Johnny Preston, born John Preston Courville, August 18, 1939, 
in Port Arthur, Texas is an American pop music singer.

Of Cajun ancestry, Preston sang in high school choral contests throughout 
the state of Texas. He formed a rock and roll band called, The Shades, 
before recording the U.S. #1 hit single, "Running Bear," which was written 
by J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, who also performed on the recording as 
one of the voices doing the Indian chants. The song was also a transatlantic 
chart-topper, reaching #1 in the United Kingdom in March 1960. The sales of 
the record exceeded one million copies, earning Preston his first gold disc.

Preston quickly followed up with another hit called "Cradle of Love," 
 U.S. Billboard #7, UK # 2, and made several other records during the 
early 1960s that met with modest success. "Cradle of Love" was also a 
hit on both the U.K. singles chart and in Athens, Greece. 

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), The Milt Grant Show and The Buddy Deane 
Show to promote the song.

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. 

In 2009 Preston performed at Lamar University in his hometown.

Noteable recordings:
* "Running Bear"
* "Cradle of Love"
* "I'm Starting to Go Steady"
* "I Want A Rock 'n' Roll Guitar"
* "A New Baby for Christmas"
* "Feel So Fine"
* "Charming Billy"