Autographs of 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. "Boxcar Willie" was originally a character in a ballad he wrote, but he later adopted it as his own stage name. His early musical career was parallel to service as an enlisted flight engineer in the United States Air Force.
According to his birth record, Martin was born in Ovilla, Texas, to Birdie and Edna Mae Martin. He joined the U.S. Air Force in May 1949, and served as a flight engineer on the B-29 Super Fortress during the Korean War in the early 1950s. In Lincoln, Nebraska, Martin was once sitting at a railroad crossing and a fellow who closely resembled his chief boom operator, Willie Wilson, passed by sitting in a boxcar. He said, "There goes Willie." He pulled over and wrote a song entitled "Boxcar Willie". It eventually stuck and became Martin's nickname. In 1962, Martin met his future wife, Lloene, in Boise, Idaho. They later had four children.
In San Jose, California, Martin attended a talent show as "Boxcar Willie" and performed under that nickname for the first time. He won first place and a $150 prize. That was his part-time vocation, however, as he was still in the Air Force and had been flying daily missions. In the early 1970s, while assigned to the 136th Air Refueling Wing of the Texas Air National Guard, Martin served as a flight engineer aboard the Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter and participated in Operation Creek Party. This operation provided critical in-flight refueling services for fighter aircraft assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe for 10 years.
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Current items with a signature of Boxcar Willie
These are the most current items with a signature of Boxcar Willie that were listed on eBay and on other online stores - click here for more items.
Traded items with a signature of Boxcar Willie
The most expensive item with a signature of Boxcar Willie (RARE - BOXCAR WILLIE & COLORADO Autograph Signed Souvenir Brochure In Wales 1980) was sold in August 2025 for £218.07 while the cheapest item (*SIGNED COPY** Boxcar Willie Souvenir Brochure 1981) found a new owner for £0.99 in November 2023. The month with the most items sold (4) was May 2025 with an average selling price of £18.22 for an autographed item of Boxcar Willie. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in April 2025 with £62.63 and the month that saw the lowest prices with £1.72 was August 2022. In average, an autographed item from Boxcar Willie is worth £16.07.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Boxcar Willie were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
