Byron’s songs have been released on 100 industry certified Gold and Platinum albums and singles, earning ten ASCAP awards, thirty-six U.S. and Canadian top-ten chart hits, and have become hits in many other worldwide markets. To date, eighteen members of the Country Music Hall of Fame have recorded his songs. Byron was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. His recorded catalog of songs spans more than four decades, and includes such hits as “Fool Hearted Memory” (George Strait), “Pickin’ Up Strangers” (Johnny Lee), “Politics, Religion, And Her” (Sammy Kershaw), “Nothing On But The Radio” (Gary Allan), “Born Country” (Alabama), “Over You” (Anne Murray), “High-Tech Redneck” (George Jones), “Alright Already” (Larry Stewart), “If I Was A Drinkin’ Man” (Neal McCoy), “Size Matters” (Joe Nichols), “Nights” (Ed Bruce), “The Strong One” (Mila Mason), “Lifestyles Of The Not So Rich And Famous” (Tracy Byrd), and “The Pages Of My Mind” (Ray Charles). Byron’s songs have also been recorded by a long list of other iconic and current artists of our time including Kenny Rogers, Reba McEntire, Don Williams, John Michael Montgomery, Juice Newton, Joe Nichols, Randy Travis, Keith Whitley, Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins, Conway Twitty, Jeff Bates, Highway 101, Barbara Mandrell, Mel McDaniel, Mark Chesnutt, Rhett Akins, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Whites, Ricky Van Shelton, The Seekers, Rhonda Vincent, Lonesome River Band, Colt Ford, Mo Pitney, The Grascals, The Seldom Scene, Blackhawk, Doc & Merle Watson, Asleep At The Wheel, Dionne Warwick, Toby Keith, Gene Watson, Margo Smith, Tom Wopat, Mark Wills, The Kendalls, Porter Wagoner, Sha Na Na, Moe Bandy, Clint Eastwood, Joe Diffie, Hank Thompson, Mila Mason, Doug Supernaw, The Road Hammers (Canada), Tyler England, Bill Medley, Clifford Curry, Doug Stone, Charley Pride, Hey Romeo (Canada), Gil Grand (Canada), Gord Bamford (Canada), Rockie Lynne, Drew Fish, Curtis Grimes, Charles Esten & Connie Britton (from the Nashville TV series), Dailey & Vincent, Darin & Brooke Aldridge, and many others. Byron’s discography also includes songs that have been released in numerous feature films for Paramount Pictures, Avco-Embassy Pictures, Warner Brothers Pictures, Rochford Films, Life Out Loud Films and others, and in network and cable TV shows and series for Hallmark, Lifetime, PBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, Fox News, CBS, GAC, CMT, Turner Network, E!, FSN, TNN, USA, Spike, CBC, VH-1, AFN, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Fremantle Australia, Seven Network (Australia), and others.
Albums, Singles, TV & Film
Byron was raised in North Carolina in a family of six. In 1953 the family lived in Winston-Salem, and soon after moved to the nearby community of South Fork. It was the perfectly-imperfect setting for a family in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s… a school, two churches, a volunteer fire department, a barber shop, a beauty shop, a doctor, a veterinarian, a drugstore, a grocery store, a cloth shop, a couple of gas stations, and the freedom of innocent times for kids to run through fields, creeks, woods, and fading farmland, while only a few miles from the textile mills, cigarette factories, and the location of the first Krispy Kreme doughnut shop in America. The chances were pretty good that someone in the family might find a way to put some of that “Americana” into songs. Byron’s father played guitar and harmonica, and often sang old Carter Family songs around the house. By the age of 10 Byron was learning how to play guitar and was writing songs by the age of 16. In 1976 at the age of 22, he began taking his songs to Nashville and finally moved there and signed his first publishing deal in 1978.
Song News…. last updated on November 27, 2024
Terrific news from the Roots Music Charts for the Week of Nov 16, 2024. The song “Younger” (Hill/Duncan) has entered the Top 50 Bluegrass Song chart at #22, and entered the Top 50 Contemporary Bluegrass Song chart at #17, and on the Top 50 Bluegrass Album chart the album ‘Byron Hill – That Old Mountain’ jumped from #36 to #21!
