Boxcar Willie
Lecil Travis Martin (September 1, 1931 – April 12, 1999), whose stage name was Boxcar Willie, was an American country music singer-songwriter, who sang in the "old-time hobo" music style, complete with overalls, and a floppy hat.[2] "Boxcar Willie" was originally a character in a ballad he wrote, but he later adopted it as his own stage name.[3] His early musical career was parallel to service as an enlisted flight engineer in the United States Air Force.
Boxcar Willie
Lecil Travis Martin
Boxcar Willie
September 1, 1931
Ovilla, Texas, U.S.
April 12, 1999 (aged 67)
Branson, Missouri, U.S.
Singer-songwriter
Vocals, guitar, train whistle
United States
1949–1976
Death[edit]
Martin was diagnosed with leukemia in 1996, and died on April 12, 1999, in Branson, Missouri at the age of 67. He was buried at Ozarks Memorial Park in Branson.[7] Major League Baseball umpire "Cowboy" Joe West was among his pallbearers.
Legacy[edit]
After a major reconstruction project, the overpass carrying Farm to Market Road 664 (locally known as Ovilla Road) over Interstate 35E in Red Oak, Texas, was renamed the Boxcar Willie Memorial Overpass. A small park, two blocks from the National Mall, near the L'Enfant Plaza station in Washington, D.C., was renamed Boxcar Willie Park. Martin is still recalled by his nickname, "America's Favorite Hobo".[8] One of his sons, Larry Martin, has performed professionally under the stage name of Boxcar Willie Jr.[9]