John D Loudermilk

American Country-Western singer, a strange figure from the early days of rock ’n’ roll. He performed under the names Johnny Dee and Ebe Sneezer and the Epidemics, and although an eccentric singer, he was more of a songwriter. His last big success was "Indian Reservation," a hit recorded by Paul Revere and the Raiders during 1971. Loudermilk attended school in Durham, North Carolina. He sang on the radio for the first time when he was 11 years old, and then in 1946, he performed as "Johnny Dee" on the "Little Johnny Dee Radio Show." That same year, he won a Capital Records Talent Contest. He wrote "A Rose and a Baby Ruth," which became his first major hit when George Hamilton recorded it during 1956. His most successful recording was "Sittin’ in the Balcony" which reached the Top 40 during 1957. Although he initially recorded under the names of "Johnny Dee and "Ebe Sneezer," in 1958, when he signed his first publishing contract with Cedarwood Publishing, he changed his name back to Loudermilk. While he achieved moderate success as a songwriter with such songs as "Tobacco Road," he worked various jobs over the years, including stints as a sign painter, bulldozer operator, janitor, department store clerk, factory worker, door-to-door Bible salesman, photographer and television cameraman. His work won various awards including a Grammy and the Songwriters Guild of America’s Aggie Award, and in 1976, Loudermilk was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. During the latter part of the 1970s, he turned his attention to a study of ethnomusicology. Link to Wikipedia biography