Born on This Day in 1953, the Songwriter Who Penned George Strait’s First No. 1 and Multiple Other Massive Country Hits for George Jones and Ray Charles

On this day (December 12) in 1955, Byron Hill was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He moved to Nashville and signed a publishing deal in 1978, at the age of 23. Not long after arriving in Music City, major artists started cutting his songs and launching them to the upper reaches of the country chart. Over the years, Hill has penned hits for Johnny Lee, Joe Sun, Ed Bruce, Ray Charles, Tracy Byrd, George Strait, and George Jones, among others.

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Hill moved to Nashville and signed with ATV Music Group. Three years later, he found his first hit. Johnny Lee took his song, “Pickin’ Up Strangers,” to No. 3 on the country chart in 1981. The next year, George Strait released Hill’s “Fool Hearted Memory” as the lead single from his second album, Strait from the Heart. It became both men’s first No. 1 single.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1982, George Strait Topped the Country Chart for the First Time—After His Wife Convinced Him Not To Quit Music]

According to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Hill boasts an impressive resume. The list of artists who recorded his songs is long and full of huge names. Ray Charles, Clint Eastwood, Randy Travis, Sammy Kershaw, Alabama, and Joe Diffie are just a few of the hitmakers who have put their spin on Hill’s compositions.

Byron Hill May Have Written Your Favorite Country Songs

Byron Hill has penned four decades’ worth of country hits.

Joe Sun became one of the first to cut one of Hill’s songs in 1979. He took “Out of Your Mind” to No. 34 on the country chart.

The 1980s were a good decade for Hill. Johnny Lee had a top 5 hit with “Pickin’ Up Strangers” in 1981. George Strait took “Fool Hearted Memory” to No. 1 the next year. Ed Bruce made “Nights” a top 5 hit in 1986. The same year, Ray Charles made “The Pages of My Mind” a top 40 country hit.

Hill co-penned several ’90s country tunes, but a few stand out. For instance, Alabama took “Born Country” to No. 2 in 1992. George Jones had a top 40 country hit with “High-Tech Redneck” in 1993. The next year, Tracy Byrd landed a No. 4 hit with “Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous.”

He continued to pen hits for multiple artists in the 2000s. However, his most successful song of the decade was “Nothing on But the Radio.” Gary Allan took it to the top of the country chart and landed within the top 40 of the Hot 100 in 2004.

So far, Byron Hill’s sons have produced more than 100 Gold or Platinum certifications and 36 top ten hits in the United States and Canada. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.

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