Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
I took advantage of the snowy backdrop to try this old Johnny Horton song. Pap saw Horton perform in a grocery store parking lot in California in the late 50's. He said that Horton and his band stood on an open trailer parked behind a big truck. :-) I once looked through the doors of the Red Dog Saloon, but it was in Juno, not Fairbanks. :-) Perhaps because he died so young (only 35), I don't seem to hear much about Johnny Horton as one of the best vocalists in country music, but I strongly believe that he was. He could masterfully sing everything from gentle love ballads, to honky tonk, to rockabilly. His vocal range was immense, and he always aced the high parts and low parts. If you're not familiar with his music, you owe it to yourself to check out songs like "All for the Love of a Girl," "North to Alaska," "Sink the Bismarck," and many more. Horton may be one of very few classic country performers to be born in Los Angeles; however, he grew up in Texas. He was very popular for narrative songs, many of them focused on Alaska and presented with a slight touch of humor (like this one). Horton's bass player, Tillman Franks wrote "When It's Springtime in Alaska." Back then, when you had success with something, you kept trying to hit that same mark by doing similar material. Because of this, it's almost like Horton became the Jack London of country music, with so much of his music focused on Alaska. His masterpiece "North to Alaska" was made into a movie, staring John Wayne. Back in the 80's and 90's, Dwight Yoakam revived attention on Horton by covering "I'm a Honky Tonk Man" and "North to Alaska." Horton died in an automobile collision in 1960. He was in a 1959 Fleetwood Cadillac. I once mistakenly believed large, classic cars to be safer than modern cars because of their size and rigidity. I since learned that rigidity can actually kill you by imparting all of the force of the crash to the occupants of the vehicle. Modern cars crumple up, almost like paper wads, thereby absorbing the force of the crash before it reaches the occupants. It's the same idea as those science competitions where kids drop eggs (inside protective paper containers) off buildings. The winner is the one whose container can absorb the most force and keep the egg from breaking. Today, many people survive head-on collisions, but in the 50's and 60's very few did. I believe Horton was driving, while his manager, bass player, and guitarist rode as passengers. Horton was not at fault in the accident. A drunk driver struck him head on upon the Little River Bridge on Hwy 79 in Milano, Texas. There are several interesting details concerning the crash, including that Horton's last words were to his bass player (Tillman Franks): "You know, Tillman, the Lord has been mighty good to me this year." Horton was still alive when the ambulance arrived but died on the way to the hospital. Johnny had his biggest hit in 1959 with his cover of Jimmy Driftwood's "The Battle of New Orleans." Driftwood (probably not his real name :-) was a history teacher in Arkansas, which might explain him writing about Andrew Jackson leading a rag tag crew against the British. Horton hit number 1 on both the US country and pop charts with Battle of New Orleans. I heard Ralph Emery say that he warned Horton that his cover of the song would not be popular because he had omitted the curse word, "hell." Emery believed that it was the curse word that made Driftwood's song popular with American teenagers. Of course, Emery turned out to be wrong. Ironically, Horton's cover was banned in Great Brittan because of the word "bloody," proving that curse words can sometimes be subjective. :-) Horton's cover still reached number 16 on the British charts, despite being banned and portraying British soldiers as cowardly. The lyrics to Springtime in Alaska are below, followed by a link to a news article about Horton's car accident:
I mushed from Port Bear through a blizzard of snow,
Been out prospecting for two years or so.
Pulled into Fairbanks. The city was a boom,
So I took a little stroll to the Red Dog Saloon.
As I walked in the door, the music was clear,
The prettiest voice I had heard in two years.
The song she was singin' made a man's blood run cold:
'When it's springtime in Alaska, it's forty below.'
It was red headed Lil who was singin' so sweet.
I reached down and took the snowpacks off my feet.
I reached for the gal who was singin' the tune.
We did the Eskimo hop all around the saloon.
With the caribou crawl and the grizzly bear hug,
We did our dance on a Kodiak rug.
The song she kept singing made a man's blood run cold:
"When it's springtime in Alaska it's forty below.'
I was as innocent as I could be.
I didn't know Lil was big Ed's wife to be.
He took out his knife and he gave it a throw.
When it's springtime in Alaska, I'll be six feet below.
