Abilene (song)

Abilene is a song written by Bob Gibson, Lester Brown and John D. Loudermilk,[2] and recorded by American country music artist George Hamilton IV. The song reached number one on the U.S. country music chart for four weeks, and peaked at number 15 on the pop music charts. George Hamilton IV performed "Abilene" in the 1963 movie Hootenanny Hoot.

"Abilene"
Single by George Hamilton IV
from the album Abilene
B-side"Oh So Many Years"[1]
ReleasedMay 1963
GenreCountry
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Bob Gibson
John D. Loudermilk
Lester Brown
Producer(s)Chet Atkins
George Hamilton IV singles chronology
"In This Very Same Room"
(1963)		 "Abilene"
(1963)		 "There's More Pretty Girls Than One"
(1963)

Background and writing

Bob Gibson was inspired to write the song after watching the Randolph Scott film Abilene Town. The setting for the film is Abilene, Kansas, the railhead town at the end of the Chisholm Trail. Gibson said the song had often been erroneously thought to be about Abilene, Texas, named for the Kansas cowtown that had been established 24 years earlier but a much larger city.

Chart performance
Chart (1963) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [4] 15
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[5] 4

Later versions

"Abilene" was recorded by Sonny James fourteen years later in 1977. His version became a hit on the Country charts, reaching #24 in the U.S. and #16 (for two weeks) in Canada.[6] In 1999, The Mudballs included the song on their C. Of Love album.

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References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
  2. "Abilene," BMI Repertoire website
  3. "George Hamilton IV Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 273.
  5. "George Hamilton IV Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  6. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1977-12-31. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
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