Tom T. Hall

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Tom T. Hall, 2005

Tom T. Hall (born May 25, 1936 in Olive Hill, Kentucky) is an American country balladeer, songwriter, and country singer. He has written 11 #1 Hits, with 26 more that hit the Top 10.

As a teenager, Hall put together a band called the Kentucky Travelers that performed before movies for a traveling theater. During a stint in the Army, Hall performed over the Armed Forces Radio Network and wrote comic songs about Army experiences. His early career included being a radio announcer at WRON, a local radio station in Ronceverte, West Virginia.

Hall's big songwriting break came in 1963, when country singer Jimmy C. Newman recorded his song, "DJ For a Day." Soon, Hall moved to Nashville, and within months, he had songs climbing the charts. Hall has been nicknamed "The Story Teller", and he has written songs for dozens of country stars, including Johnny Cash, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, and Alan Jackson.

One of his earliest successful songwriting ventures, "Harper Valley PTA", was recorded in 1968 by Jeannie C. Riley, sold over six million copies, and won both a Grammy Award and CMA award. The song would go on to inspire a motion picture and television program of the same name. Hall himself has yet to record this song.

Hall's own recording career took off after that, and he had such hits as "A Week in the Country Jail", "Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine", "I Love", "Country Is", "The Year Clayton Delaney Died", "I Like Beer", "Faster Horses (The Cowboy and the Poet)", and many others. He is also noted for his children-oriented songs, including "Sneaky Snake" and "I Care", the latter of which hit #1 on the country charts in 1975.

He also hosted the syndicated country music TV show "Pop Goes the Country" during the early to mid-1970s.^{[citation needed]}

1 Discography

[edit] Discography

[edit] Hit Single Not Written by Tom T. Hall But Recorded by Him

"P.S. I Love You" (#8, 1984) Johnny Mercer wrote the lyrics and Gordon Jenkins the music in 1934.^{[citation needed]} It was a hit for Rudy Vallee during the 1930s.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Hit Singles Written and Recorded by Tom T. Hall

"I Washed My Face in the Morning Dew" (#30, 1967)
"Ain't Got The Time" (#68, 1968)
"The World The Way I Want It" (#66, 1968)
"Ballad of Forty Dollars" (#4, 1969)
"Homecoming" (#5, 1969)
"Strawberry Farms" (#40, 1969)
"Day Drinkin'" (#23, 1970)
"Salute to a Switchblade" (#8, 1970)
"Shoeshine Man" (#8, 1970)
"A Week in a Country Jail" (#1, 1970)
"Ode to Half a Pound of Ground Round" (#21, 1971)
"One Hundred Children" (#14, 1971)
"The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" (#1, 1971) (also reached #42 on the Pop Singles Chart)
"Me and Jesus" (#8, 1972) (also reached #92 on the Pop Chart)
"More About John Henry" (#26, 1972)
"The Monkey That Became President" (#11, 1972)
"Old Dogs, Children, And Watermelon Wine" (#1, 1973)
"Ravishing Ruby" (#3, 1973)
"Spokane Motel Blues" (#16, 1973)
"Watergate Blues" (#16, 1973)
"Country Is" (#1, 1974)
"I Love" (#1, 1974) (also reached #2 on the Adult Contemporary Chart and #12 on the Pop Singles Chart)
"That Song Is Driving Me Crazy" (#2, 1974) (also reached #63 on the Pop Singles Chart)
"Sneaky Snake" (#69, 1974) (reached #55 on the Pop Singles Chart the following year)
"Deal" (#8, 1975)
"I Care" (#1, 1975)
"I Like Beer" (#4, 1975)
"Faster Horses (The Cowboy And The Poet)" (#1, 1976)
"Fox On The Run" (#9, 1976)
"Negatory Romance" (#24, 1976)
"It's All in the Game" (#12, 1977)
"Your Man Loves You, Honey" (#4, 1977)
"What Have You Got to Lose" (#9, 1978)
"Son of Clayton Delaney" (#14, 1979)
"You Show Me Your Heart (And I'll Show You Mine)" (#11, 1979)
"Back When Gas Was Thirty Cents a Gallon" (#36, 1980)
"Jesus On the Radio (Daddy On the Phone)" (#9, 1980)
"Solder Of Fortune" (#51, 1980)
"The Old Side of Town" (#9, 1980)
"Everything From Jesus To Jack Daniels (#42, 1983)
"A Bar with No Beer" (#40, 1985)
"Down At The Mall" (#65, 1986)

[edit] Hit Singles Written by Tom T. Hall But Performed by Other Artists

"Mad" performed by Dave Dudley (#6, 1964)
"Artificial Rose" performed by Jimmy C. Newman (#8, 1965)
"Back In Circulation" performed by Jimmy C. Newman (#13, 1965)
"City of the Angels" performed by Jimmy C. Newman (#37, 1965)
"What We're Fighting For" performed by Dave Dudley (#4, 1966)
"Back Pocket Money" performed by Jimmy C. Newman (#10, 1966)
"California Uptight Band" performed by Flatt & Scruggs (#20, 1967)
"Dropping Out of Sight" performed by Jimmy C. Newman (#32, 1967)
"Louisiana Saturday Night" performed by Jimmy C. Newman (#24, 1967)
"Town That Broke My Heart" performed by Bobby Bare (#16, 1968)
"Anything Leaving Town Today" performed by Dave Dudley (#12, 1968)
"There Ain't No Easy Run" performed by Dave Dudley (#10, 1968)
"Harper Valley PTA" performed by Jeannie C. Riley (#1, 1968) (also reached #1 on the Pop Singles Chart and #4 on the Adult Contemporary Chart)
"Greenwich Village Folk Song Salesman" performed by Jim & Jesse (#49, 1968)
"(Margie's At) The Lincoln Park Inn" performed by Bobby Bare (#4, 1969)
"George (And the Northwoods)" performed by Dave Dudley (#10, 1969)
"One More Mile" performed by Dave Dudley (#12, 1969)
"Boo Dan" peroformed by Jimmy C. Newman (#31, 1969)
"That's How I Got To Memphis" performed by Bobby Bare (#3, 1970)
"Pool Shark" performed by Dave Dudley (#1, 1970)
"If I Ever Fall in Love (With a Honky Tonk Girl)" performed by Faron Young (#4, 1970)
"Second Handed Flowers" performed by George Jones (#5, 1972)
"You Always Come Back (To Hurting Me)" performed by Johnny Rodriguez (#1, 1973) (also #86 on the Pop Singles Chart)
"I Can Still Hear the Music in the Restroom" performed by Jerry Lee Lewis (#13, 1975)
"I'm Not Ready Yet" performed by George Jones (#2, 1980)
"Dropping Out Of Sight" performed by Bobby Bare (#35, 1981)
"Little Bitty" performed by Alan Jackson (#1, 1996)
"That's How I Got To Memphis" performed by Deryl Dodd (#36, 1996)