Gilkyson was born Hamilton Henry Gilkyson in
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and graduated from
St. George's School in Middletown, Rhode Island in 1935. By his early twenties, he had become a worker on a ranch in
Tucson, Arizona, then joined the
United States Army Air Forces during
World War II. In 1947, he married Jane Haughton and moved to California to pursue a career as a folk singer. He wrote and recorded "
The Cry of the Wild Goose", which became a hit song for
Frankie Laine in 1950, as well as the 1953 hit song "
Tell Me a Story" recorded by
Jimmy Boyd and Laine. In 1951 Gilkyson appeared in, as well as wrote continuing songs for, the
Cinecolor Western film
Slaughter Trail that, in the manner of
High Noon, had ballads throughout the film relating to the plot. He was also featured vocalist on
The Weavers No. 1 hit recording of "
On Top Of Old Smokey", as well as their recording of "
Across The Wide Missouri". He appeared and sang in the 1956 Western
Star in the Dust with
John Agar,
Mamie Van Doren, and
Richard Boone. In 1956, he formed a group called
The Easy Riders with Richard Dehr and
Frank Miller. The group had a major hit with "
Marianne". The
record sold in excess of one million copies, earning a
gold disc. The three also wrote "
Memories Are Made of This", which became a popular song in several versions, most particularly the one sung by
Dean Martin backed by the Easy Riders. An adaptation of the song became an anthem for refugees from the
1956 Hungarian Revolution. In 1959, he wrote and recorded an album,
8 Story-Songs from the Bible. The song "
Greenfields" co-written with band-mates Frank Miller and Richard Dehr became a number two song in North America in 1960 when performed by
The Brothers Four. In the 1960s, he left the group to work for the
Walt Disney Studios, writing music both for movies and the television series
The Wonderful World of Disney especially "
The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh." In 1968, he was nominated for an
Academy Award for "
The Bare Necessities" from the 1967 animated film
The Jungle Book. Other songs Gilkyson wrote for Disney films were: •
Swiss Family Robinson (1960) Song: "My Heart Was An Island'" •
Savage Sam (1963) Song: "Savage Sam and Me" •
The Three Lives of Thomasina (1964) Song: "Thomasina" •
The Moon-Spinners (1964) Song: "The Moon-Spinners" •
The Jungle Book (1967) Song: "The Bare Necessities", as well as several unused songs composed for the film ("Brothers All", "The Song of the Seeonee", "Monkey See, Monkey Do", "I Knew I Belonged to Her", "In A Day's Work", and "The Mighty Hunters") •
The Aristocats (1970) Song: "Thomas O'Malley Cat" ==Death==