Horton may refer to:

Places[link]

Australia[link]

• Horton River (Australia), in northern New South Wales

Canada[link]

• Horton, Ontario
• Horton, Nova Scotia, now known as "Wolfville"
• Horton River (Canada), a tributary of the Beaufort Sea

United Kingdom[link]

• Horton, Berkshire
• Horton, Buckinghamshire
• Horton, Dorset
• Horton, Gloucestershire
• Horton, Lancashire
• Horton, Northamptonshire
• Horton, Blyth Valley, Northumberland
• Horton, Northumberland
• Horton, Shropshire, see List of United Kingdom locations: Hop-Ht
• Horton, Somerset
• Horton, Staffordshire
• Horton, Surrey
• Horton, Swansea
• Horton, Bishops Cannings, Wiltshire
• Horton-cum-Studley, Oxfordshire, near Oakley, Buckinghamshire
• Horton in Ribblesdale, North Yorkshire
• Little Horton, in Bradford, West Yorkshire
• Great Horton, in Bradford, West Yorkshire
• Horton Park, Bradford, in Bradford, West Yorkshire

United States[link]

• Horton, Alabama
• Horton, California
• Horton, Kansas
• Horton, Missouri
• Horton, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in Randolph County, West Virginia
• Horton Township (three different townships)
• Hortonia, Wisconsin, a town
• Hortonville, Indiana
• Hortonville, Wisconsin, a village
• Horton Mill Covered Bridge, a covered bridge in Alabama

People[link]

• Horton (surname)

In fiction[link]

• Horton the Elephant, fictional elephant character in Horton Hatches the Egg (1940) and Horton Hears A Who (1954), by Dr. Seuss
  • Horton Hears a Who! (film), a 2008 animated motion picture
  • Horton Hears a Who! (soundtrack), a score soundtrack featuring music from the film
  • Horton Hears a Who! (TV special), a 1970 television special
• James Horton (Highlander), character from Highlander: The Series
• Sarah Horton, character on the TV show Days of Our Lives

Other[link]

• Horton's syndrome, also known as cluster headache

See also[link]

• All pages beginning with "Horton"
• Hawton

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

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John Gale "Johnny" Horton (April 30, 1925–November 5, 1960) was an American country music and rockabilly singer most famous for his semi-folk, so-called "saga songs" which began the "historical ballad" craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s. With them, he had several major successes, most notably during 1959 with the song "The Battle of New Orleans" (written by Jimmy Driftwood) which was awarded the 1960 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording. The song was awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award, and during 2001 ranked No. 333 of the Recording Industry Association of America's "Songs of the Century".

During 1960, Horton had two other successes with "North to Alaska" for John Wayne's movie, North to Alaska, and "Sink the Bismarck." Horton is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Horton was born in Los Angeles, California, to John and Claudia Horton, the youngest of five siblings, and raised in Rusk, Texas. His family often traveled to California, frequently as migrant fruit pickers. After graduation from Gallatin High School in 1944, he attended the Methodist-affiliated Lon Morris Junior College in Jacksonville, Texas, with a basketball scholarship. He later attended Seattle University and briefly attended Baylor University, although he did not graduate from any of these institutions.

Horton soon went back to California where he found work in the mail room of Hollywood's Selznick Studio. It was here that he met his future wife, secretary Donna Cook.

Horton and his older brother Frank briefly pursued the study of geology at Seattle during 1948 but both ended after a few weeks. He went to Florida, then back to California before leaving for Alaska to look for gold. It was during this period that he began writing songs. He joined Frank in Seattle, went south to Los Angeles, then after Frank married, left for Texas. After much prompting from his sister Marie, he entered a talent contest at the Reo Palm Isle club in Longview, Texas, sponsored by radio station KGRI in Henderson and hosted by station radio announcer and future country music star Jim Reeves. Horton won first prize—an ashtray on a pedestal. Encouraged by the contest, he went back to California, bought some Western-style clothes and entered talent contests.

Horton came to the attention of entrepreneur Fabor Robison, whose first job as manager was to give him a job with Cliffie Stone's Hometown Jamboree on KXLA-TV in Pasadena. During his early guest performances he worked with musicians such as Merle Travis and Tennessee Ernie Ford. The station then gave him a regular half-hour Saturday night program billed as the Singing Fisherman, during which he sang and displayed his casting skills with a fishing rod. Around this time he also hosted the radio program Hacienda Party Time for KLAC-TV in Los Angeles.

A mixture of Horton's television performances and Robison's acquaintances earned him a couple of singles with the minor Cormac recording company. The first single coupled "Plaid And Calico" with "Done Rovin'" and the second "Coal Smoke, Valve Oil and Steam" with "Birds and Butterflies". The company then terminated and Robinson acquired the masters and started his own company named Abbott Records. By mid 1952, ten Horton singles had been issued but none were very successful. They were, for the most part, ordinary Western-style songs.

After marriage to Donna and a honeymoon in Palm Springs, he relocated back east to be near the Louisiana Hayride where he was then scheduled to appear on a regular basis. Robison persuaded Mercury Records A&R man Walter Kilpatrick to hire Horton, who began with his songs "First Train Headin' South" b/w "(I Wished for an Angel) The Devil Sent Me You" (Mercury 6412), with good reviews by the trade newspapers.

Horton was married twice. His first marriage, to Donna Cook, ended with a divorce granted in Rusk. During September 1953, he married Billie Jean Jones. Jones was the widow of country music singer Hank Williams, to whom she had been married for the two and one-half months prior to his death. With Billie Jean, Horton had two daughters, Yanina (Nina) and Melody. Billie Jean's daughter, Jeri Lynn was also legally adopted by Johnny and was also part of the family.

Louisiana Hayride[link]

During September 1952, Horton acquired a full-time band, the Rowley Trio from Nederland, Texas. Featuring Jerry Rowley playing fiddle, his wife Evelyn playing piano and sister Vera (Dido) playing bass or guitar, they were working at KFDM in Beaumont following some gigs backing Lefty Frizzell. While playing in Beaumont, Horton and Robison heard the Trio and were sufficiently impressed to offer them a job touring. They started driving Johnny to their engagements, but he kept stopping to fish and hunt, so they soon bought him his own car with which he met them at the various venues. The new foursome recruited Bob Stegall but still termed themselves The Singing Fisherman and the Rowley Trio, before changing the name to Johnny Horton and the Roadrunners.

Louisiana Hayride had been playing for more than four years when Horton joined its cast, and during this time he helped many careers including those of Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Webb Pierce and Bob Luman.

