Johnny Preston
Early rock & roll singer Johnny Preston, most remembered for his 1960 number one hit "Running Bear," was born John Preston Courville in Port Arthur, Texas on August 18, 1939, of Cajun and German descent. After graduating from high school, during which he sang in high-school choral contests throughout the state, he attended Lamar State College in Beaumont, Texas, where he formed his first band, the Shades, in 1957 and began playing local club dances. It was at one of these club dances in 1958 that he was spotted by J.P. Richardson, better known by his stage name the Big Bopper. Richardson had written a song called "Running Bear," a sort of goofy American Indian version of Romeo and Juliet, and he took Preston into Gold Star Studios in Houston to record it. Bill Hall was the producer on the session, with Link Davis sitting in on saxophone and Hall, Richardson, and a young George Jones handling the vocal background chants that gave the song its rhythmic structure. Richardson took the finished track to Shelby Singleton at Mercury Records. Richardson was already signed to Mercury, and had delivered, as the Big Bopper, a big hit with "Chantilly Lace" earlier in 1958, so a deal was soon in place and Preston became a Mercury artist. "Running Bear" was released as a single shortly after Richardson perished in the same plane crash that claimed the lives of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens in October of 1959. By January of 1960, "Running Bear" was the number one single in the U.S., and by March it was topping the U.K. charts as well, going on to sell over a million copies worldwide. A follow-up single, "Cradle of Love," a sort of nursery rhyme novelty song, also went Top Ten in both the U.S. and U.K., while "I'm Starting to Go Steady" and its flip side, a revival of Shirley & Lee's "Feel So Fine," both went Top 20 later in 1960, but "Leave My Kitten Alone," a song later immortalized by John Lennon, only climbed as high as number 73 on the Billboard charts as 1960 drew to a close. Preston went on to record for other labels, including Imperial Records, TCF Hall, ABC Records, Kapp, and Hallway, but he never hit the charts again. Preston performed in nostalgia package tours, played the circuit, and ended up in the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, but his recording days were behind him. Plagued by heart problems, he died on March 4, 2011 in Beaumont, Texas.
© Steve Leggett /TiVo
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Golden Selection (Remastered)
Pop - Released by Master Tape Records on 10 Oct 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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ROCK
Pop - Released by Universal Digital Enterprises on 3 Dec 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Greatest Hits
Pop - Released by Rockabilly Records on 1 Sep 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Running Bear and All His Hits - 2 Complete Albums Plus Bonus Singles
Pop - Released by Jasmine Records on 17 Aug 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Running Bear (Mono Version)
Rock - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Essential Masters
Rock - Released by Classic Music International on 21 Sep 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Token of Love
Rockabilly - Released by Old but Gold Music on 7 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hit Collection
Rockabilly - Released by Remember that Records on 7 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Up in the Air
Rock - Released by Notser Music Publishing on 7 Oct 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Free Me
Rockabilly - Released by Notser Music Publishing on 7 Dec 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of Johnny Preston
Rock - Released by Vintage Jukebox on 16 Apr 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Heart Made Of Stone
Rock - Released by Reminisce Music on 29 May 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Running Bear: the Best of
Rock - Released by Burning Fire on 29 Sep 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Greatest Hits Collection
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released by Music Manager on 13 Jul 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo