John D. Loudermilk (Durham, North Carolina, 31 March 1934) is an American songwriter, country-singer and multi-instrumentalist. He is the author of a number of country and pop hits, which especially in the versions by other artists were great successes. He is a cousin of the brothers Ira and Charlie Loudermilk who formed a countrymuziekduo as The Louvin Brothers . In 1976, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
In 1955 he wrote the sentimental song "A Rose and a Baby Ruth", which the following year became a miljoenenhit for George Hamilton IV. This encouraged he began under the pseudonym Johnny Dee itself plates for the small label Colonial Records. In 1957, he released "Sittin' in a Balcony" from, that to number 38 rose in the popcharts. The song was also recorded by Eddie Cochran, whose version it brought to number 18. Loudermilk then decided to concentrate on writing songs. He wrote a number of countryhits, including "Waterloo" (a number one countryhit in 1959 for Stonewall Jackson), "Amigo's Guitar" (# 5 for Kitty Wells in 1958) and "Half Breed" (# 16 for Marvin Rainwater in 1958).
In 1961 signed Loudermilk a recording contract with RCA Victor and again brought plates, which harvested a modest success; the highest position reached the single "Language of Love" with space 32 in 1961. Other artists, however, had more success with his songs. He was one of the most prolific and successful songwriters in country and pop music in the 1960s and 1970s, with hits like
- "Abilene" (recorded by George Hamilton IV, among others Chet Atkins and Waylon Jennings)
- "Bad News" (recorded by, among others, Johnny Cash and Johnny Winter)
- "Big Daddy" (recorded by Sue Thompson)
- "Break My Mind" (recorded by among others Glen Campbell, Roy Orbison, Duane Eddy, The Byrds and Sammy Davis Jr.)
- "Ebony Eyes" (The Everly Brothers)
- "(He's My) Dreamboat" (recorded by Connie Francis)
- "Indian Reservation" (a hit for Don Fardon and later for Paul Revere and The Raiders)
- "I Wanna Live (a hit for Glen Campbell)
- "Norman"(a hit for Sue Thompson and in English translation released by Willeke Alberti)
- "Paper Tiger" (a hit for Sue Thompson)
- "Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)" (a hit for Sue Thompson)
- "Talk Back Trembling Lips" (a hit for Johnny Tillotson)
- "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" (a hit for The Casinos, also recorded by among others James Brown, Freddie Fender and Frankie Valli)
- "This Little Bird" (a hit for Marianne Faithfull and The Nashville Teens)
- "Tobacco Road"(a hit for The Nashville Teens and further recorded by Jefferson Airplane , among others, and Eric Burdon & War)
His songs were covered by, among others, in the Dutch Willeke Alberti, the Wiko's, Ria Valk, David B, Am Salem, the Fouryo's, Johnny Lion and Bob Smit.