Check out the new single “Nobody Knows But Me” (Hill/Duncan) from the album Byron Hill – That Old Mountain. The single was released to radio October 15th.
Allegheny Mountain Radio, Bluegrass Reflections with Norris, Dunmore, WV
WMNF, Sid Flannery & Alida D. on Saturday Bluegrass, Tampa, FL
Big Al & Sandy Show, with Al Weekley
Doug Whitley’s Hwy 40 Bluegrass
Michelle Lee & Marsha 2’s Bluegrass Borderline
Walter & Willa’s STL Bluegrass Breakdown
Frank Hoppe at Bluegrass Etc.
KBCS, Tom Keeney’s Bluegrass Ramble, Bellevue, WA
KBCS, Roots Rock & Soul with Iaan Hughes, Bellevue, WA
WRCT, Pittsburgh, PA
KRBX and Nichole Marie, Boise, ID
WQFS and Roy Moore’s The Old Country Store show, Guilford College/Greensboro, NC
WCSB and The Folk Rotation with host DJ Magnus, Cleveland, OH
WKYW and Mountain Streams Radio and host Ed McDonald, Mineral Co. WV
WXPR 91.7 FM, and Bluegrass Saturday with Randy, Rhinelander, WI
KYAC and Ken Till Ten, Mill City, OR
WETS Americana with Chad Barrett, Johnson City, TN
WFHB, Bloomington, IN
KCHW, Chewelah, WA
WDRT, Music For The Mountain, Viroqua, WI
KSVU 90.1 FM Music For The Mountain, Hamilton Concrete, WA, Skagit Valley College
WPAQ, Mt. Airy, NC
WBRF, Galax, VA
Also, many thanks to Rik James at KGLT in Bozeman, MT for the long-time support.
BYRON HILL / “Mountain Folks Are Always High”
Writers: Byron Hill/Glen Carlton Duncan; Producer: Byron Hill; Label: BHP Recordings
– Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Byron Hill is noted for hits he’s written for George Strait (”Fool Hearted Memory”), Tracy Byrd (”Lifestyle of the Not So Rich and Famous”), George Jones (”High Tech Redneck”), Alabama (”Born Country”), Johnny Lee (”Pickin’ Up Strangers”), Sammy Kershaw (”Politics, Religion and Her”), Gary Allan (”Nothing on but the Radio”), Neal McCoy (”If I Was a Drinkin’ Man”) and other mainstream country stars. But he’s always had a bluegrass heart, and that’s what you’ll hear on his new CD That Old Mountain. Its single is a skipping, merry, light-hearted ditty about being high on life. Gentle, acoustic, sunny and warm. Very endearing.
Byron’s new album That Old Mountain has landed again on The Roots Music Report’s ‘Top 50 Bluegrass Album Chart’ (at #36, November 9, 2024), and the single “Nobody Knows But Me” is on the Bluegrass Jamboree Top 100 Monthly Chart for October at #87. Thank you to all the stations and syndicators for making this happen. More to come!
Twenty years ago, on November 9th 2004, Randy Travis’ “Passing Through” album album was released on Word/Warner Bros. Nashville/Curb Records, containing the song “A Place To Hang My Hat” (Byron Hill/Shawn Camp/Brice Long). The album was produced by Kyle Lehning. In 2005, the album won a Dove Award for Country Album of the Year.
Thirty-Five years ago on November 4th 1989, Randy Travis’ “No Holding Back” album on Warner Brothers Records went #1 for 12 weeks. Included on the album is the song “Card-Carryin’ Fool” (Byron Hill/Tim Bays). The album was produced by Kyle Lehning. The album was RIAA certified 2x Platinum in 1996. The song was also included in the soundtrack and the album for the feature film “Pink Cadillac” starring Clint Eastwood, on Warner Brothers Pictures in 1989.
Twenty-five years ago on November 2nd 1999, Toby Keith’s “How Do You Like Me Now” album was released on Dreamworks Records, containing the song “Hold You, Kiss You, Love You” (Byron Hill/Mickey Jones/Jack Jones). Produced by James Stroud and Toby Keith, the album became ACM Country Album of the Year in 2001, was RIAA certified Platinum, and Toby was awarded ACM Top Male Vocalist that same year.