Horton was, by now, a Shreveport resident. His marriage didn't survive the increasing touring and Donna relocated back to Los Angeles. He was amenable to a reconciliation, but was unwilling to go back to the West Coast. During August, Louisiana Hayride welcomed back Hank Williams, only 28 years old but banished from Nashville's Grand Ole Opry for what some considered as his drunkenness and unreliability. On October 19, Williams married Billy Jean Jones, the daughter of a local policeman, in front of a paying audience at New Orleans' Municipal Auditorium. On one occasion during the time Billie Jean and Hank were married, Horton talked to the couple backstage, and at that meeting, Hank predicted that Billie Jean would one day marry Horton. He remained a Hayride member until his death.

By New Year's Eve, Hank Williams was dead. He had died in the back seat of a Cadillac traveling to a show in Canton, Ohio. Horton and the Rowleys were driving home from a gig when they heard the news by radio. They were in Milano, Texas and it was there after a show at Austin's Skyline Club (the same venue as Williams' last show) that Horton was killed seven years later in a car accident.

Married to Billie Jean[link]

Johnny and Billie Jean married on 26 September 1953. They lived by Johnny's gig money, his newly established writers-contract with American Music of Los Angeles and the settlement Billie Jean had eked from the Williams estate. Horton and Robison had by now parted company, after a disagreement which concerned in part Horton's frustration at the amount of time Robison was spending with Jim Reeves. Stegall had left, to be replaced by Richard and Betty Lou Spears, but soon the Rowleys left. He starting using pick-up bands together with Billie Jean's brothers, Alton and Sonny Jones. The career had stalled and he became so disillusioned that he got a job working in a fishing tackle shop, playing only weekends for Hayride. Even this ceased during November 1954. His last session for Mercury September 23 didn't generate a single album and the two year hiatus had been a strange period with songs ranging from answer songs like "Back to My Back Street" to "Train With a Rhumba Beat". The best seller was "All for the Love of a Girl" (Mercury 70227) which sold about 35-45,000 copies.

It was during this time that country music was changing due to influence by the new rock music. With the example of Elvis Presley, rockabilly was becoming more common both on records and on country music bills, with Hayride one of the most progressive in this respect. It was during that program that Horton first saw Presley, and apparently he immediately liked the singer and the style.

Horton then asked Hayride stalwart Tillman Franks for some advice. Five years older than Horton, Franks had played bass for Webb Pierce, managed the Carlisles and Jimmy & Johnny, worked as a booking agent, a car salesman in Houston and served on the police force. He too was unemployed. "I hadn't worked in four or five weeks when Johnny Horton come to the door. He was broke too. He and Billie Jean had spent the money they got after Hank died, and she'd told him to get his ass out and make some more". He said, "If I can get Tillman Franks to manage me, I'll get to number one". He came to my house on Summer Street, and I told him that I just didn't like the way he sang. He said, "No problem. I'll sing any way you want me to". And he was serious!".

They'd already met in Mississippi, when Horton had toured with the Carlisles. By mid 1955 Franks had assumed control of the management, and after the end of the Mercury contract, his first job was to find a new company. After communicating with Webb Pierce, who in turn talked to Jim Denny at Cedarwood and Troy Martin at Golden West Melodies, a one-year contract with Columbia was forthcoming. Cedarwood and Golden West Melodies would both get publishing on two songs per session as part of the deal. With no advance and a session due in Nashville, the duo had to borrow David Houston's father's car for the journey, with the promise that they'd try to get Houston a contract while they were there.

First big hit[link]

On the way to the session, Horton and Franks stopped in Memphis at Elvis Presley's house, leaving with ten dollars (they were too poor to buy gas) and the loan of Bill Black on slap bass. Franks had reservations about his own playing and he wanted the sound to be special. On January 11, 1956, Horton entered the Bradley Barn Studio with Bill Black and two of Nashville's major talent agents, Grady Martin and producer Owen Bradley's brother, Harold. The first song played was the mid-tempo rockabilly "I'm a One Woman Man", composed by Horton and Franks. Howard Crockett (Hausey) had played "Honky Tonk Man" to Horton and Franks and after a quick rewriting of the tune, they split the credits three ways. It was the second song cut that day. By midnight, Don Law and Franks had completed two more songs, "I'm Ready if You're Willing" and "I Got a Hole in My Pirogue". Horton and Franks wanted "Honky Tonk Man" to be the lead-off single but Don Law didn't like the song, and it was only after the intervention of Jim Denny that Law relented and issued it with "I'm Ready if You're Willing" on the flip side. Live shows were arranged to advertise the single with the band featuring Franks playing bass and a teenager from Minden, Louisiana, Tommy Tomlinson, playing guitar.

The single was reviewed by the March 10 issue of Billboard, which said of "Honky Tonk Man", "The wine women and song attractions exert a powerful hold on the singer, he admits. The funky sound and pounding beat in the backing suggest the kind of atmosphere he describes. A very good jukebox record." Of the B-side, it read "Horton sings out this cheerful material with amiable personality. This ever more popular stylist ought to expand his circle of fans with this one." By May the record had scored No. 9 on the C&W Jockey chart, as well as No. 14 on the Best Seller chart.

To earn extra money, Horton established a fake ticket agency whereby he telephoned the citizens of Alexandria, Louisiana selling tickets by the name Earl Baker, with Billie Jean delivering them the next day. Franks thought that Billie Jean was keeping some of the money, but discovered he was wrong.

Franks assumed control of the Hayride bookings, organizing performances in the South. Horton was contracted for his Monday night performances on KLTV-TV in Tyler, Texas, which restricted how far away he could tour. He wanted to end the contract, so on one of the shows, when it was time to read a commercial for Hol-Sum Bread, he announced "Friends, we are proud to be here, and proud to be sponsored by Hol-Sum Bread. Tillman Franks my manager eats Hol-Sum Bread, and I eat it too. What I like about Hol-Sum Bread is that it's never touched by hand. That's right, they mix it with their feet". After the show, the station owner called him and said she'd be happier if he stopped working for the station. Now he was free to travel, and he started earning as much as $500 a night.

On May 23 they went back to Music City for a second session. Grady Martin again led the proceedings with Ray Edenton replacing Harold Bradley and Floyd "Lightnin'" Chance standing in on double bass. They began at 7 p.m. with "Take Me Like I Am" before doing the Horton-Hausey composition, "Sugar-Coated Baby". It was one of those mid-tempo tracks at which Horton was to excel, with playful vocals and Martin's bass string guitaring. Claude King's "I Don't Like I Did" was another such song. The fourth cut was Autry Inman's ode to women, "Hooray For That Little Difference".

The next single (Columbia 21538) had "I Don't Like I Did" on the B-side but the header was "I'm a One Woman Man" from the January session. Billboard enthused that "One Woman" was a "Smart and polished job," adding that Horton was "singing with a light, airy touch. Guitar work is just as convincing, adding up to listenable, commercial stuff".

