Howard Crockett

Howard Crockett was born Howard Elton Hausey on Christmas Day of 1925 in northern Louisiana. As a child, Howard showed promise as a baseball player and was even scouted by professional teams, but an arm injury cut his career short. Following a spell in the Navy, Crockett began pursuing a musical career, writing songs. His career kicked into gear when he attended the Louisiana Hayride around 1956, where he met Johnny Horton. The singer took a liking to Howard's original "Honky Tonk Man," purchasing a third of the rights from Howard, with another third going to Horton's manager,...