A big thank you to Canadian artist Becca Hess for the very nice TV sync placement of a song she co-wrote with Byron Hill and Roger Brown. Check out Season 4, Episode 7 of “Family Law”. The season premier to be announced soon!
Twenty years ago on October 23, 2004, George Strait’s “50 Number Ones” album on MCA Records hit the country album chart and stayed at #1 for 5 weeks. The album was RIAA certified 7x Platinum in 2007. The album contains George’s first #1 song “Fool Hearted Memory” (Byron Hill/Blake Mevis).
The Country Music Hall of Fame inducted musician James Burton, and artists John Anderson and Toby Keith into the hall at a special ceremony held on October 20th 2024. Toby Keith is the 18th Country Music Hall of Fame inductee who has recorded Byron’s songs! Congratulations to all three of these super talents!
Many thanks to singer/songwriter Roger Brown for selecting a song we co-wrote as the title cut on his new EP entitled Down The Line. To be released on November 15th at all major streaming outlets.
Fresh out of the shoot in July, four songs from the album were in the Airplay Direct top ten of the ‘Top 50 APD Bluegrass / Folk Singles’ chart and six songs from the album hit the top ten. The album finished out the month of July at #8 in the ‘Top 50 APD Bluegrass / Folk Albums’. If you are a reporter station to any of the charts, please report. It is very much appreciated!
Thank you to Journalist Michael Clark of Johnson City, TN for this very nice review! “Byron Hill, one of the most-respected hit songwriters in Nashville, has a new album, “That Old Mountain,” that I highly recommend. With a voice that’s smooth and unaffected, much like the late Don Williams, these seven bluegrass-based tunes are like a fine country wine; they envelop your with wave after wave of nostalgia and wisdom. Hill, a Carolina boy, has written legendary country tunes, dating back to “Fool Hearted Memory” for George Strait, and continuing right up to date. The title track here is wisdom-packed, from a man who has been on top of that chosen mountain in his career, and for my money, still is. A+”
We are pleased to announce that Byron’s new album entitled That Old Mountain was released to Bluegrass radio the week of July 8th, and is now commercially available at all popular streaming outlets. Byron teamed up with the great multi-instrumentalist songwriter Glen Duncan for more than two years of regular weekly co-writing sessions. Seven of those Hill/Duncan songs comprise the new album. The project includes a stellar list of musicians; Cody Kilby on Acoustic Guitar (The Travelin’ McCourys, Ricky Skaggs, Bruce Hornsby, The Chieftans, the Dixie Chicks, Dolly Parton, Alison Krauss), Evan Winsor on Bass (Josh Turner, Rhonda Vincent, John Mayer, Doyle Lawson), Jonah Horton on Mandolin (The Kruger Brothers, The Trailblazers, Scott Vestal, John Cowan), Tim Crouch on Fiddle (The Dillards, Alan Jackson, Tom Paxton, Rhonda Vincent, Marty Raybon), Scott Vestal on Banjo (Dolly Parton, Sturgill Simpson, John Cowan, Sam Bush, Billy Ray Cyrus, Dwight Yoakam, Continental Divide, Livewire, Doyle Lawson, Larry Sparks), and Byron Hill all vocals, additional guitar, and Irish flute. For more info click HERE.
Former Nashville songwriter J. Remington Wilde passed away on July 20th. He was one of Byron’s earliest co-writers when they were both signed to ATV Music Group in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their co-written songs were recorded by Gary Allan, Ray Charles, Conway Twitty, Randy Travis, Juice Newton, Clint Eastwood (duet w/Randy Travis), Tommy Overstreet, and many others. J and Byron have remained very close friends through the years. Condolences to his sister Jan and all of J’s family.
Thank you to American Songwriter Magazine for the nice article by Journalist Clayton Edwards published on July 9th entitled: Watch a Young George Strait Perform His First No. 1 Single “Fool Hearted Memory” on ‘Austin City Limits’.
Did you go road-tripping this holiday, or have a few friends over for Fourth of July festivities? The Jacksonville, Illinois Journal-Courier cooked up some July 4th playlists on Spotify to keep the celebration going, and their Independence Day (A Country Playlist) included the song “Born Country” (Hill/Schweers)!
