Harlan Howard
Harlan Perry Howard ( born September 8, 1929 in Lexington, Kentucky; † 3 May 2002) was an American country musician and composer. Many of the most famous Country tunes come from his pen.
- 2.1 Singles
- 2.2 albums
Life
Childhood and youth
Born in Lexington, the Howard family moved two years after his birth, to Detroit, Michigan. From a young age he developed a strong interest in country music; his idol was Ernest Tubb and every Saturday night he heard the Grand Ole Opry. At the same time he began to write his own lyrics, inspired by the Tubbs. After he had successfully completed the school, he spent the next two years at Fort Benning, Georgia. There he learned to play the guitar and in his free weekends he traveled with a friend to Nashville, Tennessee, the "capital" of country music.
Career
After his military service, he traveled through the United States and worked as a casual laborer. Finally he settled in Bakersfield, California, where musicians such as Buck Owens and Wynn Stewart developed the so-called Bakersfield Sound. Singers like Tex Ritter and Johnny Bond was already reported small successes with his songs. With Howard's You Took Her Off My Hands Wynn Stewart was then able to land a hit; in the following time Charlie Walker Pick Me Up On Your Way Down and Jimmy Skinner with What Makes A Man Wonder had further success. His big break as a songwriter came in 1960, when Ray Price Heartaches By The Number his title recorded. The title took on the Billboard country charts and number one in the pop charts, the title in the version by Guy Mitchell was able to place well.
1961 were 15 of his titles came in the charts and he was consecutively elected two years for Songwriter of the Year. Meanwhile, Howard had moved to Nashville, where he continues enjoying success, among other things, he wrote the title Excuse Me ( I Think I've Got A Heartache ) ( Buck Owens ), Heartbreak USA ( Kitty Wells ) and The Blizzard and I Won ' t Forget You (Jim Reeves ). In 1961 he brought out his first LP Harlan Howard Sings Harlan Howard. In the same year he wrote I Fall To Pieces, which was in the version of Patsy Cline became a hit along with Hank Cochran his most famous song. In the following years, almost every title Howards became a hit. 1967 published Waylon Jennings Waylon Sings the album Ol ' Harlan, on the Jennings only pieces written by Howard sang. Until the early 1970s, his plays reached the top of the charts, then it slowly became quiet around him. However, individual singers like Conway Twitty and Charlie Rich had more success with Howard's titles.
Harlan Howard died on 3 May 2002 at the age of 74 years. Howard was buried at the Nashville City Cemetery. He is considered one of the greatest composers of country music. In 1973, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 1997 into the Country Music Hall of Fame.