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Biography
Infobox musical artist|name = Boxcar Willie|image =|caption = Boxcar Willie on the cover of Best Loved Favorites (1989)|background = solo_singer|birth_name = Lecil Travis Martin|alias = Boxcar Willie|birth_date = birth date|1931|09|01|birth_place = Ellis County, Texas , U.S.|death_date = Death date and age|1999|04|12|1931|09|01|death_place = Branson, Missouri , U.S.|instrument = Singing|Vocals , guitar , train whistle |genre = Country music|Country , Gospel music|gospel , trucker , hobo |occupation = Singer-songwriter ,|years_active =|website = http://www.boxcarwillie.com/ www.boxcarwillie.comBoxcar Willie , born as Lecil Travis Martin (September 1, 1931 & ndash; April 12, 1999) was an American country music singer, who sang in the Hobo#Songs|"old-time hobo" music style, complete with dirty face, overalls, and a floppy hat.Malone, Bill C. http://books.google.com/books? id=CR63ED_FH_AC& pg=PA277& dq=%22boxcar+willie%22& hl=en& ei=A_YNTMf-HYTjnAfkoYTDDQ& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=19& ved=0CHoQ6AEwEg#v=onepage& q=%22boxcar%20willie%22& f=false Country music, U.S.A. , University of Texas Press, 2002, p. 277. "Boxcar Willie" was originally a character in a ballad he wrote, but he later adopted it as his own stage name.Mazor, Barry. http://books.google.com/books? id=wHHoRDCFO6YC& pg=PA291& dq=%22boxcar+willie%22& hl=en& ei=A_YNTMf-HYTjnAfkoYTDDQ& sa=X& oi=book_result& ct=result& resnum=12& ved=0CFoQ6AEwCw#v=onepage& q=%22boxcar%20willie%22& f=false ''Meeting Jimmie Rodgers: How America's Original Roots Music Hero Changed the Pop Sounds of a Century, Oxford University Press, 2009, p. 291.
Biography
Born in Sterratt, Texas , Martin joined the United States Air Force in 1949, and served as a pilot and flight engineer for the B-29 Super Fortress during the Korean War in the early 1950s. In Lincoln, Nebraska , Martin was once sitting at a railroad crossing and a fellow that closely resembled his chief boom operator, Willie Wilson, passed by sitting in a boxcar . He said, "There goes Willie." He pulled over and wrote a song entitled "Boxcar Willie". Citation needed|date=November 2008 It eventually stuck and became Martin's nickname .There is no relation to the fictitious character, bearing the same name, as featured in the CJCLS commercial that aired ~1985. In 1962, Martin met his future wife, Lloene, in Boise, Idaho . They would later have four children.
In San Jose, California , Martin attended a talent show as "Boxcar Willie" and performed under the nickname for the first time. He won first place, a $150 prize and a nickname that he would forever go by. That was his part-time vocation, however; he was still in the Air Force and had been flying daily missions. He later became a Flight Engineer on KC-97L aircraft in the 136th ARW in the Texas Air National Guard, including air refueling flights around the USA and overseas in Germany.
In 1976, Martin left the Air Force and became a full-time performer. He entered American mainstream pop culture consciousness due to a series of television commercials for record compilations of artists who were obscure in the United States, yet had large international followings, such as Slim Whitman and Gheorghe Zamfir . He went on to become a star in country music , selling more than 100 million records, tapes and CDs worldwide. In 1981, Martin achieved a professional landmark by being inducted into the Grand Ole Opry as its 60th member.
In 1985, Martin moved to Branson, Missouri and purchased a theater on Highway 76, or 76 Country Music Boulevard. In addition to the Boxcar Willie Theater, he opened a museum and eventually had two motels, both bearing his name. Boxcar Willie was one of the first big stars to open a show in Branson, paving the way for the other nationally-known names that followed. http://www.salon.com/people/obit/1999/04/14/boxcar/ "BoxCar Willie", Salon obituary, April 14, 1999. He performed at his theater in Branson until he died.
Death
Diagnosed with leukemia in 1996, Martin died on April 12, 1999 in Branson at age 67.
Legacy
The overpass at Interstate 35E (Texas)|Interstate 35E and Farm to Market Road 664 in Red Oak, Texas (also known as Ovilla Road, approximately four miles east of Ovilla) was renamed Boxcar Willie Memorial Overpass after a major reconstruction project.
Trott, Walt (1998). "Boxcar Willie". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music . Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p.& nbsp;47.
Persondata|NAME=Willie, Boxcar |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |SHORT DESCRIPTION=American singer |DATE OF BIRTH= September 1, 1931 |PLACE OF BIRTH= Ellis County, Texas , U.S. |DATE OF DEATH= April 12, 1999 |PLACE OF DEATH= Branson, Missouri , U.S.DEFAULTSORT:Willie, Boxcar Category:1931 births Category:1999 deaths Category:People from Ellis County, Texas Category:American Christians Category:American country singers Category:American male singers Category:Deaths from leukemia Category:People from Branson, Missouri Category:People from the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex Category:People from Lincoln, Nebraska Category:United States Air Force officers Category:Grand Ole Opry members Category:Cancer deaths in Missouri