Condolences to the family and friends of Buzz Cason (11/27/39 – 6/16/24), who co-wrote several songs with Byron through the years. “Buzz was an all-round music man…artist, musician, songwriter, publisher, producer, studio owner, and a friend to many.” -BH
Lonesome River Band’s new album The Winning Hand was released June 14th on Mountain Home Records. The album contains the single “She Don’t Know I’m Alive” (Hill/Johnson) which was a huge hit for the band in late 2023. Scroll down on this page for chart information. Thank you LRB!
Thirty years ago… on June 7th 1994, Tracy Byrd’s “No Ordinary Man” album was released on MCA Records, containing the single “Lifestyles Of The Not So Rich And Famous” (Byron Hill/Wayne Tester) which went to #4 on the Billboard country chart. The song won an ASCAP Award for being among the most performed country songs of 1994, and the album was RIAA certified Platinum on February 18, 1997. The album was produced by Jerry Crutchfield.
Condolences to the family of longtime Nashville songwriter John Schweers, who passed away at the age of 78 on May 28. Byron and John co-wrote many songs including the hit “Born Country” for Alabama.
Thanks again to journalist Clayton Edwards and American Songwriter Magazine for the nice mention of May 27, 1982 in the article On This Day in 1982 George Strait Released “Fool Hearted Memory”, His First of Many No. 1 Singles. The article states… “Fool Hearted Memory” which would become his first No. 1 was the lead single from his sophomore album Strait from the Heart and the first of many chart-toppers for the Texas native that would become “the King of Country.” Written by Byron Hill and Blake Mevis.
Thank you to journalist Casey Young and Whiskey Riff Magazine for the nice mention of May 27, 1982 in the article On This Date: George Strait Released His Very First #1 Single, “Fool Hearted Memory,” In 1982
On May 18th, American Songwriter Magazine published an article by journalist Clayton Edwards entitled 3 Early George Strait Chart-Toppers to Celebrate the King’s Birthday. The article features three singles including “Fool Hearted Memory”, George Strait’s First No. 1, co-penned by Byron Hill and Blake Mevis, It was the lead single from George Strait’s sophomore album Strait from the Heart and his fourth single overall. It was the first of many songs to hit the top of the Billboard country chart. The song also appeared on the soundtrack of the 1982 Cold War action/thriller film The Soldier. George’s No. 1 singles career-count sits at 60.
Award-winning Bluegrass duo Darin and Brooke Aldridge’s new album Talk of the Town has debuted at Number One on the Billboard Bluegrass Album chart (4/30/24)! Congratulations to all! The album includes the song “It Can’t Be Wrong” (Aldridge/Aldridge/Hill). Fans can also check out the great review (May 8) in The Tennessean (online).
Condolences to the family of Byron’s friend and fellow Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Wayland Holyfield. Wayland passed away on May 6th at the age of 82.
Congratulations to one of Byron’s longtime co-writers Cyril Rawson for being the featured songwriter in a recent publication series article entitled Ontario’s Country Music Pioneers: Cyril Rawson, and thank you for also mentioning Byron’s name in the article!
Bluegrass band Fast Track on Engelhardt Music Group has released “The Race To The Bottom” (Duncan/Hill) on their new Fast Track IV album (5/3/2024). The five members of Fast Track are not only all highly decorated in awards from the IBMA and SPBGMA organizations, but are also veteran players on the Grand Ole Opry stage, and across the United States, Canada, and throughout Europe.
Country star Alex Miller certainly is busy making the PR rounds lately, promoting his new album and his tour. American Idol Season 19 brought him fame and totally changed his life in 2021. Thank you Alex for mentioning Byron among your list of latest co-writers in your PR materials!
The documentary film Rockie Lynne: Where I Belong will be available for streaming on April 26 on Amazon Prime! The film includes six songs that Byron co-wrote with Rockie Lynne over the years. The film illuminates the ups and downs of Rockie’s distinguished music career, his unwavering dedication to his national non-profit Tribute To The Troops, and his exciting new album “Love”
Thank you to artists Kelsey DiMarco and Lisa Butler for recording two of Byron’s songs, one co-written with Ian Janes, and the other co-written with D. Vincent Williams. The recordings were completed in March 2024. More details to come.
