During 1960, Horton had two other successes with "North to Alaska" for John Wayne's movie, North to Alaska, and "Sink the Bismarck". Horton is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
Johnny Horton had several top ten songs in the late 50's and early 60's and was on the verge of becoming one of the top stars of the 60's when he met with tragedy.
He was born John Gale Horton in Los Angeles in 1925. He was raised in Tyler, Texas. Horton worked in the fishing industry in Alaska and California, and attended Seattle University. He worked for a while as a carpenter, and played basketball at Baylor University. He worked at a local radio station in East Texas and at the Hometown Jamboree in California. He did some recording with little success for the Abbott, Mercury, and Dot labels and picked up the nickname the Singing Fisherman. Horton became a regular on the Louisiana Hayride.
Johnny married Billie Jean Jones, the widow of country music legend Hank Williams. He sang country songs and signed a recording contract with Columbia, where he would achieve his greatest success. Some of his first hits included Honky Tonk Man, I'm A One-Woman Man in 1956, Coming Home in 1957 and All Grown Up in 1958. He topped the country charts in 1959 with When It's Springtime In Alaska.
Johnny Horton then began to record a series of saga songs that crossed over to the pop charts. He covered Jimmy Driftwood's The Battle Of New Orleans in 1959. The song topped the country charts and it reached number one on the pop charts, where it remained for a solid six weeks. The song was a tribute to the final battle of the War of 1812. He also recorded Sink The Bismarck in 1960, a song that was suggested by the film of the same title; it went top ten country and pop. Johnny Horton was a star. He sang the title song for the John Wayne movie North To Alaska and it too made the top ten in both charts during the same year.
On November 5, 1960, while North To Alaska was still climbing the charts, Horton was killed in an automobile accident in Milano, Texas following an appearance at the Skyline Club in Austin. He is buried in Hillcrest Cemetary in Haughton, LA.
Following Horton's death some of his earlier hit songs made the charts once again. Albums of his recordings were compiled and issued in the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's, and they are still selling.
His biography was published in 1983 under the title Your Singing Fisherman.
Comanche
Johnny Horton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And taps were sounding for all the brave men
While one survivor, wounded and weak
Comanche, the brave horse, lay at the General's feet
Comache, you fought hard, Comanche, you tried
You were a good soldier so hold your head up high
For even the bravest sometimes must fall
Though you are silent, our deeds did speak loud
If your buddies could see you, I know they'd be proud
The symbol of bravery at the Little Big Horn
Poor old Comanche, you're battle scarred and torn
Comanche, you fought hard, Comanche, you tried
You were a good soldier so hold your head up high
For even the bravest sometimes must fall
Comanche, the brave horse, you gave your all
Comanche, you fought hard, Comanche, you tried
You were a good soldier so hold your head up high
For even the bravest sometimes must fall
Comanche, the brave horse, you gave your all
The song "Comanche" by Johnny Horton is a tribute to a brave horse who survived the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. The first verse begins with the aftermath of the battle where taps are being sounded for all the brave men who lost their lives fighting. However, one survivor who was wounded and weak was Comanche, the horse who lay at the General's feet. The second verse pays tribute to the horse's bravery, acknowledging that even the bravest of soldiers sometimes fall, and that Comanche's deeds spoke louder than his silence. The third and final verse mentions the horse's battle scars and torn state, but also acknowledges that he was a symbol of bravery at the Little Big Horn. Overall, the song is a heartfelt tribute to Comanche, the brave horse who fought alongside his fellow soldiers.
Line by Line Meaning
The battle was over at Custers Last Stand
The fight at Custer's Last Stand was finally finished.
And taps were sounding for all the brave men
The bugle was playing at the end of the day to honor the brave soldiers.
While one survivor, wounded and weak
One soldier survived, but he was injured and not in good shape.
Comanche, the brave horse, lay at the General's feet
Comanche, a courageous horse, was lying down near the General.
Comanche, you fought hard, Comanche, you tried
Comanche, you put in a lot of effort and did your best in battle.
You were a good soldier so hold your head up high
You were a great fighter and should be proud of your service.
For even the bravest sometimes must fall
Even the strongest soldiers can lose in battle.
The symbol of bravery at the Little Big Horn
You are a representation of courage and heroism during the Little Big Horn battle.
Poor old Comanche, you're battle scarred and torn
You have many wounds and injuries from fighting, Comanche.
Though you are silent, our deeds did speak loud
Even though you're not able to speak, your actions in battle speak for themselves.
If your buddies could see you, I know they'd be proud
If your fellow soldiers were around to see you, they would be very proud of you, Comanche.
Comanche, the brave horse, you gave your all
You gave everything you had, Comanche, and that is truly commendable.
Lyrics © ESTATE OF VERNON A. WRAY SR., DELLA BLUE MUSIC LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LINK WRAY, MILTON GRANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jbm121212
Comanche actually survived the battle after being shot seven times and was found alive two days after the battle.. He was nursed back to health and retired with full military honors.
@rosiehomer1492
Thank you for letting me know
@alanroberts6663
And at a VA hospital outside sturgis South Dakota. Place called Fort Meade, there is a statue of him. That very few know about. Comanche means enemy to all.
@vickiebohy7609
So glad he made a recovery. Great story.
@versansky75
Comanche, Black Jack, and Sergeant Reckless....... The only three horses so far in history to be given a full military funeral with full military honors. Quite a feet for animals. Impressive
@jessyjames701
don't forget Chief....
@versansky75
@Jessy James Yes. I’m sorry. How silly of me
@anitasimon5020
Yes,a very impressive feat...an this song by Johnny Horton does Comanche a great Honor it will bring tears to your eyes...beautifully done. ❤❤💟💙💙💚💚💛💛
@versansky75
@Anita Simon Not gonna lie….. I did cry
@jacobrobinson175
Russia had a bear that got military honors