On This Day in 2015, the Legendary Musician Behind Waylon Jennings’ Biggest Hit Died Less Than a Week After His Birthday

On this day (February 23) in 2015, Bobby Emmons died in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 72, just four days after his birthday. His career spanned decades and saw him wearing many different hats. He was an in-demand session musician who played keys on several hit songs across multiple genres. Emmons also had a brief recording career. He also wrote a long list of songs, including one of Waylon Jennings’ biggest hits.

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Emmons’ rise to fame began in the late 1950s. He joined Bill Black’s Combo as the keyboard player. Before long, his time in the band led him to Chips Moman, the Memphis-based producer who oversaw sessions at American Sound Studio. Moman also assembled the group of studio musicians that came to be known as the Memphis Boys. The select group of expert musicians would go on to appear on hundreds of hit recordings.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1977, Waylon Jennings Started a Six-Week Run at No. 1 with a Song He Never Liked]

The Memphis Boys appeared on Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man,” Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds,” and Merrilee Rush’s “Angel of the Morning,” according to Music Row. The group also appeared on recordings by John Prine, Wilson Pickett, Delbert McClinton, Bobby Womack, and many others. Their contributions earned them a place in the Musicians Hall of Fame.

Bobby Emmons Wrote Classic Songs

Eventually, Bobby Emmons left Memphis for Nashville, where he continued his career as a session musician. There, he recorded with the likes of Johnny Cash, Larry Gatlin, Johnny Paycheck, Merle Haggard, and Garth Brooks. Emmons also toured and recorded with The Highwaymen.

While in Nashville, he continued his professional partnership with Chips Moman. Together, they penned several classic country songs. For instance, they share writing credits on George Strait’s “So Much Like My Dad,” Willie Nelson’s “Old Fords and a Natural Stone,” and Tanya Tucker’s “Love Me Like You Used To.” However, their biggest success as a songwriting team came from Waylon Jennings.

Emmons and Moman co-wrote “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love).” Jennings wasn’t a fan of the song, but he recorded it and released it as a single in 1977. It went to No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart and stayed there for six weeks, giving Jennings his biggest career hit.

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