Born on This Day in 1939, the Most Awarded Country Songwriter Ever, Who Penned Hits for Johnny Paycheck, Reba McEntire and Jerry Lee Lewis

Notching country music hits across four decades, Bill Rice racked up more ASCAP awards than any other songwriter throughout his prolific career. Born on this day (April 19) in 1939 in Datto, Arkansas, Rice’s resume includes Charley Pride’s “Wonder Could I Live There Anymore” (1970), Conway Twitty’s “Ain’t She Something Else” (1985), and “Lonely Too Long” by Patty Loveless (1996).

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Bill Rice Once Needed a Wheelbarrow For All His Awards

Growing up in Arkansas, Wilburn Steven “Bill” Rice first picked up a guitar at 14. Four years later, he inked his first recording contract with Fernwood Records, a Memphis imprint founded by Scotty Moore, Elvis Presley’s guitarist.

Rice’s first major hit came in 1960 when Elvis Presley recorded his song “Girl Next Door Went A’walking.” Shortly after, he moved to Nashville. After meeting fellow songwriter Jerry Foster, the two embarked on an enormously successful partnership, with their early hits including the Charley Pride songs “The Day the World Stood Still” and “The Easy Part’s Over.”

“His melodies would sing to me,” Foster said of Rice.

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Till A Tear Becomes A Rose!!

♬ original sound – Rachel B392108

The hits kept coming. Jeannie C. Riley’s recording of their song “Back Side of Dallas” scored a Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1969. The following year, Mel Tillis turned “Heaven Everyday” into a Top 10 hit, and Pride landed another No. 1 with “Wonder Could I Live There Anymore.” All told, Pride recorded 19 Rice and Foster songs.

In 1972, Rice co-wrote Johnny Paycheck’s “Someone to Give My Love To,” Jerry Lee Lewis’s “Think About It Darlin’” and Bob Luman’s “When You Say Love.” That year, he and Foster won 10 awards at the ASCAP Country Awards, famously needing a wheelbarrow to transport their trophies.

Rice also dabbled as a singer-songwriter in the 1970s, charting six singles including the Top 40 hit “Travelin’ Minstrel Man” in 1971.

[RELATED: Charley Pride Fought To Release What Became His First Top 10 Hit]

A Second Successful Partnership

After scoring even more hits, including Mickey Gilley’s Grammy-nominated “Here Comes the Hurt Again,” Bill Rice and Jerry Foster parted ways professionally.

However, this did not mark the end of Rice’s songwriting success. He would team up with then-wife Sharon Vaughn for songs like Reba McEntire’s “I’m Not That Lonely Yet” and the 1992 Patty Loveless hit “Lonely Too Long.” That same year, Keith Whitley and Lorrie Morgan won a CMA Vocal Duo Award for the couple’s song “Till a Tear Becomes a Rose”.

Bill Rice died on October 28, 2023, in Merritt Island, Florida, where he lived. He was 84 years old.

Featured image courtesy of the Academy of Country Music