FargoTales of Wells Fargo
Tales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:...
, Have Gun – Will Travel, Flight
Flight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
, and Boots and Saddles
Boots and Saddles
For the 1957-1958 syndicated western television series starring Jack Pickard, Patrick McVey, and Gardner McKay, see Boots and Saddles .Boots and Saddles is a bugle call sounded for mounted troops to mount and take their place in line....
. He's had roles in several movies including The Night Rider, Fort Bowie
Fort Bowie
Fort Bowie was a 19th century outpost of the United States Army located in southeastern Arizona near the present day town of Willcox, Arizona.Fort Bowie was established in 1862 after a series of engagements between the U.S. Military and the Chiricahua Apaches. The most violent of which was the...
, and The Dalton Girls.
Radio career
In February 1986, Western returned to radio with a daily country music show on KFDIKlio
Klio may refer to:* An alternative spelling of Clio, the mythical Muse of history* 84 Klio, an asteroid, two ships of Neptun Line, Germany* Klio, Greece, a village in the northeastern part of Lesbos Island...
(1070 AM, later KFTI) a country music station calling itself "The Radio Ranch" in Wichita, Kansas. The station and sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
KFDI-FM
KFDI-FM
KFDI-FM is a 100 kW radio station operating in Wichita, Kansas. Identifying as "Today's KFDI-FM 101.3, Wichita's Country Favorites," the station runs a contemporary country music format. KFDI has a strong emphasis on news, weather, and traffic with the largest newsradio team in Kansas and the only...
were sold to Journal Broadcast Group in July 1999. In early April 2010, Johnny announced that he would retire from broadcasting. His last day on the air was Saturday, April 10, 2010. Just over a month and a half later the station would switch to an oldies format.
The Johnny Western Theatre
The Johnny Western Theatre in Wild West WorldWild West World
Wild West World was a Wild West theme park in Park City, Kansas that opened on May 5, 2007 and closed on July 9, 2007. It was located on along Interstate 135 near Wichita.-History:...
, a theme park located in Park City, Kansas
Park City, Kansas
Park City is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States; it is a suburb of Wichita. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,297.-History:...
near Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, had concerts scheduled to begin in October, 2007. However, the park declared bankruptcy in July 2007. Reasons given included a tornado that struck Greensburg, Kansas
Greensburg, Kansas
Greensburg is a city in and the county seat of Kiowa County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 777. Greensburg is also home to the world's largest hand-dug well....
on May 4, 2007, one day before the park's official opening, and foul weather that continued for 50 days of the park's three month run.
Awards and honors
- TV Theme Hall of Fame (1993)
- Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame (2000)
- Old Time Country Music Hall of Fame (2000)
- Western Music Association Hall of FameWestern Music Association Hall of FameThe Western Music Association Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Western Music Association. Inductees are those individuals deemed important to the traditional and contemporary music of the American West and the American Cowboy.-1989-1999:1989*Rex Allen...
(2001) - Wichita Professional Broadcasters Hall of Fame (2002)
- Kansas Cowboy Hall of FameKansas Cowboy Hall of FameThe Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame, is located at the Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City, Kansas. The first inductees were selected in 2002.-External links:* website...
(2004) - Kansas Western Swing Hall of Fame (2004)