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Born on This Day in 1938, the Award-Winning Country Singer-Songwriter Who Produced Reba McEntire and Wrote Songs for George Jones
You’ve likely heard George Jones’ 1974 song “The Grand Tour”, an aching country ballad about a man taking stock of his failed marriage. A year earlier, Charlie Rich scored his second No. 1 country single with “The Most Beautiful Girl”. What do those two country music staples have in common? Songwriter Norro Wilson, born on this day (April 4) in 1938 in Scottsville, Kentucky.
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Although getting his start in Nashville as a performer, Wilson’s greatest triumphs came behind the scenes. During more than four decades in the industry, he also penned songs for Charley Pride, Jean Shepard, and Tammy Wynette. He also had a hand in producing tracks for many notable names, including Reba McEntire, Sara Evans, Kenny Chesney, and Shania Twain.
Norro Wilson died from heart failure in Nashville on June 8, 2017, at age 79.
The Life and Career of Norro Wilson
Growing up in Kentucky, Norro Wilson tried his hand at various musical endeavors, including playing the piano and singing with a barbershop quartet in high school. In 1957, he joined a gospel group called the Southlanders Quartet.
Following the quartet’s split, Wilson moved to Nashville, finding work as a session backup singer for Faron Young, Ferlin Husky and others. Initially trying to make it as a singer, he landed 10 singles on the Hot Country Songs chart, reaching No. 20 in 1970 with the Tom T. Hall-penned track “Do It to Someone You Love”.
[RELATED: 4 Really Good Country Songs From 1970 That Almost Everyone Has Forgotten About]
However, writing songs was where Norro Wilson truly shone. In 1975, he won the Grammy Award for Best Country Song with Charlie Rich’s “A Very Special Love Song.” Other career highlights include Tammy Wynette’s “He Loves Me All The Way”, “Never Been So Loved” by Charley Pride, and Mickey Gilley’s “You’ve Got Something on Your Mind”.
As head of A&R at RCA Records, Wilson signed Keith Whitley and produced Sammy Kershaw. Continuing his work as a producer until well into his 70s, he worked with Kenny Chesney, Chely Wright, John Michael Montgomery and Shania Twain. In 1996, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
“Norro Wilson was one of the great music men, not just of our time, but all time,” Kenny Chesney told The Tennessean after Wilson’s death in 2017. “He taught me so much about soul, and songs, and what it means to touch someone’s life with music.”
Featured image by Frederick Breedon IV/Getty Images for ACM
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