Billie Jean Horton
Billie Jean Horton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Billie Jean Jones August 12, 1933 |
| Occupation(s) | Country music singer-songwriter, music promoter Known also for her marriages to country musicians Hank Williams and Johnny Horton |
Billie Jean Jones Eshleman Williams Horton Berlin (born August 12, 1933), professionally known as Billie Jean Horton, is a country music singer-songwriter and former music promoter, who is best known for her marriage to iconic country musician and singer-songwriter Hank Williams Sr. and subsequently to singer Johnny Horton.
Biography
Horton was the daughter of a police chief from Bossier City, Louisiana, divorced from a first husband, Harrison Eshleman[1] when she was introduced to Hank by her then-boyfriend, country singer Faron Young.[2] They married October 18, 1952, when she was 19 years old. They first married in a private ceremony in Minden, Louisiana, then repeated their vows before sold-out audiences at two Williams concerts at the Baton Rouge High School gymnasium and the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans, LA.[2][3]
Williams died from heart failure on New Year's Day 1953. Late that year, she married country singer Johnny Horton, and became important in promoting his career. They had two children, Yanina and Melody; Horton adopted Billie-Jean’s daughter Jeri Lynn.
Horton died on 5 November 1960, in a traffic collision with a truck, widowing Billie-Jean a second time.[2] She then worked as a recording artist, with her record "Ocean of Tears" hitting the country top 40 in 1961,[4] and had a relationship with Johnny Cash (while he was still married to his first wife, Vivian Liberto).[5] Later Horton married insurance executive Kent Berlin, whom she subsequently divorced.[2][6]
In 1971, a judge ruled, despite her divorce from Eshleman not being finalized before her wedding with Williams, she entered the marriage in good faith and thus their union was entitled to a presumption of validity.[7]
Horton became known for her energetic efforts on behalf of the reputations and estates of both of her famous husbands.[2][6] As of 2016, she resides in an assisted living facility, and her three daughters live in Shreveport.[8]
Film depiction
Horton is portrayed by actress Maddie Hasson in the 2015 biopic film about Hank Williams' life titled I Saw the Light.[9]
References
- ^ George William Koon, Hank Williams, So Lonesome (University Press of Mississippi, 1983), ISBN 978-1578062836, pp. 68ff. Excerpts available at Google Books. Other sources give his name as "Eshlimar", e.g. Roger M. Williams, Sing a Sad Song: The Life of Hank Williams (University of Illinois Press, 1981), ISBN 978-0252008610, pp. 200ff. Excerpts available at Google Books. See Koon, p. 148 n.74, for a brief discussion of why "Eshleman" is likely correct.
- ^ a b c d e John Prime, Merry widow of country legends", The Los Angeles Times, September 20, 1987.
- ^ Erroll Labor, "Hank Williams and Billie Jean Say I Do", New Orleans Magazine, September 2013.
- ^ Joel Whitburn, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits (Random House, 2006), ISBN 978-0823082919, p. 475. Excerpts available at Google Books.
- ^ Robert Hilburn, Johnny Cash: The Life (Hachette Digital, 2013), ISBN 978-0316248693. Excerpts available at Google Books.
- ^ a b "She's living off two country music legends", Associated Press in Gadsden Times, October 1, 1975
- ^ "Mrs. Hank Williams: Late Star's Widow Wins Court Battle", United Press International in The Dispatch (Lexington, N.C.), June 11, 1971.
- ^ John Andrew Prime. "Billie Jean Horton, a true American classic". Shreveport Times.
- ^ Jen Yamato (2 October 2014). "Maddie Hasson Joins 'I Saw The Light'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
