Merle Kilgore

Renowned American Country Music Songwriter and Performer

American songwriter, guitarist, country music entertainer, manager and actor born in Chickasha, Oklahoma and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. Born: August 9th 1934 Chickasha, Oklahoma, USA Died: February 6th 2005, Mexico. He was perhaps best known for his songwriting and wrote his first number one hit at 18 "More And More" which was recorded by Webb Pierce. He also wrote the 10-million selling "Wolverton Mountain," which was recorded by Claude King (2). His biggest hit, co-written by June Carter Cash, was Johnny Cash's "Ring Of Fire". In 1964 he was hired, in what turned into a 21 year, as the opening act for Hank Williams Jr. during which time their friendship blossomed and he took to managing Williams Jnr. Also an actor and long-time member of the Screen Actors Guild, Kilgore appeared in several films, including "Coal Miner's Daughter" and the Robert Altman film "Nashville." In 1993, Kilgore was inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame in Lafayette, Louisiana.