Born on This Day in 1915, the Country Artist Who Scored a Major Hit With a Version of His Legendary Cousin’s Song While Fighting in WWII

On this day (November 13) in 1915, Leon “Jack” Guthrie was born in Olive, Oklahoma. The cousin of the folk singer Woody Guthrie, Jack carved out a successful recording career. His biggest hit, however, came from a rewritten version of Woody’s song “Oklahoma Hills.” It went to No. 1, but Guthrie was too busy fighting in the Pacific Theater of WWII to enjoy the accomplishment.

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Early in his life, Guthrie became enamored with music and the aesthetic and lifestyle of cowboys. HE grew up around horses and learned to play multiple instruments. Like many Oklahomans, his family settled in California when the Dust Bowl hit in the late 1920s and early ’30s. Far from home, Leon Guthrie took on the nicknames Jack, Oke, and Oklahoma to fit the cowboy image he was building. Guthrie’s cowboy image was more than skin deep, though. He competed in rodeos in the mid-1930s, riding broncos. He also learned to yodel in the style of Jimmie Rodgers. Later, he adapted Rodgers’ style to fit cowboy songs.

[RELATED: Listen to the Only Recording of Woody Guthrie Singing His 1948 Poem, Later Protest Song, “Deportee”(Exclusive)]

According ot the Oklahoma State Historical Society, Jack and Woody Guthrie traveled to Los Angeles in 1937. There, they landed a regular radio show on KFVD. That year, Woody penned “Oklahoma Hills,” and the pair performed it during their shows. Unfortunately, the Oke & Woody Show was short-lived. The cousins had different goals. As a result, they went their separate ways.

Jack Guthrie Gets a Hit with Woody’s Song

After suffering an injury after being bucked off a horse, Jack Guthrie could no longer compete in rodeos. Fortunately, his close friend, Ruth Crissman, believed he could have a recording career. In 1944, she paid for a demo recording session at Capitol Records. A label executive heard his recording, liked it, and signed Guthrie to the label. The next year, a re-worked version of “Oklahoma Hills” became his first single.

The song went to the top of the country chart. However, Guthrie had to wait to hear about his debut single’s success. When the label released it, he was halfway across the world, in the Pacific Theater of World War II.

Woody Guthrie, on the other hand, knew about the song’s success right away. He heard the song on a jukebox and recognized it. As a result, he called the record label to claim songwriting credit. However, Jack had made several changes to the song. So, in the end, they chose to share the copyright.

Guthrie could have been a country star. However, he tragically followed in his hero, Jimmie Rodgers’, shoes a little too closely. After coming back from the war, he contracted tuberculosis. Instead of seeking medical treatment, he chose to put all of his energy into recording more songs. Like Rodgers, he recorded almost until the day he died. His final sessions saw him lying down to rest between takes.

Jack Guthrie died on January 15, 1948, at the age of 32.

Featured Image by Sid Grossman