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Hillbilly-Music.com—The People. The Music. The History.
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About The Artist
He became a member of a group on radio station KWK in St. Louis for a time and by the mid 1940's Cowboy Music World honored him in the Cowboy Songwriter's Honor Roll of writers of over 100 songs along with Jimmie Rodgers, Gene Autry, Jimmy Davis and others. During the 1940's Johnny had a recording contract with King Records in Cincinnati, Ohio. At King, he recorded with Jerry Byrd, Zeke & Zeb Turner, Tommy Jackson, and Ernie Newton and released "The Blind Childs Prayer", and his own compositions, "Handprints on the Window Pane", "Sunny Tennessee" and "Package Tied In Blue." Johnny also had his songs recorded and released by:
In 1956, he sang and recorded four sides for ABC Paramount and in the same session recorded his own original theme "Under The Light of The Western Stars". The late Red Sovine produced the session of four original songs. Chet Atkins played lead guitar, Roy Wiggins on steel, Dale Potter played fiddle, Van Howard played rythmn, Curly Rhodes was on bass and Cedarwood published the release of: "Our Love is Just Fading Away" and "You're The One For Me". Two of the other songs recorded in the session, "A little More Each Day" and "I Can't Find My Way Out of Your Heart", were not released. His recording of a song written by Reverend John Barton, "The Iron Mountain Baby" was placed in the archives of the Missouri Historical Society and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Another of his compositions, "That Heaven Bound Train" a tribute to Hank Williams is also enshrined in the Hall of Fame at Nashville. Including his own early recordings Johnny recorded about 30 sides and four albums released on Embassy, King, Coral and ABC Paramount labels; his own New Life label contains his later recordings. In later years, Johnny cut several records of his own songs, solo on his own independent Open Road and New Life labels including "Faded Gardenia", "Sweat on My Brow", "There Will Always Be a Red White and Blue", a re-issue of "The Iron Mountain Baby", "It's Later than You Realize" and "Goodbye Mom". Most reverently and proudly, on his own New Life record label he recorded an album: Hymn Time with Johnny Rion. All twelve of the songs include five composed by Johnny and seven standards. The album and most all of his later records were recorded with only Johnny and his 1937 Martin guitar which he used his entire life. Johnny later recorded three more albums of hymns which were only made available on cassette. Additionally on cassette, Johnny catalogued 118 of his most memorable secular songs and The Iron Mountain Baby song and story. His library of compositions numbers well over three hundred. In 1937 he did a Saturday night radio program singing live on KFVS Cape Girardeau Missouri and began a radio career that spanned 60 years. During the 1940's, Johnny appeared on radio stations KREI, Farmington, Mo. with his group, The Martha White Mountaineers and KFMO, in Flat River, Mo. and in 1950 was hired by Carson May Stern Furniture Company in St. Louis to produce shows at WIBV, Belleville, Illinois and KSTL in St. Louis. By 1955, Johnny had been on twenty-five radio stations at various times. He stayed with Carson's and appeared on many other stations for them until 1966. He also was a featured entertainer on TV station Channel 36 predecessor to KTVI Channel 2. From 1950 to 1958, in addition to his radio career and song writing, he and his wife Ann operated the Johnny Rion Hillbilly Park with locations in Okawville, Granite City and Chain of Rocks Illinois as well as St. Louis which featured top names from the Grand Ole Opry. Art Denny, General Manger of the Opry gave Johnny exclusive booking rights within a one hundred mile radius of St. Louis. Many of the stars that performed there have since been inducted into the County Music Hall of Fame. As luck would have it, we received an email telling us of an experience a group of performers had at the Hillbilly Park around 1955. Memories...a priceless gift. We thank Marcia R. Massey for passing along this memory. Read on:
Through his very popular radio programs he also promoted appearances by many country music artists. Johnny Rion was deeply involved in the Country Music business in the St. Louis area. When Columbia Records wanted to present awards to Marty Robbins for White Sport Coat and Ray Price an award for Crazy Arms, they asked Johnny to do it in St. Louis. In 1955, Country Song Roundup included a note from Johnny in their special RCA Victor tribute issue. Johnny took the opportunity to pay tribute to one of his idols - Hank Snow. He was a member of Hank's fan club. He also collected Hank's recordings when he could find them in the early stages of Hank's career when perhaps they were harder to come by. Johnny was quoted, "It's always a great pleasure to have Hank appear at our Hillbilly Park every year, because you can be assured of a large attendance. I'm sure it's the same everywhere his appearances take him." He mentioned that he had proof of Hank's popularity in his mail box every day. But then ironically he notes as a disc jockey might, that it can be fleeting the moments a singer has a hold on the audience when he notes, "...and as long as the songs he chooses are so appealing, we can feel sure our listeners