John Jarrard (May 7, 1953 February 1, 2001) 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 ...

songwriter. He wrote songs for

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

George Strait George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait has sold over 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He holds ...

Don Williams Donald Ray Williams (May 27, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Country Music Hall of Fame. He began his solo career in 1971, singing p ...

, and others.

Biography

John Jarrard was born in

Gainesville, Georgia Gainesville is a city and the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it has been calle ...

on May 7, 1953. He worked as a

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

in his hometown, and moved to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

in 1974 after being persuaded by a girlfriend to attend a convention there. While in Nashville, he worked at a motel and recorded

demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * Plural for Demo (computer programming ...

with his friend, songwriter Bruce Burch. Jarrard stopped working at the motel in 1979 after complications of

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

, which led to him losing his eyesight before suffering total kidney failure which required a transplant. His first No. 1 single as a songwriter was " Nobody but You" by

. Other artists who recorded his songs include

Tracy Lawrence Tracy Lee Lawrence (born January 27, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in Foreman, Arkansas, Lawrence began performing at age 15 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 19 ...

, and

. Overall, Jarrard had 11 number ones on the country singles charts. Jarrard continued to be affected by diabetes, eventually undergoing a second kidney transplant and having both legs amputated in 1997. He died on February 1, 2001, of

respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a r ...

Singles composed by Jarrard

— " There's No Way", " 'You've Got' the Touch", " We Can't Love Like This Anymore" * John Anderson — " Money in the Bank" * John Berry — " What's in It for Me" *

Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus urubitinga'' * Mangrove black hawk, ''Buteogallus (anthracinus) s ...

— " I Sure Can Smell the Rain" *

Diamond Rio Diamond Rio is an American country music band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Marty Roe (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy Olander (lead guitar, banjo), Dan Truman (keyboards), Dana Williams (bass guitar, vocals), Micah Schweinsberg ( ...

— " Mirror, Mirror" *

The Forester Sisters The Forester Sisters were an American country music vocal group consisting of sisters Christy, June, Kathy, and Kim Forester. Having performed together locally in their native Lookout Mountain, Georgia, since the 1970s, the four sisters began s ...

— " Lonely Alone" * James House — "A Real Good Way to Wind Up Lonesome" *

— " Is That a Tear" *

Neal McCoy Hubert Neal McGaughey Jr. (born July 30, 1958), known professionally as Neal McCoy and previously as Neal McGoy, is an American country music singer. He has released 10 studio albums on various labels, and has released 34 singles to country radio ...

— " They're Playin' Our Song" * Pirates of the Mississippi — "Let the Joneses Win" *

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 ...

— " Shouldn't It Be Easier Than This" *

Collin Raye Floyd Elliot Wray (born August 22, 1960), known professionally as Collin Raye and previously as Bubba Wray, is an American country music singer. He initially recorded as a member of the band The Wrays between 1983 and 1987. He made his solo debut ...

— " My Kind of Girl" * John Schneider — "

What's a Memory Like You (Doing in a Love Like This) "What's a Memory Like You (Doing in a Love Like This)" is a song written by Charles Quillen and John Jarrard, and recorded by American country music artist and ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' cast member John Schneider. It was released in December 1985 ...

" *

— " Blue Clear Sky" *

Pam Tillis Pamela Yvonne Tillis (born July 24, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is the eldest child of country singer Mel Tillis. After recording unsuccessful pop material for Elektra Records, Elektra ...

— " Deep Down" * Rick Trevino — "See Rock City" *

— " Nobody but You"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jarrard, John 1953 births 2001 deaths 20th-century American male musicians American amputees American country songwriters American male songwriters American blind people Blind musicians Deaths from respiratory failure People from Gainesville, Georgia Respiratory disease deaths in Tennessee Songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state) American musicians with disabilities 20th-century American songwriters