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{{Infobox musical artist
'''Johnny Preston''' (born John Preston Courville, on [[August 18]], [[1939]], in [[Port Arthur, Texas]]) is an [[United States|American]] [[singer]].
|name = Johnny Preston
|caption =
|background = solo_singer
|birth_name = John Preston Courville
|birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1939|08|18}}
|birth_place =[[Port Arthur, Texas]], United States
|death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2011|03|04|1939|08|18}}
|death_place =[[Beaumont, Texas]], United States<ref name=kfdm>[http://www.kfdm.com/news/johnny-41760-southeast-pop.html ]{{dead link|date=August 2015}}</ref>
|instrument = [[Human voice|Vocals]]
|genre = [[Traditional popular music]]
|occupation = [[Singing|Singer]]
|years_active = 1959–2009
|spouse = Sharron Courville
|children = Scott, Michael, Leslie, Lisa
|label = [[Mercury Records|Mercury]], [[Imperial Records|Imperial]], [[Kapp Records|Kapp]], TCF Hall, [[ABC Records|ABC]]
|associated_acts =
|website =
}}
'''Johnny Preston''' (August 18, 1939 – March 4, 2011)<ref name="Dead">{{cite web|author=Doc Rock |url=http://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/2011.html |title=2011 January to June |publisher=The Dead Rock Stars Club |date= |accessdate=2015-08-18}}</ref> was an [[United States|American]] [[pop music|pop]] [[singing|singer]], who was best known for his international number one hit in 1960, "[[Running Bear]]".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/music-obituaries/8433137/Johnny-Preston.html |title=Johnny Preston |newspaper=Telegraph |date=2011-04-06 |accessdate=2012-03-26}}</ref>


==Life and career==
Of [[Cajun]] ancestry, Johnny Preston sang in [[high school]] [[choral]] contests throughout the state of Texas. He formed a [[rock and roll]] band called "The Shades" before recording his [[Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1960 (USA)|No. 1]] [[Chart-topper|hit]] [[single (music)|single]] "Running Bear." The song was written by [[The Big Bopper|J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson]] who had died the previous year in the same [[The Day The Music Died|plane crash]] that killed [[Buddy Holly]] and [[Ritchie Valens]].
Born as '''John Preston Courville''' in [[Port Arthur, Texas|Port Arthur]], [[Texas]],<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> of [[Cajun]] ancestry, Preston sang in [[high school]] [[choral]] contests throughout the state of Texas.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/> He formed a [[rock and roll]] [[musical ensemble|band]] called the Shades, who were seen performing at a local club by [[The Big Bopper|J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson]].


Richardson offered Preston the chance to [[sound recording and reproduction|record]] a [[teenage tragedy song]] he had [[songwriter|written]], "[[Running Bear]]", which they did in [[Houston, Texas]], in 1958.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/JohnnyPreston1.html |title=Johnny Preston |publisher=Rockabillyhall.com |date= |accessdate=2015-08-18}}</ref> The "Indian" sounds on the record were performed by Richardson and [[George Jones]].<ref name="whitburn">{{cite book|first=Joel|last=Whitburn|year=2003|title=Top Pop Singles 1955-2002|edition= 1st|publisher=Record Research Inc.|location=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin|isbn= 0-89820-155-1|page=562}}</ref> The record was released after the Big Bopper's death in the same [[The Day the Music Died|plane crash]] that killed [[Buddy Holly]] and [[Ritchie Valens]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book
Preston quickly followed up with a minor hit called "Cradle of Love" and made several other records during the early [[1960s]] that met with modest success.
| first= Joseph
| last= Murrells
| year= 1978
| title= The Book of Golden Discs
| edition= 2nd
| publisher= Barrie and Jenkins Ltd
| location= London
| page= 127/128
| isbn= 0-214-20512-6}}</ref>
It entered the [[United States|U.S.]] [[Hot 100]] in October 1959, reaching [[Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1960 (USA)|number one]] in January 1960 and remaining there for three weeks.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/><ref name="whitburn"/> It was a [[wikt:transatlantic|transatlantic]] [[chart-topper]], reaching #1 in the [[United Kingdom]] in March 1960.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 108}}</ref> The sales of the [[gramophone record|record]] exceeded one million copies, earning Preston his first [[music recording sales certification|gold disc]].<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs"/>


