Terry Gilkyson

Born in the small town of Phoenixville, PA, in 1916, Terry Gilkyson's songs would one day create an important link during folk music's "lost" years, the mid-'50s. Like many families in the '20s and '30s, music was a primary source of entertainment for the Gilkyson clan. While this influenced the young Terry to study music at the University of Pennsylvania, the formality of class work bored him and he dropped out after two years. He moved to Tucson, AZ, in 1937, working on a friend's ranch, learning to play guitar, and writing folk songs. He joined the Army during WWII, serving briefly in the cavalry before joining the Army Air Corps where he remained until he was discharged in 1945. He returned to Pennsylvania where he took over his father's insurance business, but the dream of being a musician pulled him away from small-town life. In 1947, Gilkyson, along with his new bride, relocated to Los Angeles, CA. In 1948 he received his first professional job in music, operating a radio program called "The Solitary Singer" for the Armed Forces. During this time, and throughout his career as a singer, Gilkyson avoided controversial political and social subjects out of fear of being blacklisted during the "Red Scare." He recorded "The Cry of the Wild Goose" in 1949, a song that became a number one hit for Frankie Laine in 1950. He recorded two songs, "On Top of Old Smoky" and "Across the Wide Missouri," with the Weavers, and three albums -- Folksongs, Terry Gilkyson, and Golden Minutes of Folk Music -- for Decca. He also received acting roles in a number of movies, including Star in the Dust (1956) and Slaughter Trail (1951). In 1953, Gilkyson met Rich Dehr and Frank Miller, a duo who called themselves the Easy Riders, and the three decided to join forces. They wrote "Memories...