Every country music fan – old and new – knew the legendary icon Merle Haggard, but many probably didn’t know the other Merle of country music: Merle Kilgore.
Kilgore enjoyed a heavily successful career — as a songwriter with 330 credits under his name, including hits like “Wolverton Mountain,” “Johnny Reb,” “More and More,” and “Ring of Fire,” which he co-wrote with June Carter Cash; as a singer with multiple Top 10 records, including his self-penned tracks “Dear Mama” and “Love Has Made You Beautiful;” as an actor with box office hits like “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “Robert Altman’s Nashville,” and Roadie;” and as a manager for two legendary Hanks.
Kilgore’s Life, Career, and Death
Wyatt Merle Kilgore was born on August 9, 1934, in Chickasha, Oklahoma, to parents Wyatt and Gladys Bell Kilgore. When he was five, the whole family moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, where he grew up.
Kilgore was 14 when he started working, and his first job was to carry Hank Williams Sr.’s guitar at the Louisiana Hayride. Two years later, he performed on the same show as principal guitar accompanist. He was still in high school at the time.
1952, he graduated from C.E. Bryd High School and then entered college at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. While attending school, he became a disc jockey at radio station KRUS. A year later, he started appearing on TV shows like The Tall Texan – which definitely fit him since he stood 6 feet 4 inches tall – on KFAZ (Ouachita Valley Jamboree) and KNOE in Monroe. Then, in 1954, he hit it big. His co-written track with Webb Pierce titled “More and More” grabbed number one, reigned for 10 weeks, became a million-seller, and earned him a BMI songwriters award.
And that was just the start of what would be a very successful career.
In the mid-1950s, he continued his work as a disc jockey and expanded into several Louisiana stations. Around this time, he also performed with Elvis Presley in the South. He went on to write more songs, such as “Johnny Reb,” which was recorded by Johnny Horton and sold fifteen million copies.
Then, when the ‘60s hit, he had multiple breakthroughs.
For You
He dabbled in the recording industry as an artist and earned two Top 10 hits, “Dear Mama” and “Love Has Made You Beautiful.” He made his debut on the Grand Ole Pry, received the WSM Nashville “Mr. DJ” award, and joined the Johnny Cash road show as a tour opener. He also had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall.
In 1962, he earned another million-seller number one country hit with “Wolverton Mountain” with Claude King. It even crossed to the Hot 100 and nabbed a Top 10 position. He teamed up with June Carter a year later for “Love’s Burning Ring of Fire,” which was revived as “Ring of Fire.” The song was first recorded by June’s sister, Anita, and then later by her future husband, Johnny Cash, and she herself for her album Press On. (Kilgore and Carter were actually distant cousins on their mother’s side, and when Carter married Cash, he stood as Cash’s best man!) In the same year, he was named one of the Top 10 songwriters by Billboard magazine.
In addition to his songwriting credits, he stacked up acting credits, with his first feature film being “Country Music on Broadway” and hosted TV shows.
The other half of his career was devoted to management. He was once the head of Hank Jr.’s publishing company and even became his personal manager. In fact, he even performed on some of his biggest albums. He hooked him up with Monday Night Football and rapper Kid Rock, which opened Williams Jr. up to a bigger audience.
What happened to Merle Kilgore?
Merle Kilgore passed away at 70 due to medical complications related to his lung cancer treatments. According to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, his enduring gift was his larger-than-life personality beyond his successful career as a multifaceted individual.
Even when he was battling cancer, his sense of humor remained intact. In one conversation with his doctor, he was told that he would be playing golf in six months. To which he responded, “That’s great because I don’t play golf.”
