Ben James Peters (born

Greenville, Mississippi Greenville is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 34,400 at the 2010 census. It is located in the area of historic cotton plantations and culture known as the Mississippi Delta. ...

, June 20, 1933; died

Nashville, Tennessee 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 ...

, May 25, 2005) was an American country music songwriter who wrote many #1 songs.

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Re ...

recorded 68 of his songs and 6 of them went to #1 on the American country charts. Peters was inducted into the

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1970 by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is u ...

in 1980. Peters was briefly a recording artist himself; his only charting hit was his own composition "

San Francisco is a Lonely Town "San Francisco Is a Lonely Town" is a song written in 1969 by the Nashville songwriter Ben Peters. Two versions of the song charted in 1969 – one by Ben Peters himself (#46 country, Peters' only charting hit), and the single by Joe Simon, which r ...

", which hit #46 on the country charts in 1969.

Number One Compositions in America

*" Turn the World Around" (1967) was a #1 Billboard chart country hit for

Eddy Arnold Richard Edward Arnold (May 15, 1918 – May 8, 2008) was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a Nashville sound (country/popular music) innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the '' Billboard'' c ...

& top 5 Billboard chart AC single. *" That's A No, No" was a 1969 #1 Cashbox chart country hit for

Lynn Anderson Lynn Renée Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, "Rose Garden," was a number one hit in the United States and internationally. She charte ...

. *" Kiss an Angel Good Mornin'" was a 1971 #1 Billboard chart country hit for

; it also went to #21 on the American pop charts. It won Ben Peters the 1973

Grammy Award for Best Country Song The Grammy Award for Best Country Song (sometimes known as the Country Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the songwriter(s) of the song, not to the artist, except if the artist is also the songwriter. There ha ...

. *"

It's Gonna Take a Little Bit Longer "It's Gonna Take a Little Bit Longer" is a song written by Ben Peters, and recorded by American country music artist Charley Pride. It was released in May 1972 as the first single from the album '' A Sunshiny Day with Charley Pride''. The song ...

" was a 1972 #1 Billboard chart country hit for

. *"

Before the Next Teardrop Falls ''Before The Next Teardrop Falls'' is an album by Freddy Fender. His first album, it was released in 1974. The album includes the number-one hits "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" and "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights". It peaked at No. 20 on the ...

" (w/Vivian Keith); first recorded in 1967 by Duane Dee in a version which reached #44 on the Billboard country singles chart early in 1968,''Billboard'', January 20, 1968, p. 47 the 1975 version by Freddy Fender was a #1 Billboard chart country and a #1 Billboard chart pop hit; it won a Country Music Association Award for Single of the Year in 1975. *"

Love Put a Song in My Heart ''Love Put a Song in My Heart'' is a compilation album of pop and country songs recorded by Debby Boone from 1977 to 1981 culled from her first five albums on the Warner Bros./Curb label. The compilation included Boone's number-one pop and AC hit ...

" (1975) was a #1 Billboard chart country hit for Johnny Rodriguez. *" A Whole Lotta Things to Sing About" was a #1 Billboard chart country hit for

in 1976. *" Daytime Friends" (1977) was a #1 Billboard chart country hit for

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted m ...

Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporari ...

covered this song for a special BBC performance with Tony Brown as producer. *" Burgers and Fries" was a 1978 #1 Billboard chart country hit for

. *" Before My Time" was a 1979 #1 Record World chart country hit for

John Conlee John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

and also a #1 hit on Canada's RPM'S country chart. *" You're So Good When You're Bad" (1982) was a #1 Billboard chart country hit for

Other Number One Compositions

* I Want To Wake Up With You as recorded by Reggae singer, Boris Gardiner (1986-1987). This song was #1 in UK for 3 weeks. This song is one of the biggest hits in the history of reggae music. *"

Living It Down "Living It Down" is a single by American country music artist Freddy Fender. Released in 1976, it was the first single from his album ''If You're Ever in Texas''. The song peaked at number 2 on the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country So ...

" went #1 in Canada's country music charts and it went to #2 as a Billboard chart country hit for Freddy Fender in 1976 in America.

Notable Compositions

*" If The Whole World Stopped Lovin'" was a #3 pop hit in the UK in November 1967 for the Irish singer

Val Doonican Michael Valentine Doonican (3 February 1927 – 1 July 2015) was an Irish singer of traditional pop, easy listening, and novelty songs, who was noted for his warm and relaxed style. A crooner, he found popular success, especially in the Un ...

. It made #2 in Ireland. *" If The Whole World Stopped Lovin'" was a #12 American Billboard chart hit in 1966 pop hit for

Roy Drusky Roy Frank Drusky, Jr. (June 22, 1930 – September 23, 2004) was an American country music singer, songwriter, producer, actor and disc jockey popular from the 1960s through the early 1970s. Known for his baritone voice, he was known for incor ...

. *"

Misty Memories Misty may refer to: Music * ''Misty'' (Ray Stevens album), an album by Ray Stevens featuring the above song * ''Misty'' (Richard "Groove" Holmes album), an album by Richard "Groove" Holmes featuring the above song * ''Misty'' (Eddie "Lockjaw" ...