By August, Columbia and Franks ran an advertisement in Billboard claiming their "Sensational New Artist goes on a spree with his newest two-sided hit". The accompanying photo did nothing for the image of a rocker, showing him looking middle-aged with a cowboy hat to hide his receding hair. The campaign continued with a tour of western Texas starting in El Paso with Johnny Cash, Faron Young and Roy Orbison. Booked by Bob Neal Stars Inc. of Memphis, the group moved to Ontario, Canada for six dates commencing on the 18th, culminating in Detroit.

Billboard's first issue in September noted that "Somewhat like his last hit - "Honky Tonk Man" - this release (I'm A One Woman Man) started off rather quietly, but has gradually become a powerful chart contender. This week it made an appearance on the Houston territorial chart and was selling well in Nashville, Dallas, Durham and Birmingham". Within a week or so he was rewarded with a second country hit, this time maximizing at No. 7 on the Jockey chart and No. 9 on both the Best Seller and Jukebox charts.

On October 14, after shows throughout Florida, Horton played in Memphis again for Bob Neal, this time with Johnny Cash, Faron Young, Sonny James, Roy Orbison and the Teen-Kings and Charlene Arthur. They continued around Tennessee until the 23rd, before continuing to New Mexico and West Texas. It must have been a confident crowd that arrived at Bradley's Barn on November 12. Only two songs were produced, the unissued "Over Loving You" and the rockabilly "I'm Coming Home", composed by Horton and Franks.

"I'm Coming Home" was released with "I Got A Hole In My Pirogue" on the flip side (Columbia 40813). Released as the same time as the Johnny Burnette Trio's "Lonesome Train" (Coral 61758) and Rosco Gordon's "Cheese and Crackers" (Sun 257), Billboard predicted that "the singer, has material in I'm Coming Home that could give him his biggest record to date". Horton's vocal against this twangy backing makes a terrific impression. "Pirogue" is a rockabilly type novelty song of great appeal. It's hard to see how this can miss becoming a gold mine". On February 9, Billboard noted that "not only Southern markets are doing good business with this, but Northern cities report that both country and pop customers are going for this in a big way". It was again a success on the country charts (No. 11 Jockey, No. 15 Best Seller) but it failed to score the popular music charts.

He loved fishing as much as, if not more than, singing and was once billed as The Singing Fisherman. His favorite fishing holes were in the Piney Woods of East Texas and in northern Louisiana. His other passion was spiritualism and he was devoted to the writings of spiritualist Edgar Cayce.

Premonitions of death[link]

Horton had premonitions of his death and started telling friends and family that he would soon die at the hands of a drunk. He asked his sister to pray and care for Billie Jean and their daughters, and had his mother visit for the week. He cancelled his scheduled attendance at the premiere of North To Alaska and tried to back out of his next gig, a nightclub date at the Skyline club in Austin, Texas on November 4, 1960.

Death[link]

Johnny Horton bench at Hillcrest Cemetery in Haughton, Louisiana

Horton's grave marker

Another Horton grave inscription

Tommy Tomlinson flew in from Nashville, where he was producing a duet album with Jerry Kennedy (Tom and Jerry). Johnny used the morning to make arrangements to go duck hunting with Claude King once he had returned from Austin and he also telephoned Johnny Cash for a chat. Cash didn't accept the call, and always regretted it. Against his wife's wishes, Franks got out of his sick bed and they began traveling to Austin.

When they got to the Skyline club, Horton stayed in his dressing room, saying that a drunk would kill him if he went near the bar. After the show, they started the 220-mile (350 km) journey back to Shreveport. Tomlinson was in the back, observing that Horton was driving too fast - Franks was asleep in the front. About 2 a.m., near Milano, Texas they were crossing a bridge when a truck came at them, hitting both sides of the bridge before plunging into Horton's Cadillac. Horton had practiced avoiding head-on collisions by driving into ditches, but on the narrow bridge he had no opportunity. He was still breathing when he was pulled out of the car but died on the way to the hospital. The 19-year-old truck driver, James Davis, was intoxicated. Franks suffered head injuries and young Tomlinson had multiple leg fractures and nine months later, had his left leg amputated. Davis was virtually unscathed.

Tillman's preacher brother, Billy, performed the funeral service on November 8, with Billie Jean becoming a widow for the second time at the age of 28. Johnny Cash read Chapter 20 from the Book of John, having flown in on a chartered airplane.

Columbia released various singles and a greatest successes album and on October 5, 1964, Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three overdubbed "Rock Island Line" and "I Just Don't Like This Kind of Livin'" to Horton's demos. Other such sessions were held throughout the sixties for album release. "Sleepy-Eyed John" scored the country charts during April 1961, scoring No. 9 and a year later "Honky Tonk Man" was reissued, scoring No. 11. During February 1963 he made his last appearance in the charts (to date) with "All Grown Up" maximizing at No. 26.

An unfounded rumor was that Horton was on his way to Dallas to meet actor Ward Bond on the night of the crash about a role on the NBC-TV series Wagon Train. Bond was attending a football game in Dallas and died of a heart attack several hours after Horton died. Horton, however, was on his way from Austin to Shreveport, Louisiana, not Dallas. An unrelated actor with the last name Horton did appear on Wagon Train—actor Robert Horton.

Horton is buried in the Hillcrest Cemetery in Haughton, east of Bossier City in northwestern Louisiana.

Legacy[link]

Horton will be remembered for his major contribution to both country and rockabilly music. When Johnny Cash, a good friend of Horton's, learned about the accident he said, "[I] locked myself in one of the hotel's barrooms, and cried."^[1] Cash also dedicated his rendition of "When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)" to Horton on his album Personal File: "Johnny Horton was a good old friend of mine."

Horton was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and posthumously inducted into the Delta Music Museum Hall of Fame in Ferriday, Louisiana.

Some racist songs have sometimes been incorrectly associated with Horton. These songs are by a singer calling himself "Johnny Rebel," who did not began recording until years after Horton's death. The mistake is apparently because Horton recorded the historical song "Johnny Reb."

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

As per a box set of his work, here is a complete singles discography.

• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 01 - I'm A One Woman Man
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 02 - Honky Tonk Man
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 03 - I'm Ready If You're Willing
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 04 - I Got A Hole In My Pirogue
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 05 - Take Me Like I Am
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 06 - Sugar-Coated Baby
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 07 - I Don't Like I Did
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 08 - Hooray For That Little Difference
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 09 - I'm Coming Home
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 10 - Over-Loving You
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 11 - She Knows Why
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 12 - Honky Tonk Mind (The Woman I Need)
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 13 - Tell My Baby I Love Her
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 14 - Goodbye Lonesome, Hello Baby Doll
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 15 - I'll Do It Everytime
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 16 - You're My Baby
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 17 - Let's Take The Long Way Home
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 18 - Lover's Rock
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 19 - Honky-Tonk Hardwood Floor
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 20 - The Wild One
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 21 - Everytime I'm Kissng You
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 22 - Hot In The Sugarcane Field
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 23 - Lonesome And Heartbroken
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 24 - Seven Come Eleven
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 25 - I Can't Forget You
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 26 - Wise To The Ways Of A Woman
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 27 - Out In New Mexico
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 28 - Tetched In The Head
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 29 - Just Walk A Little Closer
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 30 - Don't Use My Heart For A Stepping Stone
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 31 - I Love You Baby
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 1 / 32 - Wise To The Ways Of A Woman
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 01 - Counterfeit Love
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 02 - Mister Moonlight
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 03 - All Grown Up
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 04 - Got The Bull By The Horns
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 05 - When It's Springtime In Alaska
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 06 - Whispering Pines
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 07 - The Battle Of New Orleans
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 08 - All For The Love Of A Girl
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 09 - Lost Highway
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 10 - Sam Magee
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 11 - Cherokee Boogie
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 12 - The Golden Rocket
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 13 - The Battle Of New Orleans (British Version)
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 14 - Joe's Been A-Gittin' There
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 15 - The First Train Headin' South
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 16 - Got The Bull By The Horns
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 17 - Sal's Got A Sugerlip
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 18 - Words
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 19 - Johnny Reb
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 20 - Sal's Got A Sugarlip
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 21 - Ole Slew Foot
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 22 - I'm Ready If Your Willing
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 23 - Take Me Like I Am
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 24 - They Shined Up Rudolph's Nose
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 25 - The Electrified Donkey
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 26 - The Same Old Tale The Crow Told Me
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 27 - Sink The Bismarck
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 28 - Sink The Bismarck
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 29 - The Same Old Tale The Crow Told Me
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 30 - All Grown Up
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 2 / 31 - Got The Bull By The Horns
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 01 - Ole Slew Foot
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 02 - Miss Marcy
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 03 - Sleepy Eyed John
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 04 - The Mansion You Stole
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 05 - They'll Never Take Her Love From Me
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 06 - The Sinking Of Reuben James
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 07 - Jim Bridger
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 08 - The Battle Of Bull Run
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 09 - Snow-Shoe Thompson
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 10 - John Paul Jones
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 11 - Comanche (The Brave Horse)
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 12 - Young Abe Lincoln
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 13 - O'Leary's Cow
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 14 - Johnny Freedom
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 15 - Go North!
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 16 - North To Alaska
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 17 - North To Alaska
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 18 - I Just Don't Like This Kind Of Livin'
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 19 - Rock Island Line
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 20 - Hank And Joe And Me
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 21 - The Golden Rocket
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 22 - A-Sleeping At The Foot Of The Bed
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 23 - I Just Don't Like This Kind Of Livin'
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 24 - Old Blind Barnabas
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 25 - Evil Hearted Me
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 26 - Hot In The Sugarcane Field
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 27 - You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 28 - The Gosh-Darn Wheel
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 29 - Broken Hearted Gypsy
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 3 / 30 - The Church By The Side Of The Road
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 01 - The Vanishing Race
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 02 - Broken Hearted Gypsy
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 03 - That Boy Got The Habit
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 04 - Hot In The Sugarcane Field
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 05 - You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 06 - The Church By The Side Of The Road
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 07 - I Just Don't Like This Kind Of Livin'
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 08 - Take It Like A Man
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 09 - Hank And Joe And Me
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 10 - The Golden Rocket
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 11 - Old Blind Barnabas
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 12 - Empty Bed Blues
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 13 - Rock Island Line
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 14 - Shake, Rattle And Roll
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 15 - A-Sleeping At The Foot Of The Bed
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 16 - Old Dan Tucker
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 17 - The Gosh Darn Wheel
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 18 - From Memphis To Mobile
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 19 - Back Up Train
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 20 - Schottische In Texas
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 21 - Take It LIke A Man
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 22 - That Boy Got The Habit
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 23 - My Heart Stopped, Trembled And Died
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 24 - Alley Girl Ways
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 25 - How You Gonna Make It
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 26 - Witch Walking Baby
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 27 - Down That River Road
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 28 - Big Wheels Rollin'
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 29 - I Got A Slow Leak In My Heart
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 30 - You Don't Move Me Baby Anymore
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 31 - What Will I Do Without You
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 32 - Janey
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 33 - Streets Of Dodge
• Johnny Horton 1956-1960 - Vol 4 / 34 - Give Me Back My Picture And You Can Keep The Frame

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Escott, Colin. (1998). "Johnny Horton". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 247–8.

External links[link]

• The Handbook of Texas Online: Johnny Horton
• Rockabillyhall.com
• Geocities.com^{[dead link]}
• RCS-discography.com
• Rockabilly.nl
• Johnny Horton's Gravesite
• TSHAonline.org

Lester Horton (23 January 1906 – 2 November 1953) was an American dancer, choreographer, and teacher.

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Lester Iradell Horton was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 23, 1906. His parents were Iradell Horton and Pollyanna Horton.

His interest in dance was stimulated by his fascination with the American Indian after watching tribal dances in a Wild West show. He studied the Iroquois and Red River Indians, and Penobscot and Ojibway tribes.^[1]

He studied ballet for two years with Theo Hewes in Indianapolis. At that time he also took classes at the Herron Art Institute and worked with the Indianapolis Little Theater.

Seeing a performance of the Denishawn company had a great impact on him.

Horton arrived in California in 1929 to perform The Song of Hiawatha at the Argus Bowl in Eagle Rock, CA.

He took a job with the Stuberghs, with whom he remained close for his lifetime. They produced wax figures and Horton painted faces on the window mannequins.^[2]

He chose to work in California instead of New York City, which was considered the center of modern dance at the time.

Career[link]

Horton formed his first dance company, the Lester Horton Dancers, in 1932. That company evolved into what was briefly known as the Lester Horton California Ballets (1934) and then the Horton Dance Group (1934). The Horton Dance Group, billed in its film appearances as the Lester Horton Dancers, lasted until early 1944. Later, Horton attempted to develop a company on the East Coast for dancer Sonia Shaw, but Shaw's husband stopped underwriting the venture and the company collapsed before it could give any public performances.^[3] After a brief hiatus, Horton formed the Dance Theater of Los Angeles with his longtime leading dancer, Bella Lewitzky; their partnership ended when Lewitzky left in 1950. Horton's final company continued until 1960 under the direction of Frank Eng.

