On This Day in 2021, the World Lost the Singer-Songwriter Who Penned Hits for Ray Price, Charley Pride, and Gladys Knight

On this day (February 3) in 2021, singer/songwriter Jim Weatherly died in his Brentwood, Tennessee, home at the age of 77. He scored a handful of country hits throughout his career. However, his biggest successes came from his songwriting. Weatherly penned hits for A-list country, pop, and R&B artists, including Ray Price, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Charley Pride.

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Weatherly’s career could have gone much differently. He was the quarterback for the Ole Miss Rebels for two undefeated seasons while he attended the University of Mississippi. However, after he graduated, he chose to pursue a music career. He had writing songs for at least as long as he had been playing football, according to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

[RELATED: Behind The Song: Gladys Knight & The Pips, “Midnight Train To Georgia” by Jim Weatherly]

Weatherly was more than a songwriter. He released 11 albums between 1972 and 2008. His biggest country hit as a recording artist was “I’ll Still Love You,” which peaked at No. 9 in 1975. “The Need to Be” went to No. 6 on the Adult Contemporary chart in 1974.

Highlights from Jim Weatherly’s Songwriting Career

Early in his career, Jim Weatherly wrote multiple hit songs for the legendary R&B group Gladys Knight & the Pips. He wrote “The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me,” which topped the R&B chart and peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100. He also penned “Neither One of Us,” which also topped the R&B chart and went to No. 2 on the Hot 100. His biggest hit for the group was “Midnight Train to Georgia,” which topped both charts in 1973.

“Midnight Train to Georgia” has been recorded by a long and diverse list of artists, including Neil Diamond, Joan Osborne, The Indigo Girls, and Lynn Anderson.

Country legend Ray Price also took multiple Weatherly compositions to the upper reaches of the country chart. “Roses and Love Songs” peaked at No. 3, “Like Old Times Again” went to No. 4, and Price’s version of “The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me” went all the way to No. 1

Weatherly’s “Where Do I Put Her Memory” was a No. 1 country hit for Charley Pride.

In short, American popular music would not have been the same without the immortal contributions of Jim Weatherly.

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