Born on This Day in 1943, the Songwriter Who Penned Hits for Elvis Presley, Mark Chesnutt and Joe Diffie—and a Classic Murder Ballad That Scared Radio Stations

On this day (March 18) in 1943, Dennis Linde was born in Abilene, Texas. He is remembered as a songwriter with a unique voice. His songs told extraordinary stories about ordinary people with humor and heart. Over the years, a long line of artists, including Garth Brooks, Joe Diffie, Alan Jackson, the Chicks, and Elvis Presley, recorded his compositions.

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Linde got his first guitar from his grandmother when he was 15. Not long after that, his family relocated to the St. Louis, Missouri, area. As a result, he spent his teen years in a musical city. There, he joined multiple pop and R&B bands. At the age of 18, he enlisted in the Air National Guard to avoid the draft. “At the time, I didn’t know anything about dying, but here were my priorities: I said, ‘If I’m drafted, I’ll be out of the band for two years.’ The group was called the Starlighters,” Linde recalled in an interview.

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At the time, he was working as a delivery driver for a dry-cleaning company during the day and playing music at night. However, he eventually got one too many speeding tickets, which cost him his license and his job. This gave him more time to practice guitar and write songs.

Soon, bandleader Bob Kuban urged him to take his songwriting to Nashville. As a result, he made several trips to Music City where he pitched his songs to Bob Beckham, head of Combine Music. During one of those trips, he met Beckham’s daughter, Pam, and the two hit it off. He then moved to Nashville permanently to be closer to her. They tied the knot in 1970.

Dennis Linde Finds His Place in Nashville

Dennis Linde became a staff writer at Combine. There, he worked alongside the likes of Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, and Mickey Newbury. Soon, his songs were reaching the airwaves.

Roger Miller gave Linde his first taste of success when he took “Where Have All the Average People Gone” to No. 14 in 1969. The next year, Roy Drusky took “Long Long Texas Road” to No. 5 on the country chart.

In 1972, Elvis Presley recorded “Burning Love” and took it to No. 2 on the Hot 100. Moreover, it gave Linde a major hit that has since been recorded by a long line of artists. The hits were just getting started, though. Some of the best country songs from the next two decades came from his pen, according to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

“Goodbye Earl” is a country murder ballad penned by Linde and performed by The Chicks. Despite its violent themes scaring off some radio stations from playing the track, the song was a huge success. Rolling Stone ranked “Goodbye Earl” as the No. 23 song on its 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time list.

Linde Wrote Country Gold

Dennis Linde’s songs became hits for several country stars in the 1980s and ’90s. Below is a list of highlights from his catalog.

• “Goodbye Earl”–The Chicks (No. 13)
• “Callin’ Baton Rouge”–Garth Brooks (No. 2)
• “Bubba Shot the Jukebox”–Mark Chesnutt (No. 4)
• “(Had a Dream) For the Heart”–The Judds (No. 17)
• “It Sure Is Monday”–Mark Chesnutt (No. 1)
• “John Deere Green”–Joe Diffie (No. 5)
• “Queen of My Double Wide Trailer”–Sammy Kershaw (No. 7)
• “Then It’s Love”–Don Williams (No. 3)
• “The Talkin’ Song Repair Blues”–Alan Jackson (No. 18)

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