November 2, 2003

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Rodney Crowell, John Prine ("Love Is On A Roll"), Paul Overstreet ("On The Other Hand") and Hal Blair ("(I Can't Help You) I'm Falling Too") join the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in a Loews Vanderbilt Plaza ceremony.

Although best known as a songwriter and alternative country artist, Rodney Crowell enjoyed mainstream popularity as a performer during the late 1980s and early 1990s and also as a member of The Notorious Cherry Bombs, a reunion of Crowell's 1970s road band, including Vince Gill and Tony Brown.

Crowell continued to enjoy success as a songwriter in the 1990s and 2000s. Crowell's songs that reached to Top Ten in the country charts in the decade included "Song for the Life", "Making Memories of Us", "Ashes By Now" and "Please Remember Me". In 2009, Crowell wrote Wynonna's title track to her album Sing: Chapter 1, which also was released in 2009.

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During his songwriting career, Paul Overstreet has written or co-written 27 Top Ten songs. During this time, he has won two Grammy Awards and also won ACM and CMA Song of the Year Awards (1987 and 1988). Overstreet was named the BMI Songwriter of the Year five straight years, from 1987–91, an achievement on music row that has not been achieved before or since. He co-wrote "A Long Line of Love", "Love Can Build a Bridge", "Forever and Ever, Amen", "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy" and "Some Beach", which was a Number One hit in 2004.

Overstreet also co-wrote "When You Say Nothing at All" which was a Number One hit for Keith Whitley, and a Top Five hit in 1995 for Alison Krauss.

John Prine
photo by Ron Baker
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In 1971 John Prine's self-titled debut album was released. He and friend Steve Goodman had each been active in the Chicago folk scene before being "discovered" by Kris Kristofferson (Kristofferson remarked that Prine wrote songs so good that "we'll have to break his thumbs"). The album received many positive reviews, and some hailed Prine as "the next Dylan." Bob Dylan himself appeared unannounced at one of Prine's first New York City club appearances, anonymously backing him on harmonica.

In 1974, singer David Allan Coe achieved considerable success on the country charts with "You Never Even Called Me By My Name", co-written by Prine and Goodman. Prine refused to take a songwriter's credit and the tune went to Goodman, although Goodman bought Prine a jukebox as a gift from his publishing royalties.

Prine continued writing and recording albums throughout the 1980s and formed his own record label, Oh Boy Records. His songs continued to be covered by other artists, including The Highwaymen who recorded "The Twentieth Century Is Almost Over," which had been written by Prine and Goodman.

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Hal Blair got his start writing songs for Western movies of the 1940's and 50's. He wrote or co-wrote songs such as "One Has My Name, The Other Has My Heart", a song who's lyrics, while tame by today's standards, were banned by the Catholic Church in 1948.

Then, in 1956 Blair got a call that would change his life. A friend at RCA's Records in L.A. called to let him know that a song he had written was being recorded by "some new guy" named 'Alvin Persley." Not thinking much of it Hal asked his friend to send him a copy of 'Alvin's' work. When the recording arrived, he noticed the friend had gotten the artist's name wrong. After playing the recording, he was simply not impressed by Elvis Presley's recording of "Heartbreak Hotel."

Blair and the rest of the world would soon come to appreciate Presley as the tune skyrocketed to #1, where it would stay for 8 weeks. Presley would record 14 more Blair compositions, and Blair would team with Don Robertson to contribute songs to every Presley film from 1961 to 1967 including "I'm Yours" and "What Now, What Next, Where To?"

Blair and Robertson, himself a Hall of Fame writer, would go on to compose for other artists, including songs like "Please Help Me I'm Falling", "Ninety Miles An Hour Down A Dead End Street" and "Ringo."

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    2012

    ABC launches the sitcom Malibu Country, with Reba McEntire portraying a country star attempting to reboot her life in California. Lily Tomlin co-stars. McEntire also sings the theme song, "Goodbye Looks Good On Me."

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    1993

    Waylon Jennings' Greatest Hits goes quadruple-platinum. The album included songs from Jennings' years at RCA, including "I've Always Been Crazy."

    Originally released in 1979, the album was re-released in 1984 with the original 11 tracks and 9 additional ones.

    It has since been certified 5x platinum in the U.S. and 3x platinum in Canada.

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    1948

    Roy Acuff loses the Tennessee governor's race by a 2-1 margin to his friend, Democrat Gordon Browning.

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    #1 On This Date

    SINGLES

    2013 – Luke Bryan – “That’s My Kind Of Night”

    2002 – Keith Urban –“Somebody Like You

    1996 – Clint Black – “Like The Rain”

    1991 – Travis Tritt – “Anymore

    1985 – Steve Wariner – “Some Fools Never Learn

    1974 – Mickey Gilley – “I Overlooked An Orchid

    1968 – Conway Twitty – "Next In Line"

    1963 – Buck Owens – “Love’s Gonna Live Here

    1959 – The Browns –“The Three Bells

    1946 – Merle Travis – “Divorce Me C.O.D.

     

    ALBUMS

    2013 – Scotty McCreery – See You Tonight

    2002 – Faith Hill – Cry

    1996 – LeAnn Rimes – Blue

    1991 – Garth Brooks – Ropin’ the Wind

    1985 – Ronnie Milsap – Greatest Hits, Vol. 2

    1974 – John Denver – Back Home Again

    1968 – Jeannie C. Riley – Harper Valley P.T.A.

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    Birthdays

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