On this day (October 28) in 2006, Marijohn Wilkin died of heart disease at the age of 86. She was a touring musician and recording artist. However, she is best remembered as a songwriter who penned hits for a long list of artists, including Lefty Frizzell, Stonewall Jackson, and Jimmy Dean. She earned the nickname “Den Mother of Music Row” after forming a publishing company that helped establish several artists and songwriters in Nashville.
Wilkin grew up singing and playing piano in Texas. However, she almost didn’t go into the entertainment industry at all. She was offered a contract with a Hollywood film studio, but turned it down to attend college. After earning her degree, she relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and became a music teacher. In her free time, she wrote songs.
According to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, her career began to take off in the 1950s. Her son, Bucky, took a regular gig playing guitar on the Ozark Jubilee. He played some of his mother’s songs on the show. Around the middle of the decade, she toured with Red Foley. Finally, near the end of the decade, she moved to Nashville.
Marijohn Wilkin Goes to Nashville
Marijohn Wilkin signed a publishing deal with Cedarwood Publishing after arriving in Nashville. She co-wrote “The Long Black Veil” with Danny Dill. Lefty Frizzell made the song a top 10 country hit in 1959. She also penned “Waterloo” with John D. Loudermilk. Stonewall Jackson made it a five-week No. 1 in the summer of 1959.
Over the next few years, her songs became hits for the likes of Jimmy Dean, Ann-Margret, Johnny Cash, Mel Tillis, Carl Smith, and others. In the mid-1960s, Wilkin left Cedarwood to form Buckhorn Music. Johnny Duncan, Ed Bruce, and Kris Kristofferson were among the songwriters she signed.
[RELATED: The Meaning Behind the Song: “Long Black Veil,” Lefty Frizzell]
Buckhorn’s songwriters produced some of the most memorable songs in country music history. For instance, Duncan wrote “Once Again,” “She’s Too Good to Be True,” and other hits for Charley Pride. Bruce penned “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys” and the Tanya Tucker hit “Texas (When I Die).” Additionally, Kristofferson landed his first hit as a writer when Ray Price pulled “For the Good Times” from the Buckhorn catalog in 1970.
Wilkin Wrote Classic Songs
Marijohn Wilkin wrote several songs that became hits for country stars. The list below contains a few highlights from her deep catalog.
- “Waterloo”–Stonewall Jackson (No. 1)
- “The Long Black Veil”–Lefty Frizzell (No. 6)
- “P.T. 109”–Jimmy Dean (No. 3)
- “One Day at a Time”–Cristy Lane (No. 1)
- “I Just Don’t Understand”–Ann-Margret (No. 17)
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
The post 20 Years Ago Today, Music Row Said Goodbye to Its “Den Mother,” Who Wrote Hits for Lefty Frizzell, Stonewall Jackson, and Jimmy Dean appeared first on American Songwriter.