Johnny Preston, American pop singer ("Running Bear"), died from heart failure he was , 71.

Johnny Preston was an American pop music singer, who was best known for his international number one hit in 1960, "Running Bear" died from heart failure he was , 71.

(August 18, 1939 – March 4, 2011)

Life and career

Born as John Preston Courville in Port Arthur, Texas,^[4] of Cajun ancestry, Preston sang in high school choral contests throughout the state of Texas.^[4] He formed a rock and roll band called "The Shades", who were seen performing at a local club by J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson.
Richardson offered Preston the chance to record a teenage tragedy song he had written, "Running Bear", which they did in Houston, Texas, in 1958.^[5] The "Indian" sounds on the record were performed by Richardson and George Jones.^[6] The record was released after the Big Bopper's death in the same plane crash that killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.^[4] It entered the U.S. Hot 100 in October 1959, reaching number one in January 1960 and remaining there for three weeks.^[4][6] It was a transatlantic chart-topper, reaching #1 in the United Kingdom in March 1960.^[7] The sales of the record exceeded one million copies, earning Preston his first gold disc.^[4]
Preston quickly followed up with another hit called "Cradle of Love," (Billboard #7, UK # 2) and made several other records during the early 1960s that met with modest success. "Cradle of Love" was a hit in both the UK Singles Chart and in Athens, Greece.^[8] Preston's "I'm Starting to Go Steady", a song on the flip side of "Feel So Fine", (Billboard #14), was released in June 1960. Preston made appearances on American Bandstand (ABC-TV) and The Milt Grant Show and also The Buddy Deane Show (East Coast, United States).
Preston's pioneering contribution to the genre was recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He also performed at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater in Branson, Missouri.^[9] In 2009, Preston performed at the Lamar State College, in his hometown.^[10]
Preston had coronary artery bypass surgery in 2010.^[1] He died of heart failure in Beaumont, Texas on Friday 4 March 2011, at the age of 71,^[2] after years of heart-related illnesses.

 Discography

Chart singles

Year	Title	U.S. Hot 100[6]	UK Singles Chart[11]
1959	"Running Bear"	1	1
1960	"Cradle of Love"	7	2
	"Feel So Fine"	14	18
	"I'm Starting to Go Steady"	-	49
	"Charming Billy"	-	34
1961	"Leave My Kitten Alone"	73	-
	"Free Me"	97	-

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