ArtistInfo

Merle Kilgore

acg, voc, 1934-2005 US, Chickasha, Oklahoma
Singer / Musician / Songwriter of Country and World
A.k.a. Wyatt Merle Kilgore

Born: August 9th 1934 Chickasha, Oklahoma, USA Died: February 6th 2005, Mexico Song writer, guitarist, country music entertainer, manager and actor born in Chickasha, Oklahoma and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was perhaps best known for his songwriting and wrote his first number one hit at 18 - "More And More," which was recorded by Webb Pierce. He also wrote the 10-million selling "Wolverton Mountain," which was recorded by Claude King (2). His biggest hit, co-written by June Carter Cash, was Johnny Cash's "Ring Of Fire." In 1964 he was hired, in what turned into a 21 year, as the opening act for Hank Williams Jr. during which time their friendship blossomed and he took to managing Williams Jnr. Also an actor and long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild, Kilgore appeared in several films, including "Coal Miner's Daughter" and the Robert Altman film "Nashville." In 1993, Kilgore was inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame in Lafayette, Louisiana. He died in February 2005 at the age of 70 while undergoing treatment for lung cancer.

Instruments

• Acoustic guitar
• Vocals

Genres

• Country
• World
• Folk
• Rock
• Pop

Plays With