Tom T. Hall
Tom T. Hall | |
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Thomas Hall (May 25, 1936 – August 20, 2021), known professionally as Tom T. Hall and informally nicknamed "the Storyteller",
Early life and career
Hall was born in Tick Ridge, seven miles from
Hall's big songwriting break came in 1963, when country singer Jimmy C. Newman recorded his song "DJ For a Day".[5] In 1964, he moved to Nashville and started to work as a $50-a-week songwriter for Newkeys Music, the publishing company belonging to Newman and his business partner Jimmy Key, writing up to half a dozen country songs per day.[10] Key suggested that he add the middle initial "T" to his name.[10] Hall was nicknamed "The Storyteller", and he composed songs for dozens of country music stars, including Johnny Cash, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, Alan Jackson, and Bobby Bare. He also penned "Hello Vietnam", a song that openly supported the Vietnam War at a time when war protest songs were beginning to dominate the pop music chart. The song proved to be a hit for country singer Johnnie Wright and was later used in the 1987 Vietnam War movie Full Metal Jacket.[11]
One of his earliest successful songwriting ventures, "
Hall succeeded
Awards and honors
Hall won the Grammy Award for Best Album Notes in 1973 for the notes he wrote for his album Tom T. Hall's Greatest Hits. He was nominated for, but did not win, the same award in 1976 for his album Greatest Hits Volume 2. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry from 1971.[19][20] In 1998 his 1972 song "(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine" came in second in a BBC Radio 2 poll to find the UK's favorite easy listening record, despite never having been a hit in the UK and being familiar to Radio 2 listeners mostly through occasional plays by DJ Terry Wogan.[21]
Hall was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2002.
Together with his wife Dixie Hall he won the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America Bluegrass Song Writer of the Year award in 2002,[27] 2003,[28] 2004,[29] 2005,[30] 2007,[31] 2008,[32] 2009,[33] 2010,[34] 2011,[35] 2013,[36] 2014,[37] and 2015.[38]
Personal life
Hall was married to Opal "Hootie" McKinney, a native of Grayson, Kentucky.
Hall met bluegrass songwriter Dixie Hall in 1965. Tom and Dixie met at a 1965 music industry award dinner she was invited to for having written (as Dixie Deen) the song "Truck Drivin' Son-of-a-Gun" which became a hit for Dave Dudley.[42] Dixie Hall was born Iris Lawrence in the West Midlands, England, in 1934 and emigrated to the U.S. in 1961. Hall and Dixie were married from 1968 until her death on January 16, 2015.[43][44][45][42][46] They lived in Franklin, Tennessee.[45]
Death
At age 85, Hall died at his home in
Selected discography
- In Search of a Song (1971)
- We All Got Together and... (1972)
- Places I've Done Time(1978)
- Song in a Seashell (1985)
Books written by Hall
- How I Write Songs, Why You Can (1976), ISBN 978-0882544236
- The Songwriter's Handbook (1976), ISBN 9781558538603
- The Storyteller's Nashville (1979), ISBN 978-1-940611-44-0
- The Laughing Man of Woodmont Coves (1982), Doubleday & Co. ISBN 9781557282255
- The Acts of Life (1986), The ISBN 9780938626718
- Spring Hill, Tennessee (1990), ISBN 9780929264738
- What a Book! (1996), Longstreet Press, Inc. ISBN 9781563523403
See also
References
- ^ Barry Mazor. "Tom T. Hall: American songwriter and entertainer". Britannica. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ "Progressive country". AllMusic. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
- ^ Estrada, Louie (August 22, 2021). "Tom T. Hall, country music's hit-making 'Storyteller,' dies at 85". Washington Post. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ Friskics-Warren, Bill (August 21, 2021). "Tom T. Hall, Country Music's 'Storyteller,' Is Dead at 85". The New York Times. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
- ^ Tom T. Hall, country music storyteller who sang about life's simple joys, dies at 85 NBC News. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ Tom T. Hall; Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine AllMusic. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ "Artists Spotlight | Roanoke College". www.roanoke.edu. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ^ "History of WSPZ/WVRC, Spencer". WVRC. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
- ^ a b Batey, Angus (March 15, 2015). "Cult heroes: Tom T Hall, the singer who wrote of real lives and changing times". The Guardian. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ Rossi, Rosemary (August 21, 2021). "Tom T Hall, Country Singer Who Wrote 'Harper Valley PTA,' Dies at 85". Yahoo!. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ Lori Dorn (July 16, 2018). "A Disgusting Parody of the Lighthearted Classic 1973 Country Music Song 'I Love' by Tom T. Hall". Laughing Squid. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ "THE WAY WE LIVE NOW – 1-26-03 – PROCESS – How to Write a Catchy Beer Ad". The New York Times. January 26, 2003. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
- ^ Willman, Chris (August 20, 2021). "Tom T. Hall, Country Hall of Famer Known for 'I Love' and 'Harper Valley PTA,' Dies at 85". Variety. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ "Full cast and crew for "Pop! Goes the Country"". IMDb. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
- ^ "Tom T. Hall Biography". Oldies.com. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ a b "Tom T.Hall keeps a rappin' – October 1997". Countrystandardtime.com. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ Konc, Riane. "Tom T. + Dixie Hall – Country's Greatest Love Stories". The Boot. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
- ^ "Tom T. Hall". Grand Ole Opry. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ "Opry Member List PDF" (PDF). April 23, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 7, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- ^ "Eagles' Hotel Flys to Top of Poll". Birmingham Post. December 8, 1998. p. 16. Archived from the original on February 20, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
- ^ "KMHF Inductees". Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "Tom T. Hall and The Statler Brothers Join the Country Music Hall of Fame". Broadcast Music, Inc. August 5, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "93. Tom T. Hall, 'Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine' (1972)". Rolling Stone. June 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
- ^ Kessler, K (November 14, 2018). "Award Category: Hall of Fame Inductees". IBMA. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "In the Words of Tom T. Hall".
- ^ "2002 Award Winners". spbgma.com. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "2003 Award Winners". spbgma.com. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "2004 Award Winners". spbgma.com. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "2005 Award Winners". spbgma.com. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "2007 Award Winners". spbgma.com. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "2008 Award Winners". spbgma.com. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "2009 Award Winners". spbgma.com. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "2010 Award Winners". spbgma.com. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "2011 Award Winners". spbgma.com. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "2013 Award Winners". spbgma.com. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "2014 Award Winners". spbgma.com. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "2015 Award Winners". spbgma.com. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ a b "Tom T. Hall's Son?". August 21, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
- ISBN 978-1-940611-44-0.
- ^ Family search
- ^ a b Himes, Jeffrey (January 13, 2008). "Who Needs Country Radio? Not Tom T. Hall". The New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ Whitaker, Sterling (January 17, 2015). "Songwriter Dixie Hall Dead at 80". Taste of Country. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ "Dixie Hall, Songwriter and Wife of Tom T. Hall, Dead at 80". CMT News. January 17, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ a b Cooper, Peter (February 5, 2015). "Dixie Hall, prolific bluegrass songwriter dies at 80". The Tennessean. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
- ^ "Dixie Hall". discogs. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
- ^ Riess, Rebekah (August 21, 2021). "Country Music Hall of Fame artist Tom T. Hall dies at age 85". CNN.
- ^ "On The New Details of Country Legend Tom T. Hall's Death". Saving Country Music. January 5, 2022.
Further reading
- Allen, Bob. (1998). "Tom T. Hall". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 224–5.
- Harris, Stacy (1993). "Tom T. Hall", In The Best of Country: The Essential CD Guide. San Francisco: Collins Publishing, pp. 52–53.