Jeri is of English origin, which means Rules with Spear. She started to search for the cat outside, stepped into a gopher hole or the like and snapped a bone. He is the coauthor of a book on Barksdale Air Force Base and has contributed to books on area music. But he told me that one day Johnny would be one of the biggest stars in the business. Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. In several interviews, Billie Jean spoke of her love for Horton and how much she enjoyed being a mother and wife. Horton died in a car crash on a Texas highway in November, 1960. Bill's songs have featured as soundtracks in top movies such as The Wild Wild West. He had seen too much of booze and pills. She was the ex-wife of Hank Williams. And John never felt the love from his father. Ronnie Milsap is a revered American country music icon. Johnny Cash asks Billie Jean to marry him. Being the widow of two country music legends has been nothing if not eventful for Billie Jean Horton. That was in Nashville, in the winter of 1951. There were also tax bills due, but Billie Jean managed to pull through with help from Cash. [8], Horton is portrayed by actress Maddie Hasson in the 2015 biopic film about Hank Williams' life titled I Saw the Light, based on Hank Williams: The Biography. Sue honed her vocals at the tender age of seven years. After that sad event, she got the title Country Legends Dazzling Widow. From that moment on, she put every possible effort to keep her late husbands music alive. I had to get up on the commode to slap her, she said. Also, rumors circulated at that time that she was dating Johnny Cash while the famous singer was married to his first wife. Even from her earliest days, Billie Jean had a profound interest and affection for country music. Few individuals are looking into Billie Jean Hortons death because she is believed to have died by now. In the video below, Hank Williams widow, Billie Jean Horton, sings apassionate song about loss and heartbreak. }); Use of this web site constitutes acceptance of the Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy | User published content is licensed under a Creative Commons License. His musical career spans over seven decades. Hank Williams died under mysterious circumstances on New Years Day 1953, leaving Billie Jean a widow at nineteen. target_type: 'mix' Billie Jean Horton is America's most seasoned female country music legend. He also fell in love with a woman named Billie Jean Horton, Johnny Horton's wife. How did she make her money? In spite of that, though, her main role was always as a sort of keeper of the flame when it came to the musical legacies of her two late husbands. In an interview, she reminisced the last day she saw her father and recalls that he told her that he would not return and that he loved her. As she sits in her office surrounded by reams of paper and boxes containing papers she and her attorneys have chased through courthouses across the nation, she speaks with a hint of understatement. More than her professional life, her personal life was a big deal for the media and her curious fans. Her father was the Chief of Police. Her sweet, soothing voice was a major draw for new fans. The author of his new biography on what we never know about the country star, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Melody Horton is the second daughter of singer John Horton and Melody. "But there they were in court, looking at my marriage certificate with mine and Hank's signatures on it. Shes just come off another courtroom victory in which an Alabama judge ruled that a woman claiming to be the illegitimate daughter of Hank Williams has no right to royalties or proceeds from his estate. As he established himself in music, he settled on the guitar and later emerged to become the worlds historical music icon and guitarist. Both men gave their final public shows at Austin's Skyline Club. [2] She then worked as a recording artist; her record "Ocean of Tears" hit the country top 40 in 1961. Although she wears many hearts, such as acting and activism, Olivias fame was propelled by her musical skills. Billie Jean is one of those people who deserve a biography about their life because of her achievements and constant service to the industry. It is for this reason that I find learning about the lives of music icons, like Billie Jean Horton, so inspiring and an essential part of understanding their art. Considered to be a visionary in the wave of country music, Dolly has become a household name worldwide. She was as much at home on the skeet range and the fashion runway as the stage and nightclub front rows. Her most fearsome opponent was Hanks elderly mother. Billie Jean met Johnny Horton during her time with Williams. His family all sang gospel songs in the heat of the day, when they were picking cotton. Also music was a shelter from the storm around him, his relationship with June Carter, with abandoning his children. Billie Jean is disappointed that Johnny Horton was never named to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He felt he was an underdog in life, and he always wanted to use his music to lift other people up, to say no matter how much trouble, there's hope. Likewise, the couple also adopted Billie's daughter from her first marriage, Jeri Lynn Horton. In order to prevent things from getting worse, Harrison filed for divorce as soon as he realized this. Billie Jean had differences with Mrs. Stone during her time with Hank. On October 18, 1952, in Minden, Louisiana, Billie and Hank married in a private ceremony. His first civics lesson? Although many country music legends have passed away and some even forgotten, their impacts on music transition have been significant. Votes" polls, earn exclusive profile badges and claim your Rocks Off Mag merch! Besides sharing her time with her grandchildren, she shares several pictures of Johnny Horton and her mother, Billie. Lets go! Less than a year after Hank's tragic end, Billie Jean and Horton married. Along with being a music promoter, she also worked as a recording artist before proving herself as the