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Byron Hill

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Byron Hill

Byron Hill (born December 12, 1953) is an American songwriter from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. His songs have been recorded by over 500 Country and Pop artists including George Strait, Ray Charles, Anne Murray, Kenny Rogers, Juice Newton, Alabama, Randy Travis, Keith Whitley, Johnny Lee, George Jones, Reba McEntire, Toby Keith, Joe Nichols, Gary Allan, Tracy Byrd, Doc & Merle Watson, Joe Sun, Rhonda Vincent, The Whites, Neal McCoy, Trace Adkins, John Michael Montgomery, Conway Twitty, Asleep At The Wheel, Clint Eastwood, Hank Thompson, Sammy Kershaw, Gene Watson, and others.[1]

Early life

Byron Hill's mother was a public school teaching assistant and his father was a technical illustrator. Byron credits both of his parents as being influential towards his songwriting by exposing him to many types of music when he was a child. He credits his father for introducing him to the guitar, Country music, and songwriting. Byron's father was especially interested in songs and songwriters, and constructively critiqued much of Byron's earlier work, educating him about the simple beauty of a country song.[1]

Byron is the oldest of four children. In the late 1950s the family moved to what was then a rural area on the west side of Winston-Salem, NC. Byron was educated in public schools and attended Appalachian State University. During the years just prior to moving to Nashville, TN, he worked a succession of various jobs as; a laborer in textile mill, a hospital pharmacy technician, a record store clerk, a part-time delivery truck driver, a performer in a local trio called Red Cloud, and for three years was a guitar instructor at a local music store.[1]

Music career

He moved to Nashville in May 1978 and signed his first songwriting contract with ATV Music Group in September of that year. The hits started for Byron as a songwriter in 1979 with Joe Sun's "Out Of Your Mind", and in 1981 with Johnny Lee's "Pickin' Up Strangers", with many other recordings and singles along the way, including several number one's such as George Strait's "Fool Hearted Memory" in 1982, Alabama's "Born Country" in 1992, Gary Allan's "Nothing On But The Radio" in 2005. Byron's songs have since generated more than 575 recordings, earning seventy-five RIAA certified gold and platinum awards, ten ASCAP awards, twenty-three U.S. and Canadian top-ten chart hits including seven number ones.[2], [3], [4], [5], [6]

Songs in Films

Discography (as a featured performer)

  • "Crossover" (BBC Radioplay Music Library/TAIR84017/UK), with various artists, 1984
  • "Truly Yours" (BBC Radioplay Music Library/TAIR84036/UK), with various artists, 1984
  • "Gravity... and other things that keep you down to Earth" (BHP Recordings/BHP4501), 1999
  • "Sketches" Mike Dekle CD (Parlay Records), as announcer on "Stone Cold Country", 1999
  • "Ramblings" (BHP Recordings/BHP5002), 2004
  • "A Songwriters Tribute To George Strait, Vol 1" (Compadre Records/CRC-010), with various artists, 2004
  • "Country Hotdisc International" (Hotdisc/CHi-75), with various artists, 2005
  • "Country Hotdisc International" (Hotdisc/CHi-85), with various artists, 2005
  • "Country Hotdisc International" (Hotdisc/CHi-88), with various artists, 2006
  • "Country Hotdisc International" (Hotdisc/CHi-105), with various artists, 2007

Career Achievements

  • Staff Songwriter, ATV Music Group 1978-1984 (now Sony/ATV Music Publishing), Requested Songs 1984-1986 (now Universal Music Publishing), Song Source Music Publishing Group 1986-1988, Collins Music Corp. 1988-1992 (now Sony/ATV Music Publishing), MCA Music Publishing 1992-1998 (now Universal Music Publishing), Starstruck Writers Group 1999-2000 (now Warner Chappell Music), Warner Chappell Music 2001-2002, Almo Musc Corp. 2003-2007 (now Universal Music Publishing), [6].
  • Professional Manager 1979-1982, General Manager 1982-1984 (ATV Music Group).
  • Director of A&R 1993-1994 (BNA Entertainment.
  • Written songs released on Seventy-Five RIAA Certified Gold and Platinum albums.
  • Wrote George Strait's first #1 single "Fool Hearted Memory".
  • Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) 20 Years of Hits recognition, No.1 Award.
  • ASCAP Number One Club.
  • Producer, Roger Bowling 1981-1982 (Mercury Records, Avco Embassy Pictures, select recordings only)[7], Renate Kern 1981 (Ariola Records/Germany), Mike Dekle 1982-present, (Parlay Records), Kathy Mattea 1983-1984 (Mercury Records, co-producer), Nancy Wood 1983-1984 (Lovelight Records/Germany, co-producer), Richard Gachner 1984 (WEA/France, Polydor Records/France), Marie Bottrell 1991 (BMG Records/Canada, Cardinal Records/Canada, co-producer), Gary Allan 1996-2000, (Decca Nashville, co-producer), Gil Grand 1998, (Monument Records/USA/Canada), [6], Gord Bamford 2005-present (GWB Records/Canada, Royalty Records/Canada), [6], Hey Romeo 2008-present [8] and numerous other independent artists 1978-present.
  • Board Member, Past Vice-President, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI).
  • Leadership Music, Class of 2008.
  • ASCAP 2008 Country Workshop, Host.
  • CCMA 2008 Producer Of The Year.[9],

References

  1. ^ a b c BYRON HILL - Detailed Bio
  2. ^ BYRON HILL - Hits And Awards
  3. ^ MusicDish Industry e-Journal
  4. ^ MusicDish Industry e-Journal
  5. ^ The Appalachian Online
  6. ^ a b c d The Songs of Byron Hill
  7. ^ a b c d e Byron Hill
  8. ^ [http://http://www.heyromeo.com/
  9. ^ [http://http://www.ccma.org/

External links

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