Johnny Bush was born in Houston, Texas on February 17, 1935. When he was 27, he moved to San Antonio where he got a job in a honky-tonk as a singer and guitarist. He switched to playing drums and was hired by Ray Price, working as a Cherokee Cowboy for three years.

Johnny went to work with Willie Nelson and fronted his show in 1966. It was about this time that he began recording for the Stop label. He featured covers of Willie’s hits like “What A Way To Live,” “You Ought To Hear Me Cry,” “Undo The Right,” and “You Gave Me A Mountain.” In 1972 he signed with RCA and had his biggest hit, “Whiskey River.”

During the later ‘70s however, Johnny’s recordings did not meet the expectation of his fans and sales fell off drastically. He moved to Starday but soon developed vocal chord problems which made it difficult to speak above a whisper. This virtually ended his career.

In recent years, Johnny has continued to release new recordings.

Happy birthday, Johnny Bush!

Dusty Owens
TCM Radio News