Biography
Born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, during 1916, Terry Gilkyson later supplied a vital thread through the mid-1950s period sometimes called folk music’s lost years. Music served as the main household diversion for most families during the 1920s and 1930s, prompting the young Gilkyson to enroll at the University of Pennsylvania; classroom routine soon proved unappealing, however, and he left after completing only two years. In 1937 he settled in Tucson, Arizona, where he tended a friend’s ranch, mastered the guitar, and began composing folk material. During World War II he entered the Army, spent a short time in the cavalry, then transferred to the Army Air Corps and remained there until receiving his discharge in 1945. Returning to Pennsylvania, he assumed control of his father’s insurance firm, yet the desire to pursue music eventually drew him away from that provincial setting.
Accompanied by his bride, Gilkyson moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1947. The following year he landed his initial paid position in the field, hosting the Armed Forces radio series “The Solitary Singer.” Throughout that interval and for the rest of his performing life he steered clear of politically or socially charged topics, concerned that such material could lead to blacklisting amid the Red Scare. In 1949 he cut “The Cry of the Wild Goose,” a number that reached the top of the charts for Frankie Laine in 1950. He also teamed with the Weavers on the two selections “On Top of Old Smoky” and “Across the Wide Missouri” and issued three Decca long-players: Folksongs, Terry Gilkyson, and Golden Minutes of Folk Music. Additional screen appearances included the films Star in the Dust (1956) and Slaughter Trail (1951).
Gilkyson encountered Rich Dehr and Frank Miller—known collectively as the Easy Riders—in 1953, and the three musicians soon merged their efforts. Together they penned “Memories Are Made of This,” which became a chart-topping single for Dean Martin, and they released the Columbia album Marianne and Other Songs in 1957. Their shared caution regarding contentious subject matter proved advantageous during the mid-1950s, an era when few folk performers gained visibility; the Weavers had been nearly sidelined by the McCarthy hearings, and the Kingston Trio would not introduce “Tom Dooley” until the summer of 1958. In the meantime Gilkyson composed and documented songs that entered the standard repertoire for artists such as Burl Ives, Harry Belafonte, and the New Christy Minstrels.
After assembling a later incarnation of the Easy Riders and creating “Greenfields,” a major success for the Brothers Four, Gilkyson joined the Disney studios in the early 1960s. He supplied music for Swiss Family Robinson (1960), Savage Sam (1963), and The Jungle Book (1967), earning an Academy Award nomination for “The Bare Necessities.” When Disney proposed placing him on salary in the early 1970s, he declined, worried that he might forfeit ownership of his compositions, and chose to step away from active work.
Each of Gilkyson’s three children entered the music industry: Tony performed with several groups, among them the punk band X; Eliza established herself as a singer and songwriter; and Nancy held the post of Vice President at Warner Brothers Records for two decades. Terry Gilkyson passed away in Austin, Texas, on October 15, 1999.
Accompanied by his bride, Gilkyson moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1947. The following year he landed his initial paid position in the field, hosting the Armed Forces radio series “The Solitary Singer.” Throughout that interval and for the rest of his performing life he steered clear of politically or socially charged topics, concerned that such material could lead to blacklisting amid the Red Scare. In 1949 he cut “The Cry of the Wild Goose,” a number that reached the top of the charts for Frankie Laine in 1950. He also teamed with the Weavers on the two selections “On Top of Old Smoky” and “Across the Wide Missouri” and issued three Decca long-players: Folksongs, Terry Gilkyson, and Golden Minutes of Folk Music. Additional screen appearances included the films Star in the Dust (1956) and Slaughter Trail (1951).
Gilkyson encountered Rich Dehr and Frank Miller—known collectively as the Easy Riders—in 1953, and the three musicians soon merged their efforts. Together they penned “Memories Are Made of This,” which became a chart-topping single for Dean Martin, and they released the Columbia album Marianne and Other Songs in 1957. Their shared caution regarding contentious subject matter proved advantageous during the mid-1950s, an era when few folk performers gained visibility; the Weavers had been nearly sidelined by the McCarthy hearings, and the Kingston Trio would not introduce “Tom Dooley” until the summer of 1958. In the meantime Gilkyson composed and documented songs that entered the standard repertoire for artists such as Burl Ives, Harry Belafonte, and the New Christy Minstrels.
After assembling a later incarnation of the Easy Riders and creating “Greenfields,” a major success for the Brothers Four, Gilkyson joined the Disney studios in the early 1960s. He supplied music for Swiss Family Robinson (1960), Savage Sam (1963), and The Jungle Book (1967), earning an Academy Award nomination for “The Bare Necessities.” When Disney proposed placing him on salary in the early 1970s, he declined, worried that he might forfeit ownership of his compositions, and chose to step away from active work.
Each of Gilkyson’s three children entered the music industry: Tony performed with several groups, among them the punk band X; Eliza established herself as a singer and songwriter; and Nancy held the post of Vice President at Warner Brothers Records for two decades. Terry Gilkyson passed away in Austin, Texas, on October 15, 1999.
Albums
