Born on This Day in 1953, the Hall of Fame Songwriter Behind Some of George Strait’s Biggest Hits and Other 90s Country Bangers

On this day (March 5) in 1953, Aaron Barker was born in San Antonio, Texas. He has done many things over the course of his decades-long career. Barker has been a solo act, a member of a successful band, and has created commercial jingles for Blue Bell Ice Cream. However, he is likely best known as a songwriter. George Strait has taken several of his songs to the top of the country chart. Additionally, the likes of Doug Supernaw, the Oak Ridge Boys, and Willie Nelson have cut his songs.

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Baker received his first guitar when he was six years old and taught himself to play. Soon, he was singing at school and church. Not long after learning to play and sing, he began writing songs. According to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Barker is color blind. As a result, when he was asked to create an art project in elementary school, he turned in poetry. These poems became the foundation for his first songs.

[RELATED: 3 George Strait Songs That Solidified Him as a Country Icon]

When he was 13 years old, Barker joined The American Peddlers, a band that played a wide array of cover songs, from western swing to heartland rock and everything in between. He spent a little more than a decade in the band, honing his skills and earning a reputation as a top-notch performer. At the same time, he played solo gigs in smaller venues, focusing on his original material.

Aaron Barker Finds Songwriting Success

He left the band in 1988 to focus on finding success as a songwriter. According to the Texas Heritage Songwriters Association, “Baby Blue” was Aaron Barker’s first song to be recorded by another artist. George Strait recorded it in 1988 and took it to the top of the country chart.

Strait continued to record Barker’s songs over the years. He penned or co-penned “Easy Come, Easy Go” and “Love Without End, Amen,” which were both No. 1 hits. Barker also has writing credits on “I Can Still Make Cheyenne,” “I Know She Still Loves Me,” and “I’d Like to Have That One Back,” which were all top-five hits.

Aaron Tippin (“I’m Leaving), Doug Supernaw (“Not Enough Hours in the Night”), Clay Walker (“Watch This,” “You’re Beginning to Get to Me”), and Lonestar (“What About Now”) also had hits with Barker’s compositions.

In short, Aaron Barker wrote some of the most beloved country songs of the 1980s and ’90s.

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