Thank you American Songwriter Magazine and author Dean Fields for the interview and the April 4, 2024 article “Opening Lines: How to Give Your Song the Best First Impression”. Byron was interviewed along with Mark Erelli, and Eliot Bronson about their favorite first lines, and how they approach crafting their own first lines in their songs. Enjoy!
We were reading through some recent reviews and came across a blog site called Seven Doors Of Cinema. Thank you to author Wednesday’s Child for the April 2, 2024 review of the 1982 movie The Soldier, which includes the song “Fool Hearted Memory” (Hill/Mevis). The author states “Did I mention Fool Hearted Memory is one of my favorite George Strait songs”. Thank you Wednesday’s Child!
Singer/Songwriter Rockie Lynne has released “My Father’s Guitar” (Hill/Lynne) on the Carolina Blue Sky Music label, available March 29th at all streaming and digital outlets.
Thank you to singer/songwriter Ian Janes for his March 22nd interview with Canadian Beats magazine. Ian mentions Byron and the song they co-wrote for the TV series Nashville. Great things are happening for Ian in Canada, and we wish him the best for continued success!
A special thank you to journalist/blogger David Hughes of the website: https://vinylmemories.wordpress.com/ for his article entitled A Personal History of the British Music Industry – 106. Tony Hiller. David’s story and interview segments about the late great Tony Hiller includes a nice mention of Byron, and many of Tony’s other collaborators. The website is a wealth of information on many British music business people.
The newly released 2-CD set entitled Friends Over – Celebrating the music of Mac Gayden, which is also the soundtrack to the film by the same title, was recorded live at 3rd & Lindsley in September 2022, and January 2023 with many great musicians and singers performing Mac Gayden’s songs. The set includes the song “Back Porch Gettin’ Down” (Hill/Gayden), sung by RB Morris.
The song “My lucky Stars” (Byron Hill/Roger Brown) recorded by Paul Hughes will be featured in the soundtrack to the movie Il Ladro Di Stelle Cadenti (English: The Thief of Shooting Stars). The film is directed by director Francisco Saia, has begun in the town of Milazzo in the province of Messina, Italy. The Italian cast includes Daniel McVicar, star of the popular soap opera Beautiful, Denise McNee, whose rich bio includes television series Il Collegio, also Martina Palladini, Leandro Baroncini and Francesco Bucca. The film will be presented at many of the international film festivals. More news on this as we get it.
Byron’s recording of “Our New Home Town” (Hill/Poston) became a finalist in the 20th Annual IAMA (International Acoustic Music Awards) in the Best Country/Bluegrass category.
The feature film A Nashville Wish was released to theaters and available on video on demand outlets on February 2, 2024. It features country music stars T. Graham Brown, Waylon Payne (portrayed Jerry Lee Lewis in Walk The Line), and Lee Greenwood. The film includes the cast singing their versions of hits “Born Country” (originally recorded by Alabama, written by Byron Hill and John Schweers), Vince Gill’s “Whenever You Come Around,” Trisha Yearwood’s “She’s In Love With The Boy,” Rascal Flatts’ “My Wish,” Patsy Cline’s “Crazy,” Garth Brook’s “The Dance” (Duet), and “Keeper of The Stars” by Tracy Byrd. The film is based on the award-winning stage musical Ticket to Nashville. “Born Country” is sung in the movie by actor Maxfield Camp.
The band Rancho Notorious from Mountain Home, Idaho have recorded the song “Never Gettin’ Out Of This Town” (Hill/Matson). Releasing soon!
A big thank you to Mel Besher for recording the song “The Photograph” (Hill/Dekle)! Mel is a multi award winning, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter himself. We’re very honored that he would pick this song. More news on this as we get it.
