Sonny Houston and the Trailsmen Born:  July 22, 1925 Died:  August 20, 1997 WATN Watertown, NY WEIM Fitchburg, MA WHOB Nashua, NH WKOX Framingham, MA WLNH Lachonia, NH WLSB Ogdensburg, NY WORC Worcester, MA

About The Artist Sonny Houston was a native of New England writes Mary Jean Shurtz in a 1949 article. Sonny took to playing the guitar and singing at a very early age. He started his professional musical career in the North Miami Florida area, appearing with the various local country bands when he was just 15 years old. At that time, he joined up with a group that called themselves the "Florida Ramblers". His career took him to radio stations in New York (WLSB in Ogdensburg; WAT in Watertown), Florida, Ohio, Massachusetts (WHOB in Gardner and WKOX in Framinghame) and Tennessee. His personal appearances took him to just about all parts of the country as well as Canada. One of the highlights of his career when Sonny and his band, the Trailsment, were given the honor of playing before President Harry S. Truman during a visit to Worcester, Massachusetts, just before an election. During the summer of 1949, the group headlined the bill of performers at the M.B.C. Ranch in Shirley, Massachusetts. His appearances in Nashville included guest shots on the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree, the Eddie Hill show over WSM as well as appearing at Roy Acuff's Dunbar Cave in Clarkesville, Tennessee. By 1956, he was a popular performer in the New England area. He was on the air over WORC, a station out ofo Worcester, Massachusetts, where he'd play records along with singing and playing his guitar in personal appearances around the area. Credits and Sources National Hillbilly News; July-August 1949; Orville W. Via, Publisher; Huntington, WV Cowboy Songs No. 49; December 1956; American Folk Publications, Inc.

Printer Friendly Version