Born on This Day in 1959, the Songwriter Behind Miranda Lambert’s Landmark No. 1 and Hits for Toby Keith, Bonnie Raitt, and Keith Urban

On this day (May 13) in 1959, Allen Shamblin was born in Tennessee. He moved to Nashville in the late 1980s and found success as a songwriter. Less than five years after moving to Music City, his songs were being recorded by Randy Travis, Toby Keith, Mark Wills, and other 90s country hitmakers. Later, he wrote “The House That Built Me,” which became Miranda Lambert’s first No. 1, won multiple awards, and remains one of her signature songs.

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Shamblin was born in Tennessee and raised in Texas. After attending Sam Houston State University, he worked as a real estate appraiser in Austin, Texas, until 1987. That year, he decided to quit his job, move to Nashville, and try to find success as a songwriter.

According to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, it only took him three years to find his first hit. In 1990, Randy Travis took “He Walked on Water” to No. 2 on the country chart. A year later, Shamblin’s co-writer Mike Reid took their song “Walk on Faith” to the top of the chart, where it stayed for two weeks.

Shamblin and Reid also co-wrote one of his biggest songs. While it wasn’t a massive hit, “I Can’t Make You Love Me” has been recorded by a long list of stars. Bonnie Raitt recorded the original version in 1991. It reached No. 6 on the Adult Contemporary chart and No. 18 on the Hot 100. Since then, Kenny Rogers, Patti LaBelle, Boyz II Men, and Adele, among others, have put their spin on the song.

[RELATED: Behind the Song Lyrics: “The House That Built Me,” Miranda Lambert]

Allen Shamblin Gave Miranda Lambert Her First No. 1

Allen Shamblin and Tom Douglas co-wrote “The House That Built Me” over the course of a few years, according to Songfacts. Then, they pitched it to Blake Shelton. His then-girlfriend Miranda Lambert heard it and knew she had to record it.

She released it in March 2010 as the third single from her album Revolution. It became her first No. 1, topping the country chart for four weeks. The song also won multiple awards. Lambert won the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Single of the Year at the ACM Awards. “The House That Built Me” brought its writers Song of the Year from the CMA and ACM Awards. Additionally, it won Music Video of the Year at both genre-specific award shows.

More Shamblin-Penned Hits

Allen Shamblin co-wrote several songs that became hits in the 1990s and beyond. Below is a list of highlights from his catalog.

• “Don’t Laugh at Me”–Mark Wills (No. 2)
• “In This Life”–Collin Raye (No. 1)
• “Life’s a Dance”–John Michael Montgomery (No. 4)
• “Man of My Word”–Collin Raye (No. 8)
• “Thinkin’ Problem”–David Ball (No. 2)
• “We Were in Love”–Toby Keith (No. 2)
• “Where the Blacktop Ends”–Keith Urban (No. 3)

Featured Image by Gary Miller/FilmMagic