Tom t. hall biography

Tom Hall Becomes Tom T. Hall

Encouraged to record his own songs by producer and Mercury Records executive Jerry Kennedy, Hall signed with the label in 1967, taking on a middle initial to separate himself from other performers with similar-sounding names. That summer, Mercury released his first single, “I Washed My Face in the Morning Dew.”

Although Hall’s recording career started slowly, it hit full stride as the ’60s gave way to the ’70s. Hall’s #1 hits, all self-penned, included “A Week in a Country Jail” (1970), “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died” (1971), “(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine” (1973),” “I Love” (1974), “Country Is” (1974), “I Care” (1975), and “Faster Horses (the Cowboy and the Poet)” (1976). He joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1971.

Penning Songs for Others, and for Himself

As his singing career got underway, Hall continued to provide hit songs for other artists, chief among them “Harper Valley P.T.A.,” for Jeannie C. Riley. Challenging small-town hypocrisy, the song went to #1 in 1968 on both the country and pop charts, earned Riley a Country Music Association Award for Single of the Year, and inspired a movie and television series, significantly boosting Hall’s profile in the process.

Hall’s compositions continued to do well for others, including Dave Dudley with “The Pool Shark” (#1 country in 1970) and Bobby Bare with “(Margie’s at) The Lincoln Park Inn” (#4 country in 1969) and “How I Got to Memphis (#3 country in 1970).

In his songwriting, Hall explored common-man themes with directness and candor. Country radio—and appreciative listeners—embraced his recordings of self-penned numbers such as “Me and Jesus,” “Ravishing Ruby,” “I Like Beer,” and “Your Man Loves You, Honey.” Hall delighted parents and children alike with the 1974 collection Songs of Fox Hollow (For Children of All Ages), which included the lighthearted “Sneaky Snake.” These songs and more earned Hall e

Tom T. Hall (born May 25, 1936 in Olive Hill, Kentucky; died August 20, 2021) was an American country music songwriter, singer, instrumentalist, novelist, and short-story writer. He wrote 12 No. 1 hit songs, with 26 more that reached the Top 10, including the No. 1 international pop crossover hit "Harper Valley PTA" and "I Love", which reached No. 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. He is included in Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Songwriters. He became known to fans as "The Storyteller", thanks to his storytelling skills in his songwriting. 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.

As a teen, Hall put together a band called the Kentucky Travelers that performed before movies for a travelling 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 break came in 1963 when singer Jimmy C. Newman recorded his song "DJ For a Day." In 1964 Hall moved to Nashville, TN, and within months had songs climbing the charts. Nicknamed "The Story Teller", he has written songs for dozens of country stars such as Johnny Cash, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, and Alan Jackson.

One of the most popular songs, "Harper Valley PTA", was originally recorded in 1968 by Jeannie C. Riley, sold over six million copies, and won both a Grammy and CMA award. The song later would inspire the motion picture and television program of the same name.

Hall's own recording career took off after that and he had such hits as "A Week in the Country Jail," "Old Dogs, Ch

American country musician (1936–2021)

Musical artist

Thomas Hall (May 25, 1936 – August 20, 2021), known professionally as Tom T. Hall and informally nicknamed "The Storyteller", was an American country music singer-songwriter and short-story author. He wrote 12 No. 1 hit songs, with 26 more that reached the Top 10, including the No. 1 international popcrossover hit "Harper Valley PTA", and "I Love", which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. He is included in Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Songwriters. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008, and the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame alongside his wife Dixie in 2018.

Early life and career

Hall was born on Tick Ridge, seven miles south of Olive Hill, Kentucky, on May 25, 1936. As a teenager, he organized a band called the Kentucky Travelers that performed before movies for a traveling theater. Hall enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1957, serving in Germany. While in the service, he performed over the Armed Forces Radio Network and wrote comic songs about army experiences. Following his discharge in 1961, he used G.I. Bill education benefits to enroll at Roanoke College, where he worked as a disc jockey. His early career included being an announcer at WRON, a local radio station in Ronceverte, West Virginia. Hall was also an announcer at WMOR (1330 AM) in Morehead and WGOH (1370 AM) in Grayson, both in Kentucky. Hall was also an announcer at WSPZ, which later became WVRC Radio in Spencer, West Virginia, in the 1960s.

Hall's big songwriting break came in 1963, when country singer Jimmy C. Newman recorded his song "DJ For a Day". In 1964, Hall 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, w