George V. Horton; Songwriter, Country Music Performer

George V. Horton, 76, a songwriter and country music performer whose best known songs include “Mockin’ Bird Hill,” “Sugarfoot Rag,” “Teardrops in My Heart” and “Choo Choo Ch’ Boogie.” With Gene Autry, Lionel Hampton, Jimmie Rodgers and other collaborators, Horton’s work as a writer and arranger brought him 28 gold records and earned him induction in the Song Writers Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tenn., in 1971. In New Port Richey, Fla., on Monday of a heart attack.