Distinguished Songwriter Tom T. Hall Dead at 85

The country music community lost one of its most celebrated songwriters, Tom T. Hall, on Friday, August 20, 2021. Hall, a…

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Lauren Jo Black

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August 20, 2021

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8:18 pm

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Inductee Tom T. Hall speaks at the 2008 Country Music Hall of Fame inductees press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Downtown Nashville.

The country music community lost one of its most celebrated songwriters, Tom T. Hall, on Friday, August 20, 2021. Hall, a renowned songwriter, singer and entertainer, was 85 years old. 

Hall was a seven-time CMA Awards nominee, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, a GRAMMY winner and a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was elected to the Nashville Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1978 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019.

Known as “The Storyteller,” Hall was born on May 25, 1936 in Olive Hill, Kentucky. He began writing songs before the age of 10 and joined a bluegrass band as a teenager. 

He later joined the military and became a disc jockey for the Army in 1957. He often performed on the Armed Forces Radio Network while stationed in Germany and even sang original songs on air. 

When he returned to the states, he was a DJ in Virginia and caught the attention of a music published in Nashville. He began to pursue a singing career while also writing hit songs for other artists. 

Tom T. Hall
Tom T. Hall

He went on to write 12 No.1 songs and more than 26 Top 10 singles throughout his career. His songs have been recorded by artists such as Johnny Cash, George Jones, Alan Jackson, Loretta Lynn and Waylon Jennings. 

“Few could tell a story like Tom T. Hall. As a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, he was one of those triple threat artists who continued to make an impact on the next generation. I’ll always remember growing up listening to Tom T.’s music with my father, who was a huge bluegrass and Country fan,” shared Sarah Trahern, CEO of the Country Music Association. 

“Tom T. Hall’s masterworks vary in plot, tone and tempo, but they are bound by his ceaseless and unyielding empathy for the triumphs and losses of others,” said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.He wrote without judgment or anger, offering a rhyming journalism of the heart that sets his compositions apart from any other writer. His songs meant the world to Bobby Bare, Johnny Cash, George Jones and other greats, and those songs will continue to speak to generations. He was a storyteller, a philosopher, a whiskey maker, a novelist, a poet, a painter, a benefactor, a letter writer, a gift giver, a gentleman farmer and many more things. My bet is that we won’t see the likes of him again, but if we do I’ll be first in line for tickets to the show.”

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Grand Ole Opry (@opry)

The Grand Ole Opry paid tribute to the late singer/songwriter on Friday, writing, “Thank you for all of the music, Tom T. Hall. We’ll miss you ❤️.”

A photo shared on the official Opry Twitter shows a white ribbon on Tom T. Hall’s Opry plaque, in honor of the country music legend. 

Details surrounding his passing, including cause of death, are unknown at this time.  

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Lauren Jo Black

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.