Country Music Hall of Famers Alabama will be honored during an upcoming CMT special. The show will pay tribute to Alabama, the legendary band formed by a trio of cousins from Fort Payne, AL. The band is known for “Song of the South,” “Mountain Music,” “I’m in a Hurry (And Don’t Know Why),” “Tennessee River,” “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band),” “Born Country”, “Dixieland Delight” and many other songs throughout their decades-long career. Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, Evander Holyfield, Jason Aldean, Jamey Johnson, Lionel Richie, Little Big Town, Lorrie Morgan, Luke Bryan, Martina McBride, Old Dominion, Pam Tillis, Riley Green, Sam Hunt, and Vince Gill will take part in the special and cover some of the band’s career-spanning hits. It’s set to film at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, and will air later this year.
Congratulations to singer/songwriter Rockie Lynne for his great interview on Neighborhood TV Charlotte (Jan 19, 2024). The video segment titled Country Music Singer Rockie Lynne from Statesville included a snippet of “Heroes Come From Small Towns” (Lynne/Hill). Thank you Rockie!
So…this wonderful little note came in January 9th, 2024 from a friend talking about the song “Fool Hearted Memory” (recorded by George Strait) …..My friend says “It blows my mind that you and Blake sat in a room a few years before I was born and wrote a song that my 14 year old daughter knows by heart…”.
Several recordings have recently received RIAA Gold and Platinum awards: “Fool Hearted Memory” (Hill/Mevis), the 1982 single by George Strait has been certified Gold, and the 1988 Keith Whitley album Don’t Close Your Eyes containing the song “A Day In The Life Of A Fool” (Hill/Dekle) has been certified Platinum.
Thank you to Bluegrass banjoist Trevor Watson for recording the song “Fool Hearted Memory” (Hill/Mevis) on his new Out Of The Shadows album, released 11/10/23 (Banjotrev Music, distributed by DistroKid). After graduating from Virginia Tech, Trevor became a cast member at The Carolina Opry in Myrtle Beach. In 2003, he joined Lou Reid & Carolina, where he is still a band member along with Shannon Slaughter who worked with Trevor on this new album.
The award-winning Lonesome River Band’s single “She Don’t Know I’m Alive” (Hill/Johnson), on Mountain Home Records racked up some good airplay. Tune in to Sirius/XM (Channel 77), Banjoradio.com, or your favorite local Bluegrass radio station to hear it.
Peak chart activity so far:
#1 on Airplay Direct – Global Radio Indicator Chart (Aug 18, 2023)
#1 on The Bluegrass Jamboree – Top 100 (Aug, 2023)
#1 on Roots Music Report – Top 50 Traditional Bluegrass Song Chart (Dec 16, 2023)
#2 on Bluegrass Today – Weekly Airplay Chart (Sept 8 & Oct 6, 2023)
#4 on Bluegrass Today – Monthly Airplay Chart (October, 2023)
#9 on Roots Music Report – Top 50 Bluegrass Song Chart (Dec 16, 2023)
#22 on Cashbox Magazine Bluegrass – Top 100 (March, 2024)
#24 on Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine – Top 30 Bluegrass Songs (January, 2024)
#32 on Bluegrass Today – Top Tracks of 2023
“More than 40 years after their debut on the scene in 1982, Lonesome River Band is still going strong, leading the way into a second generation of punchy, contemporary bluegrass. More evidence of their staying power comes today with a pre-release listen to their latest single, She Don’t Know I’m Alive.”
– John Lawless, Bluegrass Today Magazine
“She Don’t Know I’m Alive is a cleverly written song by Byron Hill and Tim Johnson that talks about the quest of a young man to win the love of a woman. It grabbed me from the first verse and builds from there into a strong story vocally, and I love the chorus. It’s so much fun to play live and the audience seems to really like it!” – Sammy Shelor, Lonesome River Band
Many thanks to Canadian artist Ronnie Kerr for recording “Love Made A Fool Out Of Me” (Hill/Bamford). More on this as we get it.
A new CD has just been released entitled That’s Why We Stand…songs of service, sacrifice and country on New Folk Records, featuring John Schneider, Mike Huckabee, Doyle Dykes, The Charlie Daniels Band, Scotty Hasting, Rockie Lynne, Steve Wariner, Joshua Ray Hudson, and more. Artist Rockie Lynne’s recording of the song “We Want To Thank You” (Hill/Lynne) is included on the CD. Proceeds from the CD sales go to Guitars4Vets.org.
