On This Day in 2014, the World Said Goodbye to the Award-Winning Songwriter Who Penned Hits for Randy Travis, Johnny Cash, and Lynn Anderson

On this day (December 18) in 2014, singer/songwriter Larry Henley died in Nashville. His career began, seemingly by accident, with a one-hit wonder pop band in the 1960s. Soon, he began writing songs with some of the best Music Row had to offer. Those songs landed in the hands of artists like Johnny Cash, Randy Travis, Tammy Wynette, Lynn Anderson, and his longtime friend Roy Orbison.

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Henley grew up in Texas with parents who embodied the spirit of the Lone Star State. His mother was a country singer who performed on local radio stations, and his father worked in the oilfields. When he was old enough to leave home, he moved to California, where he hoped to become an actor or singer while attending college.

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Henley’s acting career was short-lived, and he only scored a few gigs as a singer. With his money and morale running low, he chose to follow in his father’s footsteps and found a job in the oilfields. This put him in Shreveport, Louisiana, where his career began almost by accident.

Larry Henley Becomes a Pop Singer

According to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, he was at a club in Shreveport one evening when he sat in with a local band called Dean and Mark. Soon, he became an official member of the group,p and they landed a deal with Mercury Records. They changed the name of the group to the Newbeats and released one hit single, “Bread and Butter,” in 1964.

While the group wasn’t massively successful, it allowed Henley to travel the world and share stages with some of the biggest acts in the business for four years. After the group split, he moved to Nashville, prepared to start his career as a songwriter. Influenced by Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and his mentor, Red Lane, Henley began penning timeless hits.

Henley Penned Timeless Hits

Larry Henley’s first hit came in 1973. He and Red Lane penned “Til I Get It Right,” and Tammy Wynette took it to the top of the country chart. Two years later, Tanya Tucker had a No. 1 hit with “Lizzie and the Rainman,” which Henley wrote with Kenny O’Dell.

The 1980s saw more country legends finding hits with Henley’s tunes. Randy Travis took “Is It Still Over” to No. 1 in 1989. Janie Fricke topped the chart with “He’s a Heartache (Lookin’ for a Place to Happen)” in 1983.

Larry Henley wrote his most successful song with Jeff Silbar. Together, they penned “The Wind Beneath My Wings,” which won the Grammy and CMA Awards for Song of the Year.

Sheena Easton released the first recording of the song in 1982. The next year, Gary Morris had the first hit with the song, when it peaked at No. 4 on the country chart. A long list of artists, including Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Johnny Rodriguez, John Tesh, and Patti LaBelle, recorded the song. The most successful rendition, though, came from Bette Midler in 1989. Her recording topped the Hot 100 and peaked at No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

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