On this day (November 13) in 1915, Leon Jerry “Jack” Guthrie was born in Olive, Oklahoma. He had a few things in common with his more renowned cousin, Woody Guthrie—both had a way with words and a deep connection to nature. While serving in the U.S. Army, Jack Guthrie rewrote the lyrics to his cousin’s song “Oklahoma Hills” and recorded a Western swing version. His reworked rendition outpaced the original in popularity, reaching No. 1 on the Juke Box Folk Records charts in 1945.
Tragically, “Oklahoma Hills” would remain the highlight of Jack Guthrie’s all-too-brief life and career. He was just 32 years old when he died of tuberculosis on January 15, 1948, in Livermore, California.
Today, we’re diving into that life and career on what would have been Jack’s 115th birthday.
Jack Guthrie Lived a Cowboy Lifestyle
The son of a blacksmith, Jack Guthrie loved both horses and music. Mastering the fiddle, guitar, bass fiddle, and other instruments, he also became quite adept at roping and trick riding horses.
His family led a nomadic lifestyle not atypical of Dust Bowl-era Oklahomans, eventually settling in California. Inspired by the singing and yodeling of Jimmie Rodgers, Jack worked for the National Forest Service, entering rodeo competitions as a bucking-horse rider in the mid-1930s.
He married Ruth Henderson in 1934, incorporating her into a popular stage act that involved him snapping cigarettes out of her mouth with his bullwhip.
In 1937, his cousin Woody — three years older — arrived in Los Angeles, and the two joined forces on The Oke & Woody Show on KFVD radio in Hollywood. Listeners loved them, but the job paid very little, and eventually Jack left to take a more lucrative gig in construction.
His Musical Break
Still, Jack Guthrie didn’t give up on music. He played the local club scene in Los Angeles whenever he could, refining Woody’s song “Oklahoma Hills”.
In 1944, his friend Mary Ruth Crissman — sister of Woody’s new duet partner, Maxine “Lefty Lou” Crissman — paid for him to record an official demo of the song. With her encouragement, he brought the demo to the fledgling Capitol Records, earning himself a recording contract alongside Lead Belly and Merle Travis.
“Oklahoma Hills” was the first song Jack recorded. Released in 1945, it quickly became a No. 1 country-western hit, with the Guthrie cousins eventually agreeing to share copyright credit.
He Didn’t Let His Diagnosis Deter Him
By the time “Oklahoma Hills” ascended to the top, however, Jack Guthrie had been drafted into the U.S. Army and was serving in the Pacific.
Following his discharge, he resumed his performing career, playing along the West Coast and recording more hit songs for Capitol, including “Oakie Boogie.” Guthrie pushed forward despite a diagnosis of tuberculosis, determined to capitalize on his momentum.
Avoiding medical treatment, he toured with Ernest Tubb and played the Grand Ole Opry. Despite his rapidly declining health, Jack seldom turned down a performing opportunity, even landing a cameo singing “Oakie Boogie” in the 1947 film Hollywood Barn Dance.
In the summer of 1947, Guthrie checked into a veterans hospital near Sacramento, where he learned his prognosis was terminal. Instead of spending his remaining time on earth resting, however, he kicked his musical career into overdrive.
Recording more than 30 songs, Jack Guthrie rode via ambulance to his final sessions, taking a nap break between each song. His records continued selling even after his death on January 15, 1948, at age 32.
Featured image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
The post Born 111 Years Ago Today in Oklahoma, the Country Singer Who Rewrote His Famous Cousin’s Song and Took It to No. 1 appeared first on American Songwriter.
Go To Source | Author: Erinn Callahan
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