Preston quickly followed up with another hit called "[[Cradle of Love (Johnny Preston song)|Cradle of Love]]," (Billboard #7, [[United Kingdom|UK]] # 2) and made several other [[Gramophone record|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]].<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums 2">{{cite book
Johnny Preston's pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the [[Rockabilly Hall of Fame]].
| first= David
| last= Roberts
| year= 2006
| title= British Hit Singles & Albums
| edition= 19th
| publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
| location= London
| isbn= 1-904994-10-5
| page= 437}}</ref>
Preston's "I'm Starting to Go Steady", a song on the [[A-side and B-side|flip side]] of "[[Feel So Fine]]", (Billboard #14), was released in June 1960. Preston made appearances on ''[[American Bandstand]]'' ([[American Broadcasting Company|ABC-TV]]) and ''[[The Milt Grant Show]]'' and also ''[[The Buddy Deane Show]]'' ([[East Coast of the United States|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|Branson]], [[Missouri]].<ref>[http://www.dickclarksbranson.com ]{{dead link|date=August 2015}}</ref>


Preston had [[coronary artery bypass surgery]] in 2010.<ref name=kfdm/> He died of [[heart failure]] in [[Beaumont, Texas]], on Friday 4 March 2011, at the age of 71,<ref name="Dead"/> after years of heart-related illnesses. A tribute concert was performed on November 5, 2011, and featured guest artists Gene Bourgeois, [[Johnny Tillotson]], [[Dickey Lee]], and [[Chris Montez]], along with LSCPS's Touring Band, under the direction of Aaron Horne.
{{US-singer-stub}}


==Discography==
[[Category:1933 births|Preston, Johnny]]
===Albums===
[[Category:Living people|Preston, Johnny]]
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;
[[Category:American pop singers|Preston, Johnny]]
|-
[[Category:People from Port Arthur, Texas|Preston, Johnny]]
!Year
[[Category:American male singers|Preston, Johnny]]
!Album
![[Record label]]
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1960
|align=left| ''Running Bear''
|rowspan="2"| [[Mercury Records]]
|-
|align=left| ''Come Rock with Me''
|-
|}
===Singles===
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center;
|-
!rowspan="2"|Year
!rowspan="2"|Title
!colspan="3"|Peak chart<br />positions
!rowspan="2"|[[Record label|Record Label]]
!rowspan="2"|[[A-side and B-side|B-side]]
!rowspan="2"|Album
|- style="font-size:smaller;"
!align=centre| [[Billboard Hot 100|US]]
!align=centre| [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US<br />R&B]]
!align=centre| [[UK Singles Chart|UK]]
|-
|| 1959
|align=left| "[[Running Bear]]"
| 1
| 3
| 1
|rowspan="11"| [[Mercury Records]]
| "My Heart Knows"
|| ''Running Bear''
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1960
|align=left| "[[Cradle of Love (Johnny Preston song)|Cradle of Love]]"
| 7
| 15
| 2
| "City of Tears"
|rowspan="2"| ''Come Rock with Me''
|-
|align=left| "[[Feel So Fine]]"
| 14
| –
| 18
| "I'm Starting to Go Steady"<br /><small>(UK #49)</small>
|-
|align=left| "Up in the Air"
| –
| –
| –
| "Charming Billy"<br /><small>(US #105, UK #34)</small>
||
|-
|align=left| "New Baby for Christmas"
| –
| –
| –
| "(I Want A) Rock and Roll Guitar"
||
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1961
|align=left| "[[Leave My Kitten Alone]]"
| 73
| –
| –
| "Token of Love"
|| ''Come Rock with Me''
|-
|align=left| "Willy Walk"
| –
| –
| –
| "I Feel Good"
||
|-
|align=left| "Let Them Talk"
| –
| –
| –
| "She Once Belonged to Me"
||
|-
|align=left| "Free Me"
| 97
| –
| –
| "Kissin' Tree"
||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1962
|align=left| "Let the Big Boss Man (Pull You Through)"
| –
| –
| –
| "The Day After Forever"
||
|-
|align=left| "Let's Leave It That Way"
| –
| –
| –
| "Broken Hearts Anonymous"
||
|-
|| 1963
|align=left| "This Little Bitty Tear (It's Gonna Dry)"
| –
| –
| –
|| [[Imperial Records]]
| "The Day the World Stood Still"
||
|-
|| 1964
|align=left| "All Around the World"
| –
| –
| –
|| Hall-Way Records
| "Just Plain Hurt"
||
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1965
|align=left| "The Peddler Man"
| –
| –
| –
|rowspan="2"| Hall Records
| "I'm Kicking Myself"
||
|-
|align=left| "Running Bear '65"
| –
| –
| –
| "[[Dedicated to the One I Love]]"
||
|-
|align=left| "Good Good Lovin'"
| –
| –
| –
|| TCF Hall Records
| "I'm Asking Forgiveness"
||
|-
|| 1968
|align=left| "I'm Only Human"
| –
| –
| –
|| [[ABC Records]]
| "There's No One Like You"
||
|}

