John D. Loudermilk: Difference between revisions

| alias = {{unbulleted list|Johnny Dee|[[Colonial Records#Ebe Sneezer and His Epidemics|Ebe Sneezer]]}}

'''John D.Dee Loudermilk Jr.''' (March 31, 1934 – September 21, 2016) was an American singer and songwriter. Although he had his own recording career during the 1950s and 1960s, he was primarily known as a songwriter.

His best-known songs include "[[Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)|Indian Reservation]]", a 1968 hit for UK singer [[Don Fardon]], and a U.S. No. 1 hit in 1971 for [[Paul Revere & the Raiders|The Raiders]]. He wrote "[[Ebony Eyes (John D. Loudermilk song)|Ebony Eyes]]", a 1961 U.K. No. 1 and U.S. No. 8 for [[the Everly Brothers]], and also wrote; "[[Tobacco Road (song)|Tobacco Road]]", a 1964 Top 20 hit in both the U.S. and the U.K. for [[the Nashville Teens]],; "This Little Bird", a U.K. No. 6 for [[Marianne Faithfull]] in 1965,; and "[[Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye]]", a U.S. Top Ten hit in 1967 for [[the Casinos]]. That song was also a U.S.and No. 1 country hit for [[Eddy Arnold]] in the following year.

John D. Loudermilk was born in Durham, North Carolina, to Pauline and John D. Loudermilk Sr., an illiterate carpenter.<ref name=theguardian>{{cite news|last= Sweeting|first= Adam|title= John D Loudermilk obituary |url= https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/27/john-d-loudermilk-obituary|access-date=November 22, 2016|newspaper =[[The Guardian]]|date=September 27, 2016}}</ref><ref name=washingtonpost/> John D. Jr.'sThe family were members of the [[Salvation Army]]. He was influenced by the church singing of the [[Christian Church]]. His cousins [[Ira Louvin|Ira]] and [[Charlie Louvin|Charlie Loudermilk]] were known professionally as [[the Louvin Brothers]].<ref name="Kingsbury2004">{{cite book|editor1=Paul Kingsbury|editor2=Laura Garrard|editor3=Daniel C. Cooper|editor4=John Rumble|title=The Encyclopedia of Country Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XsiL49XFbnkC&pg=PT1241|date=16 December 2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-984044-1|page=1241}}</ref> Loudermilk was a graduate of Campbell College (now [[Campbell University]]), a private North Carolina Baptist Convention-owned college in [[Buies Creek, North Carolina]].

As a young boy, Loudermilk learned to play the guitar, and while still in his teens, wrote a poem that he set to music, "[[A Rose and a Baby Ruth]]". The owners of local television station [[WTVD]], where he worked as a graphic artist, allowed him to play the song on-air, resulting in [[country music|country]] musician [[George Hamilton IV]] putting it on record in 1956. The songIt spent 20 weeks on the ''Billboard'' magazine pop chart, reaching numberNo. 6.<ref>{{cite book |title= The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=273}}</ref>

After [[Eddie Cochran]] had his first hit [[gramophone record|record]] with Loudermilk's "[[Sittin' in the Balcony]]", Loudermilk's career path was firmly setunderway.<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllmusicAllMusic|class=artist|id=john-d-loudermilk-mn0000217963 |tab=biography |pure_url=yes}} |title=John D. Loudermilk Biography |first=Richie |last=Unterberger |author-link=Richie Unterberger |publisher=[[All Media Network]] |work=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=April 26, 2015}}</ref>

Loudermilk recorded some of his songs,own includingsongs—including "Sittin' in the Balcony", underwhich the stage name "Johnny Dee" (reachingreached No.&nbsp; 38 on the pop charts in 1957). His1957—as "Johnny Dee" records were recorded, for the North Carolina-based [[Colonial Records]] label.

In 1958, Loudermilkhe signed with [[Columbia Records]] and recorded five unsuccessful singles to 1959, including the original version of "Tobacco Road".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ihesm.com/ |title=John D. Loudermilk Website |first=Kees |last=van der Hoeven |publisher=Ihesm.com |access-date=April 26, 2015}}</ref> In 1961, he signed with [[RCA Victor]], where he had a number of hits:

It was as a songwriter that Loudermilk made his mark. In 1963 he wrote another all-time hit for George Hamilton IV, "[[Abilene (song)|Abilene]]". Working out of country music capital [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], Tennessee, Loudermilk became one of the most productive songwriters of the 1960s and 1970s, penning [[country music|country]] and pop music hits for [[the Everly Brothers]], [[Johnny Tillotson]], [[Chet Atkins]], [[the Nashville Teens]], [[Paul Revere & the Raiders]], [[Johnny Cash]], [[Marianne Faithfull]], [[Stonewall Jackson (musician)|Stonewall Jackson]], [[SueKris ThompsonJensen]], and others[[Sue Thompson]]. ForHis example, he wrotesong "The Pale Faced Indian", (later known as "[[Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)|Indian Reservation]]",) was a hit in the 1970s,; and "[[Tobacco Road (song)|Tobacco Road]]", was a hit in the 1960s and 1970s for, among others, the Nashville Teens, [[Blues Magoos]], [[War (U.S. band)|Eric Burdon & War]], and [[David Lee Roth]]. Several singers recorded "Midnight Bus"; was recorded by several singers, and heLoudermilk commented that the best was by [[Betty McQuade]] infrom [[Melbourne]], [[Australia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.noise11.com/news/betty-mcquade-dies-at-70-20111229 |title=Betty McQuade Dies at 70 |first=Paul |last=Cashmere |author-link=Paul Cashmere |work=Noise11 |date=December 29, 2011}}</ref>

