Billy Sherrill

Billy Sherrill (born November 5, 1936 in Phil Campbell , Alabama , † August 4, 2015 in Nashville , Tennessee ) was one of the most influential producers of country music in the 1960s and 1970s . He was also extremely successful as a songwriter. In addition to numerous number 1 hits, he co-wrote the world hits The Most Beautiful Girl and Stand By Your Man .

Beginnings

The son of a preacher, who grew up in rural Alabama, was initially drawn to jazz and blues . He learned several instruments and after finishing school he joined various bands. At an independent label he played a few singles at the end of the 1950s, but they went largely unnoticed.

In 1962 he moved to Nashville , where he opened a small record studio with friends. Eventually he was hired by Sam Phillips to work as a unit manager for his Sun studio. Sherrill then switched to the newly founded record company Epic Records as a producer .

Career

The first artist he worked with was David Houston , who had hit his first hit with Mountain of Love two years earlier , but has since been unsuccessful. Their first single, Livin 'in a House Full of Love , reached number three on the country charts in 1965. The next song, Almost Persuaded , which Sherrill co-wrote, reached number one and held that position for nine weeks.

A year later he signed the then completely unknown Tammy Wynette , who had previously been rejected by several other labels. Both Houston and Wynette had several top hits, including the joint duet by Houston and Sherrill in 1967, My Elusive Dream . In 1968, Sherrill and Wynette wrote their greatest success, Stand by Your Man . Sherrill's next protégé was Charlie Rich , with whom he had previously worked at Sun Records. The biggest joint hit was The Most Beautiful Girl , which placed at number one in both the country and pop charts and was covered by numerous musicians.

Billy Sherrill became a major protagonist of the Nashville sound . Without completely displacing the classic instruments such as the fiddle and steel guitar , he often added string groups or background choirs afterwards, creating a sound that was also well received outside of the country scene. A high point of his work was the series of duets with Ray Charles and the superstars of the country scene like Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson . The next performers he brought up were Barbara Mandrell and Tanya Tucker . In 1971 George Jones switched to Epic, with whom he also began a successful collaboration.

Sherrill's streak of success lasted until the early 1980s. Songs produced or composed by him rarely reached the top of the charts. In 1980 he became vice president of the Nashville Section of Columbia (CBS), the parent company of the Epic label. In 1984 he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame . It was just one of many awards he'd received throughout his career.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Legendary Producer Billy Sherrill Dead at 78
2. ↑ Legendary producer Billy Sherrill dies