Wilburn Steven "Bill" Rice (April 19, 1939 – October 28, 2023) was an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer and songwriter. Rice charted six singles between 1971 and 1978, including the Top 40 hit "Travelin' Minstrel Man", but is better known for his songwriting. Rice has written songs for artists such as

Johnny Paycheck Johnny Paycheck (born Donald Eugene Lytle; May 31, 1938 – February 19, 2003) was an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member notable for recording the David Allan Coe song "Take This Job and Shove It". He achieved his greates ...

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire ( ; born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music, country singer and actress. Dubbed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Sin ...

Lynn Anderson Lynn René 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 internationally. She also charted five number one ...

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American Country music, country singer. Beginning his career as a Negro league baseball player in the early-1950s, he later pursued a career in country music, becoming the gen ...

, and

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

. He has more awards from the

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

than any other songwriter. Rice had also been nominated for two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

Biography

Wilburn Steven Rice was born on April 19, 1939. He learned to play guitar at age fourteen and was signed to his first recording contract at age 18. In 1960, he had his first cut as a songwriter when

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

recorded "Girl Next Door Went A-Walking". Rice met songwriter Jerry Foster while on tour and began collaborating with him. The two wrote songs together and were signed to a songwriting contract through the assistance of "Cowboy" Jack Clement. Some of the earliest songs they wrote were "Big Big City" and "Quarter Mile Rows", which were both recorded by singer-pianist

Moon Mullican Aubrey Wilson Mullican (March 29, 1909 – January 1, 1967), known professionally as Moon Mullican and nicknamed "King of the Hillbilly Piano Players", was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and pianist. He was associated with ...

. Their writing partnership has been hugely successful with many dozens of charting hits from the late 1960s to early 1980s. Two of his cuts received

nominations: "Back Side of Dallas" by Jeannie C. Riley and " Here Comes the Hurt Again" by

Mickey Gilley Mickey Leroy Gilley (March 9, 1936 – May 7, 2022) was an American country music singer, businessman, actor, and musician. Among his hits are " Room Full of Roses", " Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time", and “ Lonely Nights”. ...

. He had also received 73 awards from the

(ASCAP), the most received by any songwriter. In 1974, Rice had eleven cuts on the country music charts at the same time. Rice charted six singles as a recording artist in the 1970s; five singles charted as a solo artist in 1971–1972, and one charted as a duet with then-labelmate Lois Johnson titled "All the Love We Threw Away" in 1977. His first Capitol release, "Travelin' Minstrel Man", peaked at number 33 on Hot Country Songs in 1971. In the 1980s to mid-1990s, Rice also had a very successful songwriting partnership with his then-wife,

Sharon Vaughn Mary Sharon Vaughn (born May 2, 1947) is an American songwriter who was previously based in Sweden. She has written hits for artists such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Reba McEntire, The Oak Ridge Boys, George Jones, Kenny Rogers, Keith W ...

(under her married name Sharon Rice or Mary S. Rice). Among the songs that Rice has written include "Someone to Give My Love To" by

, " Lonely Too Long" by

Patty Loveless Patty Loveless (born Patricia Lee Ramey, January 4, 1957) is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first ...

, " I'll Think of Something" by Hank Williams, Jr. (later covered by

Mark Chesnutt Mark Nelson Chesnutt (born September 6, 1963) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Between 1990 and 1999, he had his greatest chart success recording for Universal Music Group Nashville's MCA and Decca branches, with a total of ei ...

), "

I'm Not That Lonely Yet "I'm Not That Lonely Yet" is a song written by Bill Rice and Sharon Vaughn, and recorded by American country music artist Reba McEntire. It was released in June 1982 as the first single from the album '' Unlimited''. The song reached #3 on the ...

" by

, " Would You Take Another Chance on Me" by

, and " Wonder Could I Live There Anymore" by

. Rice lived in Florida. He died in

Merritt Island Merritt Island is a peninsula, commonly referred to as an island, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, located on the eastern Florida coast, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the name of an unincorporated town in the central and sout ...

on October 28, 2023, at the age of 84.Country Songwriting Great Bill Rice Passes
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Discography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Bill 1939 births 2023 deaths American country singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Arkansas People from Clay County, Arkansas Country musicians from Arkansas Capitol Records artists Epic Records artists Polydor Records artists