Singer/songwriter RB Stone has released “I’m Not Jesus” (Hill/Stone) on his Have Songs – Have Traveled album on the Middle Mountain Music label.
Twenty-Five years ago on September 29th 1998, the band BlackHawk’s “The Sky’s The Limit” album was released on Arista Records, containing the song “In My Heart Of Hearts” (Byron Hill/Annie Roboff). The album was produced by Tim Dubois and Mark Bright.
Thank you to Journalist Amy McCarthy and Yardbarker online magazine for again including the song “Fool Hearted Memory” (Hill/Mevis) in her revised and updated article King of Country: The essential George Strait playlist. Amy McCarthy is a Texas-based journalist. Follow her on twitter at @aemccarthy.
If you’re a fan of classic-sounding vocal jazz, check out Paul Hughes‘ new single “I Bet You Weren’t Expecting This”. Byron co-wrote the song with Roger Brown, and we’re quite proud of this extraordinary recording, produced by Sal Oliveri, engineered by Bill Schnee, arranged by Cody McVey. The single was released on September 18th 2023, and is available at most online outlets including Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, and Deezer. The video can be viewed HERE.
Thank you to Erica Allen the website Music Industry How To, a site that “aims to help musicians and music industry professionals reach their music-related goals faster”. Erica’s article entitled 37 Best George Strait Songs includes Strait’s 1982 single “Fool Hearted Memory” (Hill/Mevis).
The Old Fashioned is a weekly bluegrass and old-time program, hosted by Craig Havighurst and Amy Alvey. As they say on the air, The Old Fashioned (yes, named for the world-famous cocktail) stirs up strong spirits with a bit of sugar, a dash of bitters and a twist of zest, telling the ongoing story of traditional music in Americana. With commentary and context to bring their listeners along for the journey. The show airs on WMOT, 89.5FM Nashville, on Saturdays at 9:00am, and Tuesdays at 8:00pm. Episode #71 (August 23, 2023) Amy enjoyed another year at the Clifftop Festival in West Virginia, one of the nation’s premiere old-time gatherings and contests. One of the featured performances on the show was the Lonesome River Band and their new single “She Don’t Know I’m Alive” (Hill/Johnson).
Many thanks to journalist Cyrus Abed and the Music Business How To online magazine for listing “Born Country” (Hill/Schweers) in their timely 8/18/23 article entitled….21 Best Songs About Living In The Country.
Former Capitol Records (Nashville) artist David Slater has released a collection of ten songs including the song “The Story Of Us” (Hill/Slater), written in 1988. The collection is titled Southern Heart, and is available on Spotify, Apple Music and other digital outlets. The collection includes never-before-released songs he co-wrote with Jacky Jack White, Tony Arata, Byron Hill, and others. The collection will also include a few unreleased covers of classics by Roger Miller, George Jones, and Eddie Arnold. David’s first chart single was in 1988 on Capitol Records with a song Byron co-wrote with Preston Sullivan called “I’m Still Your Fool”.
Thirty years ago, on August 3rd 1993, Clay Walker’s self-titled album was released on Giant Records, containing the song “White Palace” (Byron Hill/Zack Turner). The album was produced by James Stroud. Though “White Palace” was never officially released as a single, it was a club favorite and charted on the Billboard county singles chart at #67 in April of 1994. The album produced three #1 singles on the Billboard country music charts, “What’s It To You”, “Live Until I Die” and “Dreaming With My Eyes Open”, and another single “Where Do I Fit In The Picture” went to #11. The album was certified Gold in December 1993 and certified Platinum on August 31, 1994. All of us were very proud to be on Clay’s breakout album, one of the most popular albums of the early ‘90s.
Sony Music Entertainment division Legacy Recordings has released a new digital still-image video on the song “A Day In The Life Of A Fool” (Hill/Dekle), performed by Keith Whitley.
A new Walmart exclusive vinyl addition to the #1’s series for George Strait was released on June 16, 2023, and contains the song “Fool Hearted Memory” (Hill/Mevis). This will be on translucent smoke-colored vinyl that includes 14 #1 recordings by George. The album is entitled George Strait – #1’s – Vol.3, and will be a perfect collector’s item or gift for any George Strait fan.
