Lecil Travis Martin was born in 1931 in Ovilla, a "city" near Dallas, Texas (population 3,492 in 2010). He joined the US Air Force in 1949, and served as a flight engineer for the B–29 Super Fortress during the Korean War.
Once, while sitting at a railroad crossing in Lincoln, Nebraska, Martin watched a fellow pass by sitting in a boxcar, who closely resembled his chief boom operator, Willie Wilson. He said, "There goes Willie." He pulled over and wrote a song entitled Boxcar Willie.
In 1962, Martin met his future wife, Lloene, in Boise, Idaho. They later had four children.
Martin first performed as Boxcar Willie at a talent show in San Jose, California. He won the first prize: $150 in cash. He was still in the Air Force, and had been flying daily missions. In the 1970s he served as a Flight Engineer in the 136th Air Refueling Wing in the Texas Air National Guard, carrying out refuelling flights around the US and in Germany on Boeing KC–97 Stratofreighter aircraft.
In 1976 Martin retired from the Air Force and became a full–time performer. One of his first national appearances was a win on The Gong Show, presented by Chuck Barris. He entered American mainstream pop culture consciousness with a series of television commercials for record compilations of artists who were obscure in the United States, yet had large international followings, such as Slim Whitman and Gheorghe Zamfir. After releasing his self–titled first album in 1976 he became a star in country music, and in 1981 he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. In 1980 his sixth album, King of the Road, reached No. 5 in the UK Albums Chart.
In 1985, Martin moved to Branson, Missouri and purchased a theater on Highway 76, or 76 Country Music Boulevard. In addition to the Boxcar Willie Theater, he opened a museum and eventually had two motels, both bearing his name. He died in Branson in 1999, aged 67.
© Haydn Thompson 2020