John D. Loudermilk (born March 31, 1934 in Durham, North Carolina) is an American singer and songwriter. Loudermilk grew up in a family who were members of the Salvation Army faith and was influenced by the church singing. His cousins Ira and Charlie Loudermilk were known professionally as the Louvin Brothers. As a boy he learned to play the guitar, and while still in his teens wrote a poem that he set to music. Loudermilk is a graduate of Campbell College (now Campbell University), a private Southern Baptist college in Buies Creek, North Carolina. The owners of the local television station, where he worked as a handyman, allowed him to play it on air resulting in country musician George Hamilton IV putting it on record. After Eddie Cochran had his first hit record with Loudermilk's song, "Sittin' in the Balcony", his career path in music was firmly set. Loudermilk recorded some of his songs, including "Sittin' in the Balcony", under the stage nam