In order to finance his school and various dance companies, Horton choreographed a number of early Hollywood musicals, beginning with Moonlight in Havana (1942). Most of the films, like the Maria Montez vehicle White Savage (1943), were B-movie musicals; the most notable was Arthur Lubin's Phantom of the Opera (1943). Horton's dancers also frequently worked at clubs, including the Folies Bergère in New York and Earl Carroll Theatre and Restaurant in Los Angeles. Horton's best-known works, which he called "choreodramas," are Salome (which occupied Horton for nearly two decades^[4]) and The Beloved.

Dance Theater made only one appearance in New York, during the last year of Horton's life. The troupe was scheduled to perform at the reputation-making theater of the Young Men's and young Women's Hebrew Association on East Ninety-second street in New York City. Upon arriving the troupe discovered the venue did not provide publicity and so the performance was largely unknown and not well attended. Only about 300 people showed for the Saturday night performance and only about 200 tickets were sold for the Sunday matinee. This netted the company a total of 100 dollars. All but one of the reviews was good.^[5] One magazine praised the "superb dancers" but complained that "one technical and effective stunt follows another with hardly ever any sustained choreographic continuity."^[6] There was not enough money to return home to New York and Horton had doubts about the company's financial ability to attend Jacob's Pillow later that summer. Horton's agent wired Horton the money to get the troupe home. At the time, Horton was drinking heavily and was emotionally and physically ill. Upon returning to Los Angeles he moved into a house on Mulholland Drive where he was attended to by his parents and friends.

Determined to perform at the Jacob's Pillow festival, the group travelled the Berkshires by car. The show was a success, though Horton could not afford to accompany the troupe to the festival.^[7] Riding on their success at the festival, the troupe was asked to open for Johnny Desmond in the Fall; they were so popular that they were invited back for another two-week engagement. Horton died of a heart attack at his home on November 2, 1953.^[8]

Since Horton's death, his dance technique and choreography have become widely known and practiced. Horton's legacy has survived through the www.lhdt.org Lester Horton Dance Theater Foundation, Inc., which is dedicated to preserving and promoting Horton's contributions as a dancer, choreographer, and educator. Also, various dance companies such as the Joyce Trisler Danscompany focus on Horton's technique."^[9]

Horton choreographed the following films:^[10]

• Moonlight in Havana 1942 (Universal-International)
• Rhythm of the Islands 1943 (Universal-International)
• White Savage 1943 (Universal-International)
• Phantom of the Opera 1943 (Universal-International)
• Climax 1944 (Universal-International)
• Salome Where She Danced 1945 (Universal-International)
• That Night With You 1945 (Universal-International)
• Frisco Sal 1945 (Universal-International)
• Shady Lady 1945 (Universal-International)
• Tangier 1946 (Universal-International)
• Siren of Atlantis 1948 (United Artists Release)
• Bagdad 1949 (Universal-International)
• South Sea Woman 1953 (Warner Brothers)
• 3-D Follies 1953 (R.K.O)

Horton trained a number of significant mid-twentieth century dancers:

• Alvin Ailey
• Eleanor Brooks
• Janet Collins
• Rudi Gernreich
• Carmen de Lavallade
• Bella Lewitzky
• James Mitchell
• Carl Ratcliff
• Jeri Faubion Salkin
• Joyce Trisler
• James Truitte
• William Dale Jennings

Other figures who emerged from Horton's school and company include actress Lelia Goldoni and Sondra Kerr Blake. The founder of the Mattachine Society, Harry Hay, had a daughter who took classes at the dance theater.

Personal Life and Relationships[link]

Horton was involved with William Bowne from 1932 to 1949 when Bowne left Horton to marry a former member of Horton's dance company, Portia Woodbury (Bowne).^[11] Not long after, Horton became involved with film and theater writer Frank Eng. Eng was with Horton until his death in 1953.^[12][13]

Technique[link]

Horton developed his own approach to dance that incorporated diverse elements including Native American Folk Dance, Japanese arm gestures, Javanese and Balinese isolations for the upper body, particularly the eyes, head and hands. Horton also included Afro-Caribbean elements, like hip circles. Horton's dance technique, which is now commonly known as Horton Technique, has no style, per se. The technique emphasizes a whole body, anatomical approach to dance that includes flexibility, strength, coordination and body and spatial awareness to enable unrestricted, dramatic freedom of expression.

"I am sincerely trying now to create a dance technique based entirely upon corrective exercises, created with a knowledge of human anatomy; a technique which will correct physical faults and prepare a dancer for any type of dancing he may wish to follow; a technique having all the basic movements which govern the actions of the body; combined with a knowledge of the origin of movement and a sense of artistic design." -Lester Horton, in a letter to Dorathi Bock Pierre, "From Primitive to Modern," American Dancer (October 1937)^[14]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Barnes, Clive. Genius on the Wrong Coast, New York Times, 1967.
• Bizot, Richard. "Lester Horton’s “Salome” 1934-1953 and after." Dance Research Journal, Vol. 16, No. 1 (Spring, 1984) pp. 35–40.
• Dinerman, Diana. The Horton Technique, Bourgeon Journal of Dance, Volume 2 #3, pp. 28–30.
• Foulkes, Julia L., Modern Bodies: Dance and American Modernism from Martha Graham to Alvin Ailey. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002.
• Murphy, Jacqueline Shae. The People Never Stopped Dancing: Native American Modern Dance Histories. Journal of Folklore Research Press, 2007.
• Perces, Marjorie B., Forsythe, Ana Marie, Bell, Cheryl.Dance Technique of Lester Horton Princeton Book Company, 1992.
• Prevots, Naima. Dancing in the Sun: Hollywood Choreographers 1915-1937. University of Michigan Research Press, 1987.
• Warren, Larry. Lester Horton: Modern Dance Pioneer. New York: Dance Horizons, 1977.
• Dance Perspectives 31 (Autumn 1967) is entirely devoted to Horton.
• Lester Horton Dance Theater Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
• Genius on the Wrong Coast (video recording), Lelia Goldoni, distributed by Green River Road, 1993.
• Camera Three Tribute to Lester Horton (video recording), 1963.