Loudermilk hadAfter sufferedsuffering from prostate cancer and respiratory ailments., HeLoudermilk died on September 21, 2016, at his home in Christiana, Tennessee. He was 82. The actual cause of death was a heart attack, according to his son Michael. He was 82.<ref name=washingtonpost>{{cite news|last=Schudel|first= Matt |title= John D. Loudermilk, Nashville songwriter of 'Tobacco Road,' dies at 82|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/john-d-loudermilk-nashville-songwriter-of-tobacco-road-dies-at-82/2016/09/22/734421c0-80d5-11e6-b002-307601806392_story.html |access-date=September 23, 2016|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date= September 22, 2016}}</ref><ref name=nytimes>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/23/arts/music/john-loudermilk-dead.html?_r=0|title=John D. Loudermilk, Who Wrote 'Tobacco Road' and 'Indian Reservation,' Dies at 82

The John D. Loudermilk Collection is located in the [[Southern Folklife Collection]] of the Wilson Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/20418/|title=John D. Loudermilk Collection, 1950-1991|website=finding-aids.lib.unc.edu|access-date=2017-11-06}}</ref>

* "Bad News" (covered by [[Johnny Cash]], [[Johnny Winter]], [[Whitey Morgan and the 78's]], and [[George Thorogood]])

* "Break My Mind" (covered by George Hamilton IV, [[Anne Murray]], [[Sammy Davis Jr.]], [[Glen Campbell]], [[Linda Ronstadt]], [[Roy Orbison]], [[Gram Parsons]], [[Wreckless Eric]], [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], [[The Flying Burrito Brothers]], [[Vern Gosdin]], [[The Box Tops]], and [[Crystal Gayle]])

* "[[(He's My) Dreamboat]]" (a hit for [[Connie Francis]])

* "[[Everything's Alright (The Newbeats song)|Everything's Alright]]" (a #No. 16 ''Billboard'' hit for [[the Newbeats]])

* "[[I Wanna Live]]" (a hit for [[Glen Campbell]])

* "[[Indian Reservation (The Lament of the Cherokee Reservation Indian)|Indian Reservation]]" (a hit for [[Don Fardon]] and later for [[Paul Revere and The Raiders]]; also includedsampled in "[[Indian Outlaw]]")

* "Road Hog" (1962,; Aa Portuguese version called "O Calhambeque" released in 1963 by Brazilian singer [[Roberto Carlos (singer)|Roberto Carlos]] is a very big hit in Brazil, well known to the public till today; same story in France with [[Joe Dassin]]'s version "Bip bip" in 1964)

* "[[Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)]]" (a hit for [[Sue Thompson]])(, also covered by [[Boney M]]; there's a Portuguese version, "Filme Triste", was released in 1962 by Brazilian vocal group [[Trio Esperança]])

* "[[Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye]]" (a hit for [[The Casinos]] (1967), [[Eddy Arnold]] (1968), [[Glen Campbell]] (1976), [[Toby Beau]] (1979), [[Neal McCoy]] (1996)); also covered by more than a dozen others including [[Bettye Swann]] & [[Johnny Nash]]

* "[[Tobacco Road (song)|Tobacco Road]]" (a hit for [[The Nashville Teens]] (1964); also recorded by [[Lou Rawls]] (1963, 1966), the [[Blues Magoos]] (1966), [[Jefferson Airplane]] (1966), [[Spooky Tooth]] (1968), [[Rare Earth (band)|Rare Earth]] (1969), [[Edgar Winter's White Trash]] (1970), and [[David Lee Roth]] (1985) and many more)

* "[[Turn Me On (Norah Jones song)|Turn Me On]]" (made famous by [[Norah Jones]]'s cover)

! style="width:50px;"| <small>[[Billboard Hot 100|US]]</small><br><ref name="Billboardcharts">{{cite web |title=John D. Loudermilk {{!}} Biography, Music & News |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/john-d-loudermilk/ |website=Billboard |access-date=30 June 2024}}</ref>

| rowspan="4"|''Language of Love''

*[https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/john-d-loudermilk John D. Loudermilk Interview] at [[NAMM Oral History InterviewProgram|NAMM Oral History Collection]] (July 16, 2014)

[[Category:Deaths from boneprostate cancer in the United States]]

[[Category:SongwritersSinger-songwriters from North Carolina]]