Traffic Accident: tdtnews.com/archive/article_664d8eec-d657-52b8-91c8-c8e6fbf1233d.html
I took advantage of the snowy backdrop to try this old Johnny Horton song. Pap saw Horton perform in a grocery store parking lot in California in the late 50's. He said that Horton and his band stood on an open trailer parked behind a big truck. :-) I once looked through the doors of the Red Dog Saloon, but it was in Juno, not Fairbanks. :-) Perhaps because he died so young (only 35), I don't seem to hear much about Johnny Horton as one of the best vocalists in country music, but I strongly believe that he was. He could masterfully sing everything from gentle love ballads, to honky tonk, to rockabilly. His vocal range was immense, and he always aced the high parts and low parts. If you're not familiar with his music, you owe it to yourself to check out songs like "All for the Love of a Girl," "North to Alaska," "Sink the Bismarck," and many more. Horton may be one of very few classic country performers to be born in Los Angeles; however, he grew up in Texas. He was very popular for narrative songs, many of them focused on Alaska and presented with a slight touch of humor (like this one). Horton's bass player, Tillman Franks wrote "When It's Springtime in Alaska." Back then, when you had success with something, you kept trying to hit that same mark by doing similar material. Because of this, it's almost like Horton became the Jack London of country music, with so much of his music focused on Alaska. His masterpiece "North to Alaska" was made into a movie, staring John Wayne. Back in the 80's and 90's, Dwight Yoakam revived attention on Horton by covering "I'm a Honky Tonk Man" and "North to Alaska." Horton died in an automobile collision in 1960. He was in a 1959 Fleetwood Cadillac. I once mistakenly believed large, classic cars to be safer than modern cars because of their size and rigidity. I since learned that rigidity can actually kill you by imparting all of the force of the crash to the occupants of the vehicle. Modern cars crumple up, almost like paper wads, thereby absorbing the force of the crash before it reaches the occupants. It's the same idea as those science competitions where kids drop eggs (inside protective paper containers) off buildings. The winner is the one whose container can absorb the most force and keep the egg from breaking. Today, many people survive head-on collisions, but in the 50's and 60's very few did. I believe Horton was driving, while his manager, bass player, and guitarist rode as passengers. Horton was not at fault in the accident. A drunk driver struck him head on upon the Little River Bridge on Hwy 79 in Milano, Texas. There are several interesting details concerning the crash, including that Horton's last words were to his bass player (Tillman Franks): "You know, Tillman, the Lord has been mighty good to me this year." Horton was still alive when the ambulance arrived but died on the way to the hospital. Johnny had his biggest hit in 1959 with his cover of Jimmy Driftwood's "The Battle of New Orleans." Driftwood (probably not his real name :-) was a history teacher in Arkansas, which might explain him writing about Andrew Jackson leading a rag tag crew against the British. Horton hit number 1 on both the US country and pop charts with Battle of New Orleans. I heard Ralph Emery say that he warned Horton that his cover of the song would not be popular because he had omitted the curse word, "hell." Emery believed that it was the curse word that made Driftwood's song popular with American teenagers. Of course, Emery turned out to be wrong. Ironically, Horton's cover was banned in Great Brittan because of the word "bloody," proving that curse words can sometimes be subjective. :-) Horton's cover still reached number 16 on the British charts, despite being banned and portraying British soldiers as cowardly. The lyrics to Springtime in Alaska are below, followed by a link to a news article about Horton's car accident:
I mushed from Port Bear through a blizzard of snow,
Been out prospecting for two years or so.
Pulled into Fairbanks. The city was a boom,
So I took a little stroll to the Red Dog Saloon.
As I walked in the door, the music was clear,
The prettiest voice I had heard in two years.
The song she was singin' made a man's blood run cold:
'When it's springtime in Alaska, it's forty below.'
It was red headed Lil who was singin' so sweet.
I reached down and took the snowpacks off my feet.
I reached for the gal who was singin' the tune.
We did the Eskimo hop all around the saloon.
With the caribou crawl and the grizzly bear hug,
We did our dance on a Kodiak rug.
The song she kept singing made a man's blood run cold:
"When it's springtime in Alaska it's forty below.'
I was as innocent as I could be.
I didn't know Lil was big Ed's wife to be.
He took out his knife and he gave it a throw.
When it's springtime in Alaska, I'll be six feet below.
Traffic Accident: tdtnews.com/archive/article_664d8eec-d657-52b8-91c8-c8e6fbf1233d.html