External links[link]

Dance portal

• Lester Horton at the Internet Movie Database
• Lester Horton Dance Theater Collection
• Lober, David. Lester Redux
• Lober, David. The Lester I Knew
• Barnes, Clive. Genius on the Wrong Coast,
• The Lester Horton Dance Theater, Inc.
• Dinerman, Diana. Horton Technique

Jarome Iginla
Born	(1977-07-01) July 1, 1977 (age 34) Edmonton, AB, CAN
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	214 lb (97 kg; 15 st 4 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shoots	Right
NHL team	Calgary Flames
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	11th overall, 1995 Dallas Stars
Playing career	1996–present

Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla^[1][2] (pronounced /dʒəˈroʊm ɨˈɡɪnlə/; born July 1, 1977) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). A six-time NHL All-Star, he is the Flames' all-time leader in goals, points, and games played, and is second in assists to Al MacInnis. Named the Flames captain at the start of the 2003–04 season, Iginla was the first black captain in NHL history. He has represented Canada internationally on numerous occasions, helping Team Canada to its first Olympic gold medal in 50 years at the 2002 Winter Olympics and another gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

As a junior, Iginla was a member of two Memorial Cup-winning teams with the Kamloops Blazers, and was named the Western Hockey League's Player of the Year in 1996. He was selected 11th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, but was later traded to Calgary and has played his entire professional career with the Flames. He led the NHL in goals and points in 2001–02, and won the Lester B. Pearson Award as its most valuable player as voted by the players. In 2003–04, Iginla led the league in goals for the second time and captained the Flames to the Stanley Cup Finals, leading the league in playoff scoring. Iginla scored 50 goals in a season for a second time in 2007–08, has scored 500 goals and 1,000 points in his career and is one of seven players in NHL history to score 30 goals in 11 consecutive seasons. Known for his polite and generous nature, Iginla participates in numerous community events and donates $2,000 to charity for each goal he scores.

Early life[link]

Iginla was born in Edmonton, Alberta, on July 1, 1977. His father, a lawyer, was born in Nigeria and changed his first name from Adekunle to Elvis when he arrived in Canada.^[3] His surname means "Big tree" in Yoruba, his father's native language.^[4] Iginla's mother, Susan, is originally from Oregon, and has worked as a massage therapist and music teacher. Iginla grew up with his mother and grandparents after his parents divorced when he was a year old.^[3] While his mother is a Buddhist, he identifies himself as Christian, his father's faith.^[5]

In addition to hockey, Iginla played baseball as a young man and was the catcher on the Canadian national junior team.^[4] He credits his grandfather for his career, as with his mother working and father attending law school, he would not have had the opportunity to play sports at a high level if not for his grandfather's support.^[6] Iginla grew up admiring other black hockey players, including Edmonton Oilers goaltender Grant Fuhr. Emulating Fuhr, Iginla played goaltender in his first two years of organized hockey before switching to the right wing.^[7] He played his entire minor hockey career in St. Albert, leading the Alberta Midget Hockey League in scoring as a 15-year-old with 87 points for the St. Albert Midget Raiders in 1992–93.^[4]

Junior career[link]

Iginla played three years with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). As a 16-year-old in 1993–94, he recorded six goals and 29 points in 48 regular season games before playing an additional 19 in the playoffs.^[8] The Blazers captured both the league title and the 1994 Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship.^[9] In reference to the Blazers' dominance of the league at the time (they had won their third WHL title in five seasons), Iginla described the expectations of success as being similar to those placed on the Montreal Canadiens, the NHL's most successful franchise: "When you put on a Blazers jersey, it's like putting on the Canadiens'. You've got to perform."^[10]

Iginla scored 33 goals and 71 points in 1994–95, his first full WHL season.^[8] The Blazers repeated as league champions, earning a trip to the 1995 Memorial Cup. Iginla scored five goals in the tournament to lead the Blazers to a second consecutive national championship. He received the George Parsons Trophy as the most sportsmanlike player of the tournament.^[11]

The Dallas Stars selected Iginla with their first pick, 11th overall, in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft; however, on December 20, 1995, they traded him to the Calgary Flames, along with Corey Millen, for the rights to forward Joe Nieuwendyk, then in a contract dispute with the Flames.^[12]

In his final season in Kamloops in 1995–96, Iginla finished fourth in league scoring with 136 points, including 63 goals in 63 games played, and was awarded the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the league's most outstanding player.^[13] The Blazers were upset in the Western Conference final by the Spokane Chiefs, but Iginla still finished fourth in playoff scoring, recording 29 points in 16 games.^[14] His performance during the season earned him an invitation to play for Team Canada at the 1996 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Boston, where he led the tournament in scoring with 12 points and helped Canada to its fourth consecutive gold medal.^[15]

NHL career[link]

Iginla warming up before a game in March 2006.

Iginla made his NHL debut in the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs, as he was signed to a contract and flown to Calgary immediately after his junior season ended in Kamloops. He appeared in two games for the Flames in their series against the Chicago Blackhawks. In doing so, he became the first 18-year-old to play for the Flames since Dan Quinn in 1983.^[16] In his first NHL game, Iginla assisted on a Theoren Fleury goal to record his first point;^[17] he scored his first goal in his second game.^[18] He remained with the Flames, and played his first NHL season in 1996–97. He earned a spot on that year's NHL All-Rookie Team and finished as the runner-up to Bryan Berard in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year after leading all first-year players in scoring with 50 points.^[19]

By his third season, 1998–99, Iginla led the Flames in goals with 28.^[19] His success complicated negotiations for a new contract, as he and the Flames struggled to agree on a new deal following the season. Hoping to help resolve the contract impasse, he agreed to attend training camp without a contract, and purchased his own insurance as the team would not have been responsible financially if he suffered an injury. He remained without a contract at the start of the 1999–2000 season and missed the first three games as a holdout before signing a deal worth US$4.9 million, plus bonuses.^[19][20] He finished the year with career highs in goals (29) and points (63). He then topped both marks in 2000–01 by recording 31 goals and 71 points.^[19]

After participating in Canada's Olympic summer camp before the season, Iginla again set new personal highs in 2001–02 when he registered 52 goals and 96 points. This season elevated Iginla to superstar status.^[21] He earned the Art Ross and Maurice Richard trophies as the NHL's leading point and goal scorer, respectively.^[19] He was also awarded the Lester B. Pearson Award as the league's most valuable player as voted by his peers, and was a nominee for both the Hart Memorial Trophy and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. The Hart Trophy voting proved to be controversial: Iginla tied Canadiens goaltender José Théodore in voting points, but received fewer first place votes than Théodore.^[22] However, one voter, rumoured to be from Quebec—Théodore and the Canadiens' home province—inexplicably left Iginla off his ballot. As a result of the controversy that followed, the Professional Hockey Writers Association changed the rules on how its members voted for the award to prevent a recurrence.^[23] Iginla was a member of Team Canada's Olympic gold medal-winning hockey team in 2002 at Salt Lake City and in 2010 at Vancouver.

