Biography
Byron Hill has built a multifaceted career that encompasses songwriting alongside publishing, production, and his own recordings. Early success arrived when Johnny Lee cut “Picking up Strangers” in 1981, followed the next year by George Strait’s chart-topping version of “Fool Hearted Memory.” Production work includes Kathy Mattea’s self-titled Mercury Records debut from 1984, Gary Allan’s 1996 MCA album Used Hearts for Sale, and Mike Dekle’s 2000 project Fine Tuned, on which Hill also supplied vocals. His own album, Gravity...And Other Things That Keep You Down to Earth, appeared in 1999.
A native of Georgia, Hill grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where his father introduced him to guitar through Carter Family songs. Exposure to country soon broadened to encompass Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Kris Kristofferson; Kristofferson’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” a hit for Cash, proved especially formative. At Appalachian State University he connected with fellow aspiring songwriters and performers, leading to local appearances at North Carolina resorts and campus coffeehouses. In 1974 he joined a trio whose original material met with little enthusiasm.
Consulting Songwriter Magazine, Hill mailed several compositions to publishers listed in its pages. Positive replies from Jonathan Stone at ATV Music prompted repeated trips to Nashville beginning in 1975. He settled there in 1978 and took a position with ATV Music, where Roger Bowling—writer of “Coward of the County,” “Blanket on the Ground,” and “Lucille”—became a valued mentor. Johnny Lee’s success with “Picking up Strangers” marked the start of Hill’s ascent.
After ATV Music closed in 1984, Hill continued as an independent writer and publisher. “Nights,” recorded by Ed Bruce, became a hit, as did additional songs cut by Anne Murray and Kenny Rogers. By the late 1980s he had joined the Collins Music writing staff with songwriting as his sole focus, resulting in “Alright Already” for Larry Stewart and Alabama’s chart-topping “Born Country.” In 1992 he moved to MCA Music Nashville, where George Jones, Tracy Byrd, Sammy Kershaw, Neal McCoy, and Gil Grand recorded his material. Hill remained in Nashville after leaving MCA for Starstruck Writers Group late in 1998. When Warner Chappell Music acquired Starstruck in 2000, he continued there as a staff writer.
A native of Georgia, Hill grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where his father introduced him to guitar through Carter Family songs. Exposure to country soon broadened to encompass Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Kris Kristofferson; Kristofferson’s “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” a hit for Cash, proved especially formative. At Appalachian State University he connected with fellow aspiring songwriters and performers, leading to local appearances at North Carolina resorts and campus coffeehouses. In 1974 he joined a trio whose original material met with little enthusiasm.
Consulting Songwriter Magazine, Hill mailed several compositions to publishers listed in its pages. Positive replies from Jonathan Stone at ATV Music prompted repeated trips to Nashville beginning in 1975. He settled there in 1978 and took a position with ATV Music, where Roger Bowling—writer of “Coward of the County,” “Blanket on the Ground,” and “Lucille”—became a valued mentor. Johