Johnny Preston | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | John Preston Courville |
Born | Port Arthur, Texas, U.S. | August 18, 1939
Died | March 4, 2011 Beaumont, Texas, U.S. [1] | (aged 71)
Genres | Rock and roll [2] |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 1959–2009 |
Labels | Mercury, Imperial, Kapp, TCF Hall, ABC |
John Preston Courville, known professionally as Johnny Preston (August 18, 1939 – March 4, 2011), [3] was an American rock and roll singer, best known for his international number one hit in 1960, " Running Bear". [4]
Born in Port Arthur, Texas, [5] of Cajun ancestry, Preston sang in high school choral contests throughout the state of Texas. [5] He formed a rock and roll band called the Shades, who were seen performing at a local club by J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson.
Richardson offered Preston the chance to record a teenage tragedy song he had written, " Running Bear", which they did in Houston, Texas, in 1958. [6] The "Indian" sounds on the record were performed by Richardson and George Jones. [7] The record was released after the Big Bopper's death in the same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens on 3 February 1959. [5] It entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in October 1959, reaching number one in January 1960 and remaining there for three weeks. [5] [7] It was a transatlantic chart-topper, reaching #1 in the United Kingdom in March 1960. [8] The sales of the record exceeded one million copies, earning Preston his first gold disc. [5]
Preston quickly followed up with another hit called " Cradle of Love," (Billboard #7, UK # 2) and made several other records during the early 1960s that met with modest success. "Cradle of Love" was a hit in both the UK Singles Chart and in Athens, Greece. [9] Preston's "I'm Starting to Go Steady", a song on the flip side of " Feel So Fine", (Billboard #14, UK#18) was released in June 1960. " Leave My Kitten Alone", a song later made famous as part of The Beatles Anthology 1, was a minor hit for Preston. He later made appearances on American Bandstand ( ABC-TV) and The Milt Grant Show and also The Buddy Deane Show ( East Coast, United States).
Preston's pioneering contribution to the genre was recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He also performed at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater in Branson, Missouri. [10]
Preston had coronary artery bypass surgery in 2010. [1] He died of heart failure in Beaumont, Texas, on March 4, 2011, at the age of 71, [3] after years of heart-related illnesses. He was survived by his wife, Sharon, two sons and two daughters. [11] Preston was buried at Oak Bluff Memorial Park in Port Neches, Texas. A tribute concert was performed on November 5, 2011, featuring guest artists Gene Bourgeois, Johnny Tillotson, Dickey Lee, and Chris Montez, along with Lamar State College - Port Arthur's touring band, under the direction of Aaron Horne.
Year | Album | Record label |
---|---|---|
1960 | Running Bear | Mercury Records |
Come Rock with Me |
Year | Title | Peak chart positions |
Record Label | B-side | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US |
US R&B |
UK | |||||
1959 | " Running Bear" | 1 | 3 | 1 | Mercury Records | "My Heart Knows" | Running Bear |
1960 | " Cradle of Love" | 7 | 15 | 2 | "City of Tears" | Come Rock with Me | |
" Feel So Fine" | 14 | – | 18 | "I'm Starting to Go Steady" (UK #49) | |||
"Up in the Air" | – | – | – | "Charming Billy" (US #105, UK #34) |
|||
"New Baby for Christmas" | – | – | – | "(I Want A) Rock and Roll Guitar" | |||
1961 | " Leave My Kitten Alone" | 73 | – | – | "Token of Love" | Come Rock with Me | |
"Willy Walk" | – | – | – | "I Feel Good" | |||
"Let Them Talk" | – | – | – | "She Once Belonged to Me" | |||
"Free Me" | 97 | – | – | "Kissin' Tree" | |||
1962 | "Let the Big Boss Man (Pull You Through)" | – | – | – | "The Day After Forever" | ||
"Let's Leave It That Way" | – | – | – | "Broken Hearts Anonymous" | |||
1963 | "This Little Bitty Tear (It's Gonna Dry)" | – | – | – | Imperial Records | "The Day the World Stood Still" | |
1964 | "All Around the World" | – | – | – | Hall-Way Records | "Just Plain Hurt" | |
1965 | "The Peddler Man" | – | – | – | Hall Records | "I'm Kicking Myself" | |
"Running Bear '65" | – | – | – | " Dedicated to the One I Love" | |||
"Good Good Lovin'" | – | – | – | TCF Hall Records | "I'm Asking Forgiveness" | ||
1968 | "I'm Only Human" | – | – | – | ABC Records | "There's No One Like You" |