" was a Grammy Nominated country chart hit for

Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Performing rockabilly, pop and country music, she had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s and is ranked fourth in that decade, surpassed only ...

in 1971. *"

I Need Somebody Bad I, or i, is the ninth Letter (alphabet), letter and the third vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in Engl ...

" was a #11 Billboard country chart hit for

Jack Greene Jack Henry Greene (January 7, 1930 – March 14, 2013) was an American country musician. Nicknamed the "Jolly Greene Giant" due to his height and deep voice, Greene was a long time member of the Grand Ole Opry. A three-time Grammy Award nomine ...

in 1973. *"

Don't Give Up On Me ''Don't Give Up on Me'' is a studio album by American R&B/Soul singer Solomon Burke, recorded and released in 2002 on Fat Possum Records. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. It is noteworthy for the contributions ...

" was a #3 American Billboard country chart hit for

Jerry Wallace Jerry Leon Wallace (December 15, 1928 – May 5, 2008) was an American country and pop singer. Between 1958 and 1964, Wallace charted nine hits on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, including the No. 8 "Primrose Lane" that was later used as the theme ...

in 1973. *"

It's Time To Cross That Bridge English auxiliary verbs are a small set of English verbs, which include the English modal verbs and a few others. Although definitions vary, as generally conceived an auxiliary lacks inherent semantic meaning but instead modifies the meaning of an ...

" was a #13 Billboard chart country hit for

in 1973. *"

I Can't Believe That It's All Over "I Can't Believe That It's All Over" is a song written by Ben Peters and recorded and released as a single by American country artist, Skeeter Davis. The song was recorded at the RCA Victor Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, United States on March 9 ...

" was a #13 Billboard chart country hit for

Skeeter Davis Skeeter Davis (born Mary Frances Penick; December 30, 1931September 19, 2004) was an American country music singer and songwriter who sang crossover pop music songs including 1962's " The End of the World". She started out as part of the Davis ...

in 1973. *" All Over Me" was a 1975 #4 Billboard chart country hit in America for

Charlie Rich Charles Allan Rich (December 14, 1932July 25, 1995) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. His eclectic style of music was often difficult to classify, encompassing the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country, soul, and gospel ...

. *"

Lovin' On Loving may refer to: * Love, a range of human emotions * Loving (surname) * ''Loving v. Virginia'', a 1967 landmark United States Supreme Court civil rights case Film and television * ''Loving'' (1970 film), an American film * ''Loving'' ( ...

" was a #20 American Billboard chart country hit for T.G. Sheppard in 1977. *"Before the Night is Over" was recorded by

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis mad ...

originally in 1977 and by Jerry Lee and

BB King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...

in 2006. *" Puttin' In Overtime At Home" was a 1977 #8 Billboard chart country hit in America for

. It made #3 in Canada. *"

" was a #16 American Billboard chart country hit for Bellamy Brothers in 1978. *" Tell Me What It's Like" (1979) was a #8 American Billboard chart Grammy Nominated country hit for

. *"

Lost My Baby Blues "Lost My Baby Blues" is a song written by Ben Peters, and recorded by American country music artist David Frizzell. It was released in October 1982 as the second single from the album ''The Family's Fine, But This One's All Mine''. The song reach ...

" was a 1982 top 5 Billboard chart country hit in America for David Frizzell. It made #5 in Canada. *"I'm Only a Woman" recorded by Tammy Wynette. *"San Francisco is a Lonely Town" was recorded and released in 1976 by

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...

Notable History Making Albums

*Peters had 3 songs, "The Little Town Square", "That's A No No" and "Satan Place" on the million selling The Harper Valley P.T.A. album. This is a pop culture music album by Jeannie C. Riley released in 1968. This is Jeannie C. Riley's biggest album ever. The album was released by

Plantation Records Plantation Records was a country music record label of the 1960s and 1970s helmed by Shelby Singleton. The label is best known for Jeannie C. Riley's 1968 hit " Harper Valley PTA", which topped both the country and ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart ...

, and was very successful. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard pop album chart, and No. 1 on the Billboard country album chart. *Peters had 2 songs, "Mr. Mistletoe" and "Soon It Will Be Christmas Day" on The Christmas Album. This is a holiday music album by country music singer

released in 1971. This was

's first Christmas music album. The album was released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

, and was very successful. The album reached No. 13 on the "Billboard 200" in 1971 (her highest chart position on that chart). *Peters had 1 song, "Daytime Friends" on the 4 million selling 10 Years of Gold album. This is a collection of 10 years of

hits. The album was released by United Artist, and went No. 1 on the Billboard country album chart in 1977. *Peters had 1 song, "Daytime Friends" on the 4 million selling

20 Greatest Hits album. This is a collection of his hits prior to this project released in 1983. The album was released by

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals ...

, and was successful.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peters, Ben American country songwriters American male songwriters University of Southern Mississippi alumni 2005 deaths 1933 births Musicians from Greenville, Mississippi 20th-century American musicians Songwriters from Mississippi 20th-century American male musicians