TOM T. HALL,
1936-2021
Tom T. Hall, a groundbreaking Nashville songwriter who would land 21 singles in the country Top 10, died Friday at his home in Franklin, Tenn. He was 85. Rodney Crowell, Dawes and the Country Music Hall of Fame are among those who paid tribute on social media.
Hall was nicknamed The Storyteller. His most famous compositions include “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” a #1 hit in 1968 for Jeannie C. Riley; “Hello Vietnam,” a country chart-topper for Johnnie Wright in 1965; “Little Bitty,” Alan Jackson’s #1 in 1996; and his lone crossover hit, “I Love,” in 1973.
Like Kris Kristofferson and Roger Miller, his peers in the '60s and '70s, Hall was among the new breed of songwriters who brought social issues to the lyrics of Nashville songs and used his protagonists to confront reality in new ways. His 1969 hit, “Homecoming,” to cite one, was about a celebrity who could no longer relate to the people of his hometown.
A native of Kentucky, he started out playing bluegrass before joining the Army in 1957. He moved to Nashville in the early 1960s and had his first hit via Jimmy C. Newman’s version of “D.J. for a Day,” which led to Hall's signing with Mercury.
Every year from 1967 to 1980 he had at least one Top 40 country song; he had 20 Top 30 country albums between 1970 and 1980.
Hall released nearly 40 albums, winning a Grammy for best album notes for the 1972 compilation Tom T. Hall’s Greatest Hits.
He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1978 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008 and received a Distinguished Achievement Award from the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2004.
Here, Country Music Hall of Fame member and master songwriter Tom T. Hall performs his song "That's How I Got to Memphis" live on the TV series "Nashville Now" in 1989, accompanied by the "Nashville Now" band.
— Country Music HOF (@countrymusichof) August 21, 2021
Learn more about Tom T. Hall: https://t.co/SkSwGc9GM6 pic.twitter.com/eTY4boMQvR
RIP to Tom T. Hall. One of the greatest story telling songwriters ever! I used to pick and sing with him every year at Earl Scruggs’s home.https://t.co/uGJSzecxms
— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) August 21, 2021
In 1978 when we sang at Mama Maybelle Carter’s funeral a saddened Johnny Cash walked up to the podium and asked Tom T Hall to stand with him. Johnny said “I draw strength from you Tom!” Thank you Tom T Hall for the song’s and the strength you provided to so many. #RIPTomTHall pic.twitter.com/M1chsdo3TR
— The Oak Ridge Boys (@oakridgeboys) August 21, 2021
“Tom T. Hall's masterworks vary in plot, tone, and tempo, but they are bound by his ceaseless and unyielding empathy for the triumphs and losses of others. My bet is we won't see the likes of him again, but if we do I'll be first in line for tickets to the show.” —Kyle Young, CEO pic.twitter.com/t3ArVD2Gor
— Country Music HOF (@countrymusichof) August 21, 2021
It saddens me to think Tom T. Hall has passed away. His Faster Horses album was in constant rotation on my turntable for years. He was as complicated a gentleman as he was a masterful storyteller and poet.
— Rodney Crowell (@RodneyJCrowell) August 21, 2021
I admired the man. I miss him already.
Rodney pic.twitter.com/w4napmUVgl
I wanna take a minute to remember Tom T Hall, my favorite country songwriter, who passed at age 85. He wrote so many incredible songs..little short stories full of humor & reality. His book 'Storyteller's Nashville' is fantastic and one of the best books about songwriting. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/xsbpex9ciT
— Low Cut Connie (@LowCutConnie) August 21, 2021
No one could tell a more in-depth human story quite like Tom T Hall. The details he could pack in 3 minutes, the subtle twists you only catch if you’re paying close attention - it’s staggering. One of the very very best.#rip Tom T Hall
— Dawes (@dawestheband) August 21, 2021
Thanks for everything…
We are deeply saddened by Tom T. Hall’s passing. He has forever left a mark on Country Music's history. Our thoughts are with his family and friends in Country Music during this difficult time. https://t.co/VZVORfPMNE pic.twitter.com/NFpQtXQW7K
— CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) August 21, 2021