next big thing. Therefore, the public has mostly focused on her unique voice, lyrics, and beats that won many hearts and made her an exceptional singer in America. Her duet hit tunes such as Dont Know Much with Aaron Neville became a daily playlist on all music streams. I interviewed [Bob] Dylan 10 times, [Bruce] Springsteen 10 times, Bono 10 times. [7], Horton became known for her energetic efforts on behalf of the reputations and estates of both of her famous husbands. She also described him as a great story-teller and was very fond of his attributes. In 1981 she discovered that a young man in Washington state was performing in clubs, claiming to be the son of Johnny Horton. The song became a hit in the 1960s and received accolades from other musicians who even sang it using different renditions. After all, she was a widow for a second time at 27. I talked to a psychiatrist who knew John and worked with him and he said that, of all the things in his life, the biggest sorrow was losing his brother. From being a songwriter to provoking thoughts, she let us all, including me, contemplate our circumstances to improve the quality of our lives. Hasson, from North Carolina, is known for her supporting-actress work in such works as "God Bless America" with Bobcat Goldthwait and the Fox series "The Finder," a spinoff from "Bones" starring Geoff Stultz and the late Michael Clarke Duncan. "The movie portrayed me as a harlot," she told this writer in 1986. Billie mentioned in an interview that she also lives in Shreveport.According to an excerpt from the Gadsen Times, Billie Jeans daughter, Jeri Lynn, worked as a nurse in Shreveport. ESQ: And what did you learn in general about being an artist from writing this book? During her successful career, she went through painful moments, but every time, she came back stronger and made herself an example for all women struggling with the same problems. According to an excerpt from Gadsen Times, Hortons daughter, Jeri Lynn, served as a nurse in Shreveport. ", RELATED: La. He made his name as a honky tonk singer with strong rockabilly tendencies but made his biggest impact on the charts with his 1959 recording of . The singer, known as the Man in Black, reached number one in the world in country music in the 60s and crossed over to pop charts with a roller coaster career - all while consuming copious amounts. The recently concluded illegitimate daughter case was not the first time Horton was faced with someone claiming to be one of her husbands heirs. After Hortons death, Billie Jean took to the road again, recording some songs of her own and shepherding Hortons royalties and song catalogue. Whether it was fending off a claim from one of Hanks purported illegitimate children or legally establishing the validity of their marriage, she has always come out on top. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Getting to Know Irad Ortiz Jr.s Wife: What Does She Do? _taboola.push({ Unfortunately, the legendary singer Johnny Horton died on November 5, 1960, at the peak of his fame in a traffic collision. Originally named Billie Jean, she was born in 1933 in Bossier City, Louisiana, to a police chief father. Faron also introduced her to Hank Williams, the attractive and famed country singer. The year Horton died he had enjoyed commercial success with " Sink the Bismarck " and " North to Alaska ," the theme song for John Wayne 's movie by the same name. Born on 12th February 1920, and shadowed by a musician father, Bill's interest in music developed when he was a young boy. The couple was quite happy, and their union was essential in promoting her career to new heights. Billies life was like a classic movie filled with love, success, pain, and tears. Billie Jean Horton: The Dazzling Widow of Country Legends. Through her songs and lyrics, she created this specific vibe that people could understand and find comfort in. She was finally happy and was living with the love of her life without being involved in any controversy. His 1959 single "The Battle of New Orleans" was awarded the 1960 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording. This union ended in a speedy divorce, however. Take any celebrity all we really know is what they choose to tell us, or what they show us in public. John wasn't going after groupies. During that time John would have affairs with other women, and one of them was Anita. Me growing up in the '60s and '70s, there was almost something romantic about drugs, Keith Richards taking drugs and stuff. Billie Jean Horton net worth 6.66 Million Millions of dollars 90% Net worth score Disclamer: Billie Jean Horton net worth displayed here are calculated based on a combination social factors. Why doesnt this surprise me? As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. She deserves a biography, though the people who could fill it with anecdotes and innuendo all are dead: Hank and Johnny, best friend Johnny Cash, Claude King, Faron Young (who dated Billie Jean and who introduced her to Williams), and the energetic, larger-than-life and ebullient Merle Kilgore. This was 1961, before he met June Carter. Even while he's trying to make music to inspire people he's fighting day after day with his own demons and sorrows. She was born on March 12, 1948 in Lexington to the late Lucian and Laura Mae Brown. placement: 'Right Rail Thumbnails', target_type: 'mix' This blog will discuss Billie Jean Horton and her fascinating life. The thing about Billie was that she was so attractive and elegant that she got all the attention wherever she went. Now 83 and living in an assisted-care facility, the red-tressed hourglass-figured Bossier City beauty captured the hearts of two of country music's icons, minstrel Hank Williams Sr. and balladeer Johnny Horton. RH: The whole family adored his brother. Horton passed away on the way to the hospital, his band members barely scraped out alive. Even some of her major antagonists in life, who could probably have offered significant observations, are gone: Audrey Williams, Shelby Singleton, Tillman Franks. 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