==See also==
*[[List of artists who reached number one in the United States]]
*[[List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart]]
*[[List of artists who reached number one on the Australian singles chart]]
*[[List of stage names]]
*[[List of Mercury Records artists]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME =Preston, Johnny
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American musician
| DATE OF BIRTH =August 18, 1939
| PLACE OF BIRTH =Port Arthur, Texas
| DATE OF DEATH =March 4, 2011
| PLACE OF DEATH =Beaumont, Texas
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Johnny}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:2011 deaths]]
[[Category:American pop singers]]
[[Category:People from Port Arthur, Texas]]
[[Category:American male singers]]
[[Category:Gold Star Records artists]]
[[Category:Imperial Records artists]]
[[Category:Mercury Records artists]]
[[Category:Swamp pop music]]

Revision as of 04:25, 11 September 2015

Johnny Preston
Birth nameJohn Preston Courville
Born(1939-08-18)August 18, 1939
Port Arthur, Texas, United States
DiedMarch 4, 2011(2011-03-04) (aged 71)
Beaumont, Texas, United States[1]
GenresTraditional popular music
Occupation(s)Singer
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1959–2009
LabelsMercury, Imperial, Kapp, TCF Hall, ABC
Spouse(s)Sharron Courville

Johnny Preston (August 18, 1939 – March 4, 2011)[2] was an American pop singer, who was best known for his international number one hit in 1960, "Running Bear".[3]

Life and career

Born as John Preston Courville in Port Arthur, Texas,[4] of Cajun ancestry, Preston sang in high school choral contests throughout the state of Texas.[4] 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.[5] The "Indian" sounds on the record were performed by Richardson and George Jones.[6] The record was released after the Big Bopper's death in the same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.[4] It entered the U.S. Hot 100 in October 1959, reaching number one in January 1960 and remaining there for three weeks.[4][6] It was a transatlantic chart-topper, reaching #1 in the United Kingdom in March 1960.[7] The sales of the record exceeded one million copies, earning Preston his first gold disc.[4]

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.[8] Preston's "I'm Starting to Go Steady", a song on the flip side of "Feel So Fine", (Billboard #14), was released in June 1960. Preston 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.[9]

Preston had coronary artery bypass surgery in 2010.[1] He died of heart failure in Beaumont, Texas, on Friday 4 March 2011, at the age of 71,[2] after years of heart-related illnesses. A tribute concert was performed on November 5, 2011, and featured guest artists Gene Bourgeois, Johnny Tillotson, Dickey Lee, and Chris Montez, along with LSCPS's Touring Band, under the direction of Aaron Horne.

Discography

Albums

Year Album Record label
1960 Running Bear Mercury Records
Come Rock with Me

Singles

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"

See also

References

  1. ^ a b [1][dead link]
  2. ^ a b Doc Rock. "2011 January to June". The Dead Rock Stars Club. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  3. ^ "Johnny Preston". Telegraph. 2011-04-06. Retrieved 2012-03-26.
  4. ^ a b c d e Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 127/128. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  5. ^ "Johnny Preston". Rockabillyhall.com. Retrieved 2015-08-18.
  6. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 562. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
  7. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 108. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  8. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 437. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  9. ^ [2][dead link]

Template:Persondata

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