Product Description

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: HORTON,JOHNNY
Title: 16 BIGGEST HITS
Street Release Date: 08/10/1999
Domestic
Genre: OLDIES

Track Listing

1. Battle of New Orleans
2. Honky Tonk Man
3. All for the Love of a Girl
4. I'm a One Woman Man
5. Jim Bridger
6. When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)
7. Johnny Reb
8. All Grown Up
9. Sink the Bismarck
10. Sleepy-Eyed John
11. I'm Coming Home
12. Whispering Pines
13. I Got a Hole in My Pirogue
14. Mansion You Stole
15. I'm Ready if You're Willing
16. North to Alaska

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12656 in Music
• Brand: HORTON,JOHNNY
• Released on: 1999-08-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.com
Though it was relatively short, Johnny Horton's career may have been too broad based to make a bare-bones package like this work, but it sure comes close. Horton is best known for the saga songs ("The Battle of New Orleans," "Sink the Bismark") he scored with when Nashville latched onto the early-'60s folk revival. But the rockabilly set often claims him for the heated trucker's romp "I'm Coming Home," and his first hit was an uptown arrangement of the relaxed, swaying "Honky-Tonk Man." The main thing binding all his material was his smooth, flexible voice, which could go from a low, light growl to a high hic. It was also smooth enough that Horton could make the countryest material sound pop when he wanted to. This isn't the best introduction to his glory days, but it ain't bad. --John Morthland

Customer Reviews

Great Collection Of Johnny Horton's Greatest Hits!
From the time he captured America's heart with a rip-roaring rendition of "The Battle Of New Orleans" until his final release with "North To Alaska", Johnny Horton surprised, delighted and amazed us with his crossover country style, sung with a muted twang. Anyone who listened to his album fell in love with that voice, which was quite distinctive and quite a vehicle for everything he sang. From his plaintive "All For The Love Of A Girl" to a haunting rendition of "Whispering Pines", it was clear he was basically a very talented country singer, whether he was singing something very commercial like "Johnny Reb" or "Sink The Bismark" or something closer to his heart, like "The Mansion You Stole". He had a sense of humor, which he exhibited with songs like "When It's Springtime In Alaska, It's Forty Below". yet it was his range of subjects and versatility in terms of style that we found so attractive and so irresistable. Had he not left us so suddenly, taken from his fans so young, who knows what other treasures he might have left behind. Enjoy!

Excellent introduction to Horton's hits
Enjoying Johnny Horton's vocal style and songs might be a learned taste, but once you develop it, it's a difficult habit to break. This genre of song is almost totally extinct today, but Horton was a master at the historical narrative put to catchy melodies. Who else sang songs about such historical events as the sinking of the Bismarck, Andrew Jackson and the war of 1812 or the Alaskan gold rush? Horton's musical style bridges the gulf of generations: it's easy to see a child loving these songs, or an elderly retired person.

Horton's plaintive wail in his songs is one of his trademarks, notice the way there's a tremor in the way he phrases, "*North* to Alaska," and in Jim Bridger, "Lift your glasses *high!*" Some amazing tenor notes in these two standards. This is a lovely collection of songs which are catchy and fun to listen to. They also bear endless repetition, it's hard to listen to "Battle of New Orleans" and not want to heat it endlessly repeated. Great stuff here.

History in the making
I grew up with this record. A facinating collection of freedom songs and wide open spaces. In my opinion, the best record he ever recorded. I love all his songs, but I love this collection the best.