George Hamilton IV - Abilene

It's Western Wednesday again! Today we have a song called "Abilene" by George Hamilton IV. A relation to me? I don't know. George Hamilton IV began performing in the late 1950s as a teen idol, later switching to country music in the early 1960s. Abilene is the title of a song written by Bob Gibson and John D. Loudermilk, 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 Hootnanny Hoot. (Source)



Bob Gibson was inspired to write the song after watching the Randolph Scott movie, "Abilene Town." The setting for the movie was Abilene, Kansas, the rail head town at the end of the Chisholm Trail. Gibson said that the song had often been erroneously thought to be about Abilene, Texas, a town named for the Kansas cow town that had been established 24 years earlier. Although Abilene, TX is believed to better fit the qualities depicted in the song. (Source)