will leave their radio dials where they are when Hank beings his song." When Johnny Rion was not operating his Hillbilly Parks or playing dances in the region or at Playing the New Lindy Hall and Jefla Hall in St. Louis, he was promoting shows in other seasons of the year. Perhaps the most memorable shows that Johnny did not book into St. Louis, but was deeply involved with took place at the Missouri Theatre October 21, 22 and 23, 1955. Two shows were scheduled for 7:00pm and 9:30pm Friday and Saturday, with three shows scheduled for Sunday at 2:00pm, 5:00pm and 8:00pm. In advance of the event, Colonel Tom Parker arranged a meeting with Johnny. At the meeting, he presented Johnny with a string neck tie especially made for "The Colonel" by Smiley Burnette's wife and a fifty dollar bill for phone calls to help promote a show coming to St. Louis. He asked Johnny to serve as emcee for the event featuring twenty-five great Country stars including: Roy Acuff and The Smokey Mountain Boys, Kitty Wells, Johnny & Jack and the Tennessee Mountain Boys, Pap and his Amazing Jug Band, and Elvis Presley a sensational rising star with Sun Records. General admission in advance was 75 cents, $1.00 at the door; kids 25 cents and reserved tickets "slightly higher." Johnny did promote and emcee the shows, and his entire family met, mingled and talked with the future King of Rock 'N' Roll, band members Bill Black and Scotty Moore as well as all the other great artists present. Elvis in fun had even tried to kiss thirteen year old Priscilla Rion on the cheek. On January 1, 1956, Johnny & Ann's paths again crossed Presley's when he played another cavalcade of country star's show at The Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis. Ann recalled her backstage memory of that occasion: "He was such a nice young man, he asked us to go out for dinner, but Johnny had to run to the airport to pick up Webb Pierce. I guess I'm the only woman in the world that ever had to turn down an invitation to have dinner with Elvis." Johnny and Ann made a friendship with Elvis and Colonel Tom Parker that would result in a Christmas card every year thereafter from: "The Colonel and his friend." Johnny was given the opportunity to book Presley at his Hillbilly Park, which he declined. Entertainment in St. Louis in the 1950's saw Johnny Rion involved if it had anything to do with his kind of music. And even the King of Rock and Roll started in the field of music that Johnny Rion help cultivate in St. Louis and other area's. In 1958, he was ordained an evangelist at the Dongola Missouri Baptist Church and tirelessly traveled to any denomination and hundreds of churches, groups and organizations that called him the remainder of his days. His music was always an integral part of his ministry. He described his ministry as strictly gospel- the plan of salvation. When asked what religion he represented his reply was: "The one Paul preached." In 1957, Johnny had a life changing born again experience and never wavered or faltered from the life God called him to for forty earthly years. Johnny was also an accomplished sculptor and built model homes. He sculpted busts of country stars and all the presidents through Nixon. Several of his Lincoln sculptors were put on display in the Springfield, Illinois area. His entirely homemade model replica of the home of country music pioneer Jimmy Rodgers remains on display in the Jimmy Rodgers Museum in Meridian Mississippi. His model replica of the Rhyman Auditorium, home of the original Grand Ole Opry, was displayed at the Ernest Tubb Record Shop, on Broadway in Nashville, Tennessee. During the last ten years of his life, Johnny and his wife Ann hosted a Cowboy Church Radio Program on station KFMO, 1240 AM Park Hills, Mo. Sunday's at 9 to 9:30 a.m. To perpetuate the program, Ann continues the Sunday morning program with the help of their son Danny which features rebroadcasts of programs by Johnny and Ann Rion. The world lost Johnny Rion who passed away at his home December 31, 1996. Credits & Sources
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Recordings (78rpm/45rpm)
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He was born in Farmington, Missouri. At the age of twelve, Johnny Rion bought
a guitar for $3.00 and in a short time was playing at schoolhouses,
dances and parties throughout the southeast Missouri area. They wrote
that his boyhood idol was the legendary Blue Yodeler himself, Jimmie Rodgers.
He began writing songs in his teens sending them to St. Louis entertainers
and in fact was first heard over KMOX.
His songs received extensive airplay and were heard on radio almost
daily and on CBS coast-to-coast. During slack periods on his Father's
farm, he made various appearances on many radio stations including
KMOX's Pappy Cheshire's National Champion Hillbillies, the house band
for the Old Fashion Barn Dance a national radio show.
His song, Hit the Trail became the show theme.
Late 1953 found him at KSTL in St. Louis, where a Cowboy Songs
Disc Jockey Roundup article cites his motto as "Be humble
and honest with the folks. Work hard and play what the listeners
want to hear." And he put those words to action - he had a weekday
program that began at 6:15am and then had a late evening show at 8:30pm.
They said he did four programs on weekdays and two on Sundays. During
that time, he was getting 1,500 to 2,000 fan letters and cards a week.
