Lecil Travis Martin (September 1, 1931 – April 12, 1999),
whose stage name was Boxcar Willie, was an American country music
singer-songwriter and Air Force personnel sergeant, who sang in the
"old-time hobo" music style.

He was born Lecil Travis Martin in Sterrat, Texas, on
September 1, 1931, into the world of trains, hobos and country music. The son
of a railroad worker, the family home was just a few feet from the railroad
tracks. He started to perfect his famous train whistle from the age of two. His
father played fiddle and he was raised on the music of Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest
Tubb, Roy Acuff and later was heavily influenced by Hank Williams.
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Marty Martin & The Rangers |
He adopted the Boxcar Willie look and name in the early
1970s after seeing a freight train pass him by one day whilst stationed in
Lincoln, Nebraska. “There was an old boy sitting on a boxcar, dressed the way I
dress today, and he looked like a buddy of mine named Willie Wilson,” he
explained. “I said: ‘There’s Willie in a boxcar,’ and that’s where it came
from.” In 1975, he decided to move to Nashville and try to make it in music. It
was a tough time for him as his music was completely out of sync with what was
happening in Nashville.

His King Of The Road album was heavily TV-advertised in
1980, reaching No.5 on the pop charts and becoming a huge seller. During the
next ten years he achieved 15 gold and four platinum albums and recorded duets
with Roy Acuff, Willie Nelson and Hank Williams Jr. His single Good Hearted
Woman, recorded with German country singer Gunter Gabriel, was sung partly in
English and partly in German. Though he remained a major crowd-puller in
Europe, he failed to make much of an impact in the USA.
He made his first Grand Ole Opry appearance in 1979,
winning a standing ovation and became a member in 1981. He joined the cast of
the TV show Hee Haw in 1982 and portrayed a hobo in Sweet Dreams, the Patsy
Cline biopic. He recorded a self-titled album for, MCA Nashville. Thereafter he
recorded a series of albums for
Mainstreet. He only enjoyed scant chart success, charting ten singles in the early 1980s, the most successful being Bad News which made No. 36 in 1982. His signature Train Medley featuring seven train songs, charted in 1980 and again in 1983, but only reached a peak of No. 61.
Mainstreet. He only enjoyed scant chart success, charting ten singles in the early 1980s, the most successful being Bad News which made No. 36 in 1982. His signature Train Medley featuring seven train songs, charted in 1980 and again in 1983, but only reached a peak of No. 61.
In 1987 he settled in Branson, Missouri, with his own
900-seater theatre, making him one of the first to make that music town his
regular venue. He did at least six shows a week, nine months of the year, until
his health began to fail. In 1990 he opened the Boxcar Willie Railroad and
Airplane Museum and the Boxcar Willie Motel next door to the theatre.
Though he was never a big star name in his homeland, his
larger-than-life personality delighted the inquisitive country fan. He died on
April 12, 1999 in Branson, Missouri. He was 67 and had been battling leukaemia
for several years.
The larger-than-life Boxcar Willie really was a happy-go-lucky personality, very down-to-earth and always sporting a wide, infectious smile, he counted your friendship above all else and always took the time to talk to the media, his fans, in fact anybody who would listen. His passing left a void in the country music world. (Edited mainly from an article by Alan Cackett)
The larger-than-life Boxcar Willie really was a happy-go-lucky personality, very down-to-earth and always sporting a wide, infectious smile, he counted your friendship above all else and always took the time to talk to the media, his fans, in fact anybody who would listen. His passing left a void in the country music world. (Edited mainly from an article by Alan Cackett)
3 comments:
For “Boxcar Willie - King Of The Railroad” (1994) go here:
https://mega.nz/#!UUxljTib!jwNJ7lUGhwfIpmncDMTkVD6uvlugUA2P60udlmoIRxE
01 - King Of The Road
02 - Wabash Cannonball
03 - Don`t Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes
04 - Boxcar Blues
05 - You Are My Sunshine
06 - Your Cheatin' Heart
07 - Wreck Of The Old '97
08 - Hank And The Hobo
09 - I Saw The Light
10 - Peace In The Valley
11 - Mule Train
12 - Hey Good Lookin'
13 - Kaw-Liga
14 - Move It On Over
15 - London Leaves
16 - Rolling In My Sweet Baby's Arms
17 - Divorce Me C.O.D.
18 - Red River Valley
19 - Heaven
20 - San Antonio Rose
21 - Train Medley; Fire Bail Mail/Train Of Love/Walking Cane/Wreck Of The Old '97/Orange Blossom Special/Wabash Cannonball / Night Train To Memphis.
A big thank you to unknown uploader @ Tjscountry forum for active link.
Another entertaining singer. Good listening in the car.
Thanks boppinbob,
Took a Boxcar Willie to try out.
Love happy people like him.
Play on,
Denis
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