Born in Georgia on This Day in 1953, the Songwriter Who Overcame Blindness To Pen Hits for Don Williams, Alabama, and George Strait

On Feb. 1, 2001, John Jarrard’s songwriting career was cut tragically short when he died in Nashville at age 47. An often unsung songwriter, Jarrard was the mind behinds songs like Don Williams’ chart-topping 1983 hit “Nobody but You” and a trio of Top 10 hits for Alabama, including the No. 1 singles “There’s No Way” (1985) and “You’ve Got the Touch” (1986). Today, we’re reflecting on the life and legacy of John Jarrard on what would have been his 73rd birthday. He was born on May 7, 1953, in Gainesville, Georgia.

Videos by American Songwriter

The son of a cotton mill worker, Jarrard’s introduction to music came through the choir his father conducted when he was a child. He worked as a disc jockey in his hometown until he moved to Nashville in the 1970s at the urging of a girlfriend who wanted to attend a convention there.

Sadly, John Jarrard would battle health problems for most of his adulthood. While working at a motel and recording demos with his friend, Bruce Burch, the University of Georgia alum began losing his sight due to complications from diabetes. By 1979, he was totally blind, leading him to quit his job at the motel.

Undeterred, Jarrard began navigating the roads of Nashville on foot with the aid of a cane. He continued writing songs, and in 1983, he scored his first No. 1 with Williams’ “Nobody But You.”

John Jarrard Wrote 11 No. 1 Hits

More Top 5 hits would follow for John Jarrard throughout the 1980s. Those included the No. 1 songs  “There’s No Way” by Alabama, “What’s A Memory Like You (Doin’ In A Love Like This)” by John Schneider, and another Alabama hit, “You’ve Got The Touch”.

His success continued in the 1990s, with John Anderson’s No. 1 single “Money in the Bank” (1993) “My Kind Of Girl” by Collin Raye (1994), and George Strait’s “Blue Clear Sky” (1996).

[RELATED: These 4 Country Songs From 1993 Are Best Turned up Loud]

Unfortunately, his health problems persisted, leading to a second kidney transplant and double leg amputations in 1997. Four years later, John Jarrard died of respiratory failure at age 47.

In 2023, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame welcomed him into its ranks posthumously.

In addition to his songwriting successes, Jarrard also raised more than $100,000 for research, awareness, and education programs of the American Diabetes Association.

Featured image courtesy of X/Twitter