There were fears Iginla would again hold out after his contract expired following the season.^[24] These fears were unfounded, however, as he signed a two-year, $13 million deal before the season and was looked on to again lead the Flames offensively.^[25] Iginla fell back to 67 points in 2002–03 as injuries, including a lingering finger dislocation following a fight, diminished his play.^[26] His 35 goals were still enough to lead the Flames for the fourth time in five seasons.^[19] Despite his offensive contributions, the Flames missed the playoffs.^[27]

Captaincy[link]

At the start of the 2003–04 season, Iginla was named the 18th captain in Flames franchise history, and 14th since the team moved to Calgary from Atlanta in 1980.^[28] His predecessor as captain, Craig Conroy, cited Iginla's experience and leadership for his decision to relinquish the captaincy to Iginla. "He was a leader on that team and old enough to where he'd been there a long time. It was time for him. He took us to the Stanley Cup Final that year so it worked out pretty well."^[29] Iginla was reported to be the first black captain in NHL history,^[30] though former Blackhawks captain Dirk Graham, who is of African descent, has also been said to hold that honour.^[31]

Darryl Sutter presents Iginla with a silver stick in honour of his becoming the Flames all-time scoring leader.

Iginla responded to being named captain by capturing his second Rocket Richard Trophy, sharing the goal-scoring title with Ilya Kovalchuk and Rick Nash with 41 goals.^[32] The Flames qualified for the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the sixth seed, the team's first playoff appearance in eight years.^[33] Iginla led all playoff scorers with 13 goals as he captained the Flames to their first Stanley Cup finals appearance in 15 years. The Flames were unable to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning, however, falling to the Eastern Conference champions in seven games. A dejected Iginla sat in the Flames locker room after the final game and was met by his father, who told his son that "I'm proud of you. All of Canada is proud of you."^[34]

While he was hailed as the best player in the world following his performance in the playoffs,^[35][36] Iginla spent the 2004–05 NHL lockout focused on improving his game further.^[37] Following the lockout, he was named as one of six player representatives on the newly created NHL competition committee, with a mandate to suggest recommendations for ways to improve the game. He held this position until early 2008.^[38]

On December 7, 2006, Iginla reached a career milestone when he scored his 300th career goal and 600th career point against the Minnesota Wild.^[39] He was expected to play in the 2007 NHL All-Star Game in Dallas; however he missed the game with a knee injury.^[40] The injury kept him out of 12 games in 2006–07. He nevertheless scored 94 points, including a career-high 55 assists.^[19]

The 2007–08 season saw Iginla post his second career 50 goal season, adding 48 assists for a career high 98 points,^[19] good for third overall in the league.^[42] He was voted to the starting line-up of the 2008 NHL All-Star Game along with teammate Dion Phaneuf,^[43] and was named captain of the Western All-Star Team.^[44] He broke the Flames' franchise record for games played when he played his 804th career game on November 29, 2007, against the Anaheim Ducks. He also broke Theoren Fleury's franchise record for goals when he scored his 365th on March 10, 2008, against the St. Louis Blues.^[19] Iginla was nominated as a Hart Trophy finalist for league most valuable player for the third time, though he again did not win the award.^[45] During the season, he signed a five-year contract extension with the Flames at $7 million per season.^[46]

Iginla continued his pursuit of Fleury's franchise record of 830 points in 2008–09. He recorded his 800th point with a first period assist against the Chicago Blackhawks on December 19, 2008.^[47] He ended 2008 with a career high five points in a New Year's Eve game against the Edmonton Oilers. He had 14 previous four point games.^[48] In January, he was named to the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal, his fifth such selection.^[49] Representing the Western Conference, Iginla scored his first career NHL All-Star Game goal in a 12–11 shootout loss.^[50] He passed Fleury as the Flames' all-time scoring leader on March 1, 2009, scoring five points, including his 400th career goal, in an 8–6 loss to the Lightning.^[51] He finished the season with 35 goals and 89 points, but a disappointing playoff performance led to questions of whether he had been playing with an injury. Iginla quickly denied the rumour, admitted that he had not played with the level of consistency he expected and stated that he would spend the summer focused on improving his play in 2009–10.^[52]

Milestones[link]

Lanny McDonald presents Iginla with a gold stick in recognition of his 500th NHL goal

The Flames struggled in 2009–10, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2003.^[53] Iginla accepted responsibility for the team's failure, admitting that finishing around 70 points for the season was "not enough".^[54] The team's declining fortunes and Iginla's season led to increasing questions on whether he could be traded from the team he has played his entire NHL career with.^[55] Iginla, who would have to approve any trade the team attempts to make due to a no-movement clause in his contract, expressed that he did not wish to leave Calgary, but would accommodate a trade if the Flames wished to do so.^[56] Former Flames' general manager Craig Button argued against trading Iginla, blaming a lack of complementary players for both Iginla and Calgary's failures: "There's nothing easier in hockey than to be able to shut down one player. And the Calgary Flames, I would argue, have made it really easy for teams to shut down Jarome".^[57] The Flames have publicly stated that they do not plan to trade him.^[58]

Individually, he reached 900 career points in a two-goal, two-assist effort against the Oilers on January 30, 2010.^[59] Six nights later, Iginla played his 1,000th career game against the Florida Panthers.^[60] Iginla struggled offensively to begin the 2010–11 season, and with the Flames falling to the bottom of the standings, there was continued speculation over his future in Calgary. Team management repeatedly reiterated that they were not interested in moving him to another team.^[61][62] Improving his game as the season wore on, Iginla reached another personal milestone, recording his 500th career assist on January 11, 2011, the same day he was named to play in his sixth All-Star Game.^[63] He announced several days later that he had declined to play in the All-Star Game as he wished to spend the time with his ailing grandmother.^[64]

Iginla scored his 30th goal of the season on a penalty shot against the Nashville Predators on March 6, 2011, and in doing so became the 10th player in NHL history to score at least 30 goals in ten consecutive seasons.^[65] A month later, he scored his 1,000th career point, notching the game-winning goal against the St. Louis Blues in a 3–2 win on April 1, 2011.^[66]

Iginla scored his 500th goal on January 7, 2012, against Niklas Bäckström of the Minnesota Wild in a 3–1 victory. He was the 42nd player in league history to achieve the feat, and the 15th to do so with one organization.^[67] Midway through the 2011–12 NHL season, Iginla was named an All-Star for the seventh time in his career (the sixth played), representing the Flames at the 2012 All-Star Game.^[68]

Iginla scored his 30th goal of the 2011–12 season in a 3-2 win against goalkeeper Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks on March 13, 2012. He is the 7th player in league history to score 30 goals in 11 consecutive seasons.^[69]

International play[link]

Medal record
Iginla won gold medals at the Olympics in 2002 and 2010.
Competitor for Canada
Men's ice hockey
Olympic Games
Gold	2002 Salt Lake City	Ice hockey
Gold	2010 Vancouver	Ice hockey
World Championship
Gold	1997 Finland	Ice hockey
World Cup
Gold	2004 World Cup of Hockey	Ice hockey
World Junior Championship
Gold	1996 USA	Ice hockey

