Larry Jon Wilson
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Larry Jon Wilson (October 7, 1940 – June 21, 2010) was an American country singer, guitarist and musician. He recorded "Through the Eyes of Little Children" and "I Betcha Heaven's on a Dirt Road". His best-known track "Sheldon Churchyard" is featured on the Country Got Soul compilation.
Biography
Born in Swainsboro, Georgia, Wilson picked up the guitar and taught himself how to play. In 1975, he released his debut album New Beginnings. Three more albums on the Monument record label imprint of CBS Records followed, Let Me Sing My Song to You (1976), Loose Change (1977), and The Sojourner (1979).
Despite Wilson's accolades and fans, no hit record emerged. Wilson left the music industry in 1980. He returned in the late 1980s when other songwriters encouraged him to attend the Frank Brown International Songwriter's Festival in Perdido Key, Florida. He began touring again in 1989, and by 2003 still accepted occasional engagements. Wilson remained devoted to his music, rather than to the marketplace.
In 2008, Sony BMG released a new Wilson album, after a thirty year hiatus from recording. In 2009, Drag City re-released the album in the US.
Wilson died, following a stroke in June 2010, at the age of 69.
Discography
- New Beginnings (1975)
- Let Me Sing My Songs (1976)
- Loose Change (1977)
- The Sojourner (1979)
- Larry Jon Wilson (2008)
Trivia
Larry Jon Wilson's music is classified in the country soul or swamp rock genres. He is featured on the album I've Got Something to Say and is shown in the film Heartworn Highways. His best-known track "Sheldon Churchyard" is featured on the Country Got Soul compilation.
