Lost on This Day in 2014, One of Nashville’s Greatest Country Producers and Songwriters of the 1980s

On this day, December 29, in 2014, the country music world lost one of its finest DJs, producers, songwriters, and musical movers and shakers of the 20th century. Ed Penney remains known for his work as a songwriter for countless country music greats, one of whom earned a Grammy nomination for a song he wrote. Penney also served on a number of music-related boards and remained at least somewhat involved in music until his passing at the age of 89.

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The Legacy of Ed Penney

Edward “Ed” Penney was born in Massachusetts on August 21, 1925. After completing high school and serving in the United States Marine Corps for three years during World War II, the veteran attended Emerson College and began to work at radio stations in the Boston area. A beloved DJ and radio host, Penney was known for his work on the music show Penney Serenade. He was later named one of the Top 10 most influential DJs in the US by Variety Magazine.

That was just the beginning of a long and illustrious career in music. Penney would open a PR company in 1960 that represented entertainers and music publishers. And in 1971, Penney moved to Nashville to pursue the one thing he loved most: Songwriting.

After starting his career in Nashville, Penney wrote a number of songs for some of country music’s greatest hitmakers. Some names include Barbara Mandrell, Glen Campbell, Jerry Lee Lewis, Barbara Mandrell, Hank Williams, Jr., and many others.

However, Penney’s most widely-known songwriting credit has to be the 1981 urban cowboy hit, “Somebody’s Knockin’” by Terri Gibbs. That song earned Gibbs a CMA Horizon Award that very year. Penney co-wrote the song with Jerry Gillespie and produced the song. He would later become Gibbs’ manager. Penney would win the National Songwriters’ Association Achievement Award and SESAC Producer of the Year Award in 1980 and 1981, respectively.

Penney would later serve on the board of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for nearly a decade. He also served on the board of the Southern Songwriters Advisory Board for ASCAP, the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and the Songwriters Guild of America.

After retiring from the music biz, Ed Penney opened a bookstore in 1984 in Nashville and lived a quiet life. Penney passed away on this day in 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 89. His legacy as one of Nashville’s finest musical talents remains.

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