Born 92 Years Ago Today in the Sooner State, the Songwriter Behind Johnny Cash’s Signature Hit and Classics from Charley Pride and John Anderson

On this day (August 9) in 1934, Merle Kilgore was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma. While he had a recording career, he is best remembered as a songwriter. Throughout his long career, Kilgore wrote several hit country songs that have stood the test of time. Notably, he co-wrote “Ring of Fire” with June Carter, which became one of Johnny Cash’s biggest hits. He also penned successful singles for Webb Pierce, Claude King, Johnny Horton, and many others.

Kilgore was born in Oklahoma and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. There, he wasted no time in getting his career off the ground. By the time he was 16, he was the house guitarist for The Louisiana Hayride. This position allowed him to get close to Hank Williams. Kilgore became the rising icon’s roadie, carrying his guitar and helping with other pre-show tasks. Decades later, he carried on his relationship with the Williams family when he became Hank Williams Jr.’s personal manager and the EVP of Hank Jr. Enterprises.

He also started writing songs around this time. In 1954, Webb Pierce recorded the Kilgore-penned “More and More,” which topped the country chart for 10 weeks and sold more than a million copies, according to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Merle Kilgore Rises to the Top

Not one to rest on his laurels, Kilgore worked at several Louisiana-based radio stations while writing songs in his free time. As the 1950s drew to an end, he found more success as a songwriter. In 1959, Johnny Horton took “Johnny Reb” to No. 10 on the country chart.

He carried that momentum into the next decade. In 1962, Kilgore co-wrote “Wolverton Mountain,” which was a No. 1 hit for co-writer Claude King.

Kilgore released a handful of singles as a recording artist. However, only three of them broke into the top 40 of the country chart. His debut single, “Dear Mama,” reached No. 6. He followed that with “Love Has Made You Beautiful,” which landed at No. 10. “Getting Old Before My Time” peaked at No. 29.

“Ring of Fire” and Other Hits

In the early 1960s, when Merle Kilgore’s recording career was at its peak, he toured with Johnny Cash. At the time, Cash was already touring with June Carter and the Carter Family. This is how the songwriter became acquainted with June. Later, she went to him to get help finishing a song she was writing about her current romantic predicament she found herself in. That song became “Ring of Fire,” which was a massive hit for Cash.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1963, Johnny Cash Was in the Studio Recording a Major Hit Co-Written About Him by His Future Wife]

While that is his most enduring hit, Kilgore wrote several more. See a list of highlights below.

• “Happy to Be with You”–Johnny Cash (No. 6)
• “Let Somebody Else Drive”–John Anderson (No. 10)
• “Long Time Ago”–Faron Young (No. 16)
• “More and More”–Charley Pride (No. 7)

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