Allen Shamblin is a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...

songwriter who was born in

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

, and was brought up in Huffman, Texas. After graduating from Sam Houston State University he worked in Austin as a real estate appraiser. In 1987, he quit his job and moved to

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

to pursue a career as a songwriter. He supported himself by parking cars and working in a warehouse. During live shows he tells stories about his parents sending him money so he could survive. In 1990, Randy Travis took a song Shamblin wrote, about his great-grandfather, to number one on the country charts. After "He Walked on Water", he followed it up with four more number one songs including: "We Were in Love," "In This Life" and "Walk on Faith." He often co-writes with other songwriters. He co-wrote with Steve Seskin for number one hits with "Life is a Dance" and "Don't Laugh at Me." Don't Laugh at Me was a hit for Mark Wills and was later recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary resulting in a school program designed to teach children tolerance and prevent bullying in the playground. His biggest song, " I Can't Make You Love Me," was co-written with Mike Reid and was a hit for

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporate ...

. His song "The House that Built Me", co-written with

Tom Douglas Thomas Douglas may refer to: * Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk (1771–1820), founder of the Red River Colony * Thomas Monteath Douglas (1787–1868), officer of the Bengal Army of the East India Company * Thomas Douglas (American judge) (1790� ...

, was recorded by Miranda Lambert and she won the Best Female Country Vocal Performance Grammy for the recording. In 2009, Shamblin was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Association Hall of Fame on March 1, 2009, at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas. In 2011 he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Songs

* " Don't Laugh at Me" ( Mark Wills) * " He Walked on Water" ( Randy Travis) * "

Thinkin' Problem ''Thinkin' Problem'' is the second studio album by American country music artist David Ball. It was released in 1994 (see 1994 in country music) on Warner Bros. Records Nashville. Although he had recorded an eponymous album for RCA Nashville i ...

" ( David Ball) * " I Can't Make You Love Me" (

) * " Why" (

Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second co ...

) * " The House That Built Me" ( Miranda Lambert) * " Where the Blacktop Ends" (

Keith Urban Keith Lionel Urban (born 26 October 1967) is an Australian-American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter known for his work in country music. Recognized with four Grammy Awards, Urban also received fifteen Academy of Country Music Awa ...

) * "

Life's a Dance Life's a Dance is the debut studio album by American country music singer John Michael Montgomery, released on October 13, 1992, by Atlantic Records. It features the singles "Life's a Dance", "Beer and Bones" and "I Love the Way You Love Me", w ...

" ( John Michael Montgomery) * " In This Life", " Man of My Word" ( Collin Raye) * "What I'm For" ( Pat Green) * " How They Remember You" (Rascal Flatts) * "Threads Of Gold" ( The Marcy Brothers)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shamblin, Allen American country songwriters American male songwriters Living people Sam Houston State University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)