The song “High-Tech Redneck” (Hill/Turner) is being licensed for the upcoming George Jones Tribute Concert and television taping. Musical guests include – Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Wynonna Judd, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Jamey Johnson, Sara Evans, Trace Adkins, Justin Moore, Lorrie Morgan, Michael Ray, Mark Chesnutt, Sam Moore, Jelly Roll, Riley Green, Uncle Kracker, and more.
A new George Strait live collection/album entitled “The Lonestar Cafe 1984” has been released and contains the song “Fool Hearted Memory” (Hill/Mevis).
Australia’s first ‘supergroup’, The Seekers has released their latest album Carry Me on Decca Records marking the band’s Diamond Jubilee and the first album since the sad passing of long-time lead singer Judith Durham. Included in the 3-CD set, are many of their signature recordings, and a song written by Byron with founding member Keith Potger. The song is called “Forever Isn’t Long Enough (For Me)”
VMP – Vinyl Me Please is a members-only record club that specializes in high-quality vinyl pressings for its members. Their record of the month for May 2023 is a reissue of the Keith Whitley 1988 album Don’t Close Your Eyes, reissued for the first time on 180g Lavender Marble vinyl with lacquers cut by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound. The album contains all the same titles and sequencing that were on the original 1988 release, including the song “A Day In The Life Of A Fool” (Hill/Dekle).
The Country Music Association has inducted songwriter Bob McDill, and artists Patty Loveless and Tanya Tucker. Tanya Tucker is the 17th inductee who has recorded Byron’s songs! Congratulations to all three of these super talents!
Bentley Lewis was in Omni Studio to record with some of Nashville’s finest A-List players. Bentley is a big Keith Whitley fan and has recorded “A Day In The Life Of A Fool” (Hill/Dekle), which was originally recorded by Whitley and released on his Don’t Close Your Eyes album in 1988. The song was also the B-side to “I’m No Stranger To The Rain”, which went #1 on the Country charts in 1989. Bentley put finishing touches on his project in June 2023. More on this as we get it.
Thirty years ago “Alright Already” recorded by Larry Stewart, made its debut on the Billboard Country chart on March 6, 1993. The recording was produced by Scott Hendricks and Larry Stewart. The song also won an ASCAP Award for being among the most performed country songs of 1993.
Texas artist Matt Castillo has completed his next album with producer Roger Brown. Byron has several songs on the project. More news on this soon!
Ongoing stuff:
If you’re a Gary Allan fan, you will definitely enjoy his episode on season four of The Song. Gary very kindly mentions Byron in one of the interview segments and also mentions the Lion D’or club in Downey, CA where together they set things in motion back in 1993 for Gary to record some songs in Nashville. The recordings led to Byron landing Gary offers from four labels, one of which was Decca Records. Byron continued as co-producer with Gary on his first three albums on Decca Records, earning three Gold albums, one Platinum album, two Gold singles, and one Platinum single. The Song is a syndicated series available on various networks in various markets. To find the show in your area go to: hwww.thesong.tv/station-finder.
Byron was recently included in a series of songwriter interviews for the Center For Popular Music archives at Middle Tennessee State University. The center is one of the world’s oldest and largest research centers devoted to the study of American folk and popular music. The archive holds over one million items related to American vernacular music traditions, in formats that include sheet music, song books, sound recordings, video recordings, manuscripts, photographs, periodicals, posters, and catalogs.
Look for Bill Cody’s new series Bill Cody Presents on Circle TV. Season 1 features musical guests Ray Benson (Asleep At The Wheel), Kathy Mattea, Pam Tillis, Marty Stuart, Brenda Lee and Ronnie Milsap. Kathy takes a walk down Music Row with Bill Cody and talks about Byron’s involvement in her career start. Thank you Kathy!
The weekly TV series The Songwriters, hosted by Ken Paulson spotlighting members of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, has returned to Nashville Public Television with Season 2. Look for Byron’s interview and performance on your local PBS affiliate station airing now. For friends in Byron’s hometown area and other areas of North Carolina, the series is airing on Spectrum TV Channel 1276 (the North Carolina Channel).
[Most entries in Song News remain posted six months to a year. Thanks for reading!]