Throckmorton was born in Carlsbad, New Mexico,[1] and his family moved to Wichita Falls, Texas shortly after his birth.
[2] After graduating from college, he moved to San Francisco, California and first played rock & roll before switching his focus to country music at record producer Pete Drake's suggestion.
"[2] Other artists who had hits with his songs included John Conlee, Dave & Sugar, Merle Haggard, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Jerry Lee Lewis.
[2] Throckmorton's streak of songwriting continued into the 1980s and 1990s, with Mel McDaniel, George Strait and Doug Stone recording his material as well.
[1] In 2019, Willie Nelson recorded a version of Ride Me Back Home by Sonny Throckmorton and released an album with the same title.