Terry Gilkyson

From Wind Repertory Project
Terry Gilkyson

Biography

Hamilton Henry "Terry" Gilkyson III (17 June 1916, Phoenixville, Penn. – 15 October 1999, Austin, Tex.) was an American folk singer, composer, and lyricist.

Gilkyson graduated from St George's High School in 1935. By his early twenties, he had become a worker on a ranch in Tucson, Arizona, then joined the military during World War II. In 1947, he married Jane Gilkyson and moved to California to pursue a career as a folk singer.

He wrote and recorded The Cry of the Wild Goose, which became a hit song for Frankie Laine in 1950, as well as the 1953 hit song Tell Me a Story recorded by Jimmy Boyd and Laine. In 1951 Gilkyson appeared in, as well as wrote continuing songs for, the Cinecolor Western film Slaughter Trail that, in the manner of High Noon, had ballads throughout the film relating to the plot. He was also featured vocalist on The Weavers No. 1 hit recording of On Top Of Old Smokey, as well as their recording of Across The Wide Missouri. He appeared and sang in the 1956 Western Star in the Dust with John Agar, Mamie Van Doren, and Richard Boone.

In 1956, he formed a group called The Easy Riders with Richard Dehr and Frank Miller. The group had a major hit with Marianne, both written and performed by the trio. In the 1960s, he left the group to work for the Walt Disney Studios, writing music both for movies and the television series The Wonderful World of Disney especially The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. In 1968, he was nominated for an Academy Award for The Bare Necessities from the 1967 animated film The Jungle Book.


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