Harlan Howard
March 06, 2012Harlan Howard(Songwriter, Singer, Guitar, Music Publisher)Date of Birth: September 8, 1929Place of Birth: Lexington, Kentucky Married: 1. Jan Howard (div.), 2,3,4. (div.), Melanie Children: Kenneth, Harlan, Jr., Donna Gail Date of Death: March 3, 2002Harlan Howard may be Nashville’s most enduring songwriter, having written over 4,000 songs and boasting numerous hits in every decade from the 1950’s to the 1990’s. In all, more than 100 of his songs made the top ten.Born in Kentucky, at age 2 Harlan moved with his family to Detroit, Michigan, where his father got a job with Ford. His parents separated and in his sadness, Harlan began to listen to the Grand Ole Opry, and became a fan of Ernest Tubb. He tried to write down the lyrics of Tubb’s songs, but there were inevitable gaps, which prompted Harlan to invent lines and verses. Songwriting also was an escape from his early shyness with women.Following graduation, Harlan spent four years as a paratrooper in the service, where he learned to play guitar. Following the service, he went from job to job, landing in California in the late 1950’s when several country acts were touring. His talent was recognized by Tex Ritter and Johnny Bond and they published his material. Harlan also met Lula Grace "Jan" Johnson, whom he would later marry and who became country star Jan Howard.Suddenly, Harlan’s songs were in demand. Jan was making his demos and artists were achieving major hits with his songs. With royalties coming in, Howard moved to Nashville in 1960 and continued to write hits.In 1961, 15 of his songs were on the Country charts at one time, a record that still stands. That year he recorded his first album for Capitol. He moved to Monument in 1965 for two albums and joined RCA in 1968, but he never seriously considered a recording career. His songs were hits for a "Who’s Who" in Country music, including Charlie Walker, Kitty Wells, Ray Price, Jim Reeves, Buck Owens, Johnny Cash, George Jones, Roy Drusky, Patsy Cline, Bobby Bare, Mel Tillis, Charlie Rich, John Conlee, the Judds, Reba McEntire, Highway 101, k.d. lang.Harlan was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997.Songs written by Harlan Howard include:Pick Me Up on Your Way Down Heartaches by the Number Excuse Me (I Think I’ve Got a Heartache) I Fall to Pieces Under the Influence of Love Second Hand Rose Busted I’ve Got a Tiger By the Tail Streets of Baltimore Life Turned Her That Way No Charge I Don’t Know a Thing About Love Why Not Me Someone Should Leave Somewhere Tonight I’m Down to My Last Cigarette
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