Iginla first represented Canada at the 1994 Nations Cup, an unsanctioned tournament for players under the age of 18. He led Canada in scoring with five goals and nine points as it won the gold medal.^[70] Two years later, he joined the national junior team at the 1996 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He led the tournament in scoring with five goals and 12 points as Canada won its fourth consecutive gold medal. He was named an all-star and the tournament's top forward.^[4][15] One year later, Iginla played in his first tournament with the senior team, competing at the 1997 World Championships as a 19-year-old, the youngest player on the team.^[71] He recorded two goals and three assists in 11 games as Canada won the gold medal.^[8]

A late invitation to join Team Canada's summer camp in preparation for the 2002 Winter Olympics helped Iginla emerge as a star player. He was so surprised by the invite he initially thought one of his Flames teammates was playing a prank on him.^[72] He scored two goals in the gold medal game, a 5–2 victory over the United States, as Canada won its first Olympic gold medal in 50 years.^[73] Iginla also represented Canada at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey as an alternate captain, playing on a line with Joe Sakic and Mario Lemieux.^[74] Canada won the gold medal.^[75]

Iginla participated in his second Olympics and was an alternate captain at the 2006 Turin games, recording three points in six games.^[8] The Canadians were unable to defend their 2002 gold medal, losing to Russia in the quarter-finals.^[76] Named an alternate captain once again for the 2010 team in Vancouver,^[77] he opened the tournament with a hat trick against Norway.^[78] He finished as the tournament leader with five goals,^[79] and assisted on Sidney Crosby's overtime winning goal in the gold medal final against the United States.^[80]

Playing style[link]

Iginla faces off against Vincent Lecavalier.

Iginla is considered to be one of the NHL's most prominent power forwards.^[81] Upon entering the league, he tried to emulate players like Brendan Shanahan and Keith Tkachuk, hoping to match their combination of finesse and physicality.^[36] He is one of the most consistent scorers in the league; between 1998 and 2008, only Jaromír Jágr scored more NHL goals than Iginla.^[82] Even so, scouting reports have argued that Iginla's lack of speed makes it easier for opponents to isolate him and restrict his ability to move if his teammates rely on him too much to lead the offence.^[83]

The abuse he faced at the hands of opponents early in his NHL career prompted Iginla's coaches to work at developing his physical play. While he was not enthusiastic about fighting, Iginla accepted then head coach Brian Sutter's arguments that he needed to adopt a more aggressive style to improve as a player. Iginla is most effective when he has room to manoeuvre, and to create that space, he had to intimidate his opponents.^[84] The lessons Iginla learned have carried throughout his career. "You've got a power forward who does it all," said Craig Conroy. "I mean, he'll fight, and hit, and score goals. Maybe it's not the end-to-end rushes, but he does all those little things that win games and get things done."^[85] His opponents also respect his play. Rob Blake said that while Iginla is not known for fancy play, "he'll run you over. Or he'll fight somebody. And then he'll score a goal. He does pretty much everything you'd want a guy to do."^[82]

Iginla has recorded several Gordie Howe hat tricks.^[19] His fights, including one with Tampa Bay star Vincent Lecavalier in the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, have had a motivating effect on his play and that of his teammates.^[86] Iginla has suffered injuries as a result of his fighting, including a broken hand from a 2003 fight with Bill Guerin of the Dallas Stars.^[87] His physical style of play also leads to a greater risk of persistent injuries and penalties.^[83]

He commands the respect of his peers, and has been known to stand up to the coaching staff to defend a fellow player. Former teammate Andrew Ference once described following Iginla as like "following a friend".^[82] Preferring to lead by example, Iginla is not regarded as a vocal captain. He likes to speak with players individually, and tries to ensure that all of his teammates are comfortable.^[29] He was named the recipient of the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2009.^[88]

Off the ice[link]

Iginla married his high school sweetheart, Kara, and the couple has three children: daughter Jade and sons Tij and Joe. They had been dating since they were in the eighth grade.^[4] He has two half-brothers, Jason and Stephen, and two half-sisters, Theresa and Elizabeth.^[89] He is an avid golfer and a regular participant in the Calgary Flames Celebrity Charity Golf Classic.^[4]

He is well known for his kind-hearted nature. Former Flames general manager Craig Button described Iginla as being grounded: "he doesn't carry himself with any attitude or arrogance. He's confident in his abilities. He's self-assured. He's genuine. He's a better person than he is a player, and we all know what kind of player he is."^[90] In 2002, while in Salt Lake City for the Winter Olympic Games, Iginla struck up a conversation with four Calgarians sitting next to his table, and found out they were sleeping in their car outside of the hotel. He excused himself from the conversation, and booked them accommodations at his own expense at the hotel his family was staying in.^[91]

Since 2002,^[92] he has operated the Jarome Iginla Hockey School in Calgary as a non-profit organization, donating proceeds to the Diabetes Research Association.^[4] In 2004, he was awarded the NHL Foundation Player Award for his community service and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in recognition of his humanitarian contributions.^[93] Iginla supports many charities. In 2000, he began donating $1,000 per goal he scored to KidSport, a figure he doubled to $2,000 in 2005. Between 2000 and 2012, he donated $550,000 from this initiative.^[94]

Iginla is a part owner of the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, for whom he played during his junior hockey days.^[95] He purchased a minority share in the franchise, along with fellow NHL players Shane Doan, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor, in October 2007.^[96] He is also an ambassador with the NHL Diversity program, which supports youth hockey organizations that offer economically disadvantaged kids the opportunity to play.^[97] Since 2008, he has been a hockey spokesperson for Scotiabank, appearing in commercials and at events supporting its grassroots hockey programs,^[98] as well as for Samsung Canada.^[99]

Iginla visited Canadian troops in Afghanistan on May 30, 2011, in a surprise whirlwind visit with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. While on the visit, Iginla played some ball hockey, attended a barbecue with troops, and signed autographs. "It was an honor and a privilege to be asked by the Prime Minister to be part of this trip to come and meet and spend time with our troops", Iginla told calgaryflames.com.^[100]

Career statistics[link]

Regular season and playoffs[link]

Statistics as of the end of the 2011–12 season.

International[link]

All-Star Games[link]

Awards[link]

Iginla being honoured as part of a Molson Cup ceremony

Major junior

NHL

Calgary Flames team awards

International

See also[link]

• List of ice hockey players of black African descent

References[link]

General

• Awards and honours: Hanlon, Peter and Kelso, Sean, ed (PDF). 2008–09 Calgary Flames Media Guide. Calgary Flames. pp. 59–61. http://downloads.flames.nhl.com/other/2008CalgaryFlamesMediaGuide_web.pdf. 
• Career statistics: "Player Profile – Jarome Iginla". Hockey Hall of Fame. http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=10613. Retrieved 2008-12-09. 

Footnotes