Billie Jean Horton born 6 June 1933

Billie Jean Horton (born June 6, 1933) is an American former country-music singer-songwriter and music promoter. She had high-profile marriages, briefly, until his death, to country musician and singer-songwriter Hank Williams in 1952 until 1953- and subsequently to singer Johnny Horton from 1953 until 1960. 

Born Billie Jean Jones, she was the daughter of a police chief from Bossier City, Louisiana, a sleepy little town at the time in the northwestern part of the state and will be remembered more for who she married perhaps than what she contributed to country music.  Her early start in music was largely influenced by her family, who were all involved in the performing arts in some capacity. This exposure and encouragement from her family helped shape her passion for music and eventually led her to pursue a career in country music. 

She began performing on local radio stations and in regional talent shows. She met her first husband Harrison Eshliman in 1948 and after one year of dating they married on June 4, 1949 just before her 18th birthday. They had one child and after a quick divorce, she would meet country artist Faron Young becoming his girlfriend for a brief period.  Still just 19 years old.  Faron would introduce Billie Jean to her next husband – a artist of some renown – Hank Williams. 

They married in a private ceremony in Minden, Louisiana, on October 18, 1952, then repeated their vows before sold-out audiences at two Williams concerts at the Baton Rouge High School gymnasium and the Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was a short-lived romance, with Hank passing away on January 1st, 1953 from heart failure at the age of 29, five days before his daughter Jett Williams with Bobbie Jett was born.

                                   

That September, Billie Jean married country singer Johnny Horton and became important in promoting his career. They had two daughters, Yanina and Melody, and Horton adopted her daughter Jeri Lynn. Tragedy occurred a second time for Billie Jean in 1960 when Horton was involved in a fatal car crash outside of Austin, Texas. 

Billie Jean & Johnny Horton

The accident also injured two of his band members, Tommy Tomlinson and Tillman Franks. Tillman composed or co-wrote Horton hits “When It’s Springtime in Alaska”, “Honky Tonk Man”, “Sink the Bismark”.  Tomlinson lost his leg as a result of the accident.  Tommy worked with many country stars including David Houston, Claude King and recorded with Jerry Kennedy. 

Following the death of Horton, Billie Jean would become involved in a brief romance with one of Johnny Horton’s closest friends, Johnny Cash. After Horton’s death, Billie Jean would take a stab at country music, first recording “Angel Hands” b/w “I’d Give The World to Have You Back Again” in January of 1961 and then “Ocean of Tears” which was released in the summer of 1961.  The song made a favorable impression with the country crowd and managed a respectable number 29 on the C&W charts. 

Billie Jean would take one stab at song writing, teaming up with country singer Johnny Mathis (yes there were two Johnny Mathis’s) on a song titled “Ain’t It Funny What A Fool Will Do” in late 1962. But that would be the final moment of charting fame for Billie Jean.   She recorded at least seven singles with her final effort coming out in the summer of 1964 on the Atlantic label. 

Later, she married insurance executive Kent Berlin on October 8, 1968, whom she subsequently divorced. Horton engaged in numerous court cases defending her status as Hank William's widow and establishing claims to copyrights and estates. In the early 1970s, she sued MGM to stop distribution of the film Your Cheatin' Heart, a cinematic version of Williams’ story starring George Hamilton, which she believed portrayed her in a negative light. She won. 

As of 2016, she resides in an assisted-living facility and her three daughters live in Shreveport. 

(Edited from Kim Sloans article & Wikipedia)