Paul Charles Craft (August 12, 1938 – October 18, 2014) was an American
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
singer-songwriter.
The
Memphis-born Craft was known as the songwriter for
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 ...
's single "
Brother Jukebox", and the novelty song "It's Me Again, Margaret", recorded by
Ray Stevens
Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country music, country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian. He is best known for his Grammy-winning recordings "Everything Is Beautiful" and "M ...
, and Craft himself. Between 1977 and 1978, Craft charted three singles on
RCA Nashville
RCA Nashville is an American country music record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is distributed by Sony Music Nashville which is part of Sony Music.
Artists Current artists
*Kane Brown
* Corey Kent
* Nate Smith
* Morgan Wade
Former art ...
.
His song "Keep Me From Blowing Away" was originally recorded by
The Seldom Scene
The Seldom Scene is an American bluegrass band that formed in 1971 in Bethesda, Maryland. The band's original line-up comprised John Starling on lead vocals and guitar, Mike Auldridge on Dobro and baritone vocals, Ben Eldridge on banjo, Tom ...
on their 1973 album ''Act II'' and was then recorded by
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is an American singer who has performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin music.
Ronstadt has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three A ...
on her 1974 album ''
Heart Like a Wheel
''Heart Like a Wheel'' is the fifth solo studio album by Linda Ronstadt, released in November 1974. It was Ronstadt's last album to be released by Capitol Records. At the time of its recording, Ronstadt had already moved to Asylum Records and re ...
'', and has since been recorded by
Moe Bandy
Marion Franklin "Moe" Bandy Jr. (born February 12, 1944) is an American country music singer. He was most popular during the 1970s, when he had several hit songs, both alone and as part of a duo with Joe Stampley.
Early life and recordings
Ma ...
,
T. Graham Brown,
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 ...
, The Grascals and
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...
. Craft's song "Midnight Flyer" was recorded by the
Eagles
Eagle is the common name for the golden eagle, bald eagle, and other birds of prey in the family of the Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of Genus, genera, some of which are closely related. True eagles comprise the genus ''Aquila ( ...
on their 1974 album ''
On the Border'' and by himself for his own albu
Brother Jukeboxin 1998. His song "Dropkick Me, Jesus" was a No. 17 country hit for Bobby Bare in 1976. He also wrote
Moe Bandy
Marion Franklin "Moe" Bandy Jr. (born February 12, 1944) is an American country music singer. He was most popular during the 1970s, when he had several hit songs, both alone and as part of a duo with Joe Stampley.
Early life and recordings
Ma ...
's "
Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life" and
T. Graham Brown's "
Come as You Were" among others.
Craft 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 i ...
on October 5, 2014.
Craft died at a hospital in
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 ...
on October 18, 2014, at the age of 76.
Discography
References
External links
* biography
rchived from the original*
*
Paul Craft InterviewNAMM Oral History Library (2009)
1938 births
2014 deaths
American country singer-songwriters
Singers from Memphis, Tennessee
RCA Records Nashville artists
Singer-songwriters from Tennessee
Country musicians from Tennessee
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