On This Day in 2017, Nashville Lost the Songwriting Legend Who Signed Blake Shelton and Wrote No. 1 Hits for Charley Pride and Ronnie Milsap

The world of country music songwriting wasn’t particularly welcoming to women in the 1960s, but Naomi Martin managed to carve out a name for herself regardless. With a career spanning six decades, she penned number one-hits for country music A-listers like Charley Pride and Ronnie Milsap before eventually forming her own publishing company.

Videos by American Songwriter

On this day (May 31) in 2017, Naomi Martin died in Nashville at age 89 following a long illness. Nine years later, we’re taking a look back at her illustrious career.

Naomi Martin Wrote Hits For Some of the Greats

When Naomi’s grandparents immigrated to the United States from Italy, the family settled in Virginia and Kentucky.

Her father, Genero Martino, became a coal miner in Jenkins, Kentucky, and Naomi Ruth Martino was born on September 16, 1927, in Alexandria, Virginia.

She married her high school sweetheart, Jimmie Yonts, in November 1947, and the couple moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where they attended college and started a family.

In 1966, Naomi Martin Yonts and her husband moved their children to Nashville, when Jimmie took a job as District Superintendent of Metropolitan Nashville public schools. Meanwhile, Naomi began her songwriting career.

Within 18 months, she had two charting hits under her belt. Several years later, in 1971, Jeannie C. Riley reached number 15 on the country charts with her song, “Roses and Thorns”.

By the end of the decade, Martin had written two number-one hits:  “My Eyes Can Only See As Far As You” by Charley Pride (1976) and “Let’s Take the Long Way Around the World” by Ronnie Milsap (1978). The latter scored her and co-writer Archie Jordan a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song in 1979.

Affectionately known in the industry as “Momma Na,” her resume also included songs recorded by Ray Price, John Conlee, Porter Wagoner, T.G. Sheppard, Faron Young, Barbara Mandrell, Glen Campbell, Conway Twitty, Roy Clark, Twister Alley, Anne Murray, and Lorrie Morgan.

She Gave This Country Singer His Start

In the 1990s, she created the Naomi Martin Music Group. Among her first artists signed was a “mullet sporting Oklahoman named Blake Shelton,” whom she helped secure his first record deal with Giant Records.

Two of Martin’s five children followed in her footsteps as singer-songwriters. . Daughter Lisa Dale Yonts recorded as “Dale Daniel” for BNA Records in 1992-94. Son Marty Yonts (1955-2012) wrote songs recorded by David Allan Coe and Con Hunley, among others.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1968, Charley Pride Shattered a Longstanding Barrier With a No. 1 Country Album]

Remembering his colleague, celebrated Nashville songwriter Mike Reid wrote, “It was a beautiful life she lived – full of the grace, joy, heartache, and struggle we all must go through – well done, Dear Naomi – it was an honor to have written with you – you rest now – XO.”

Featured image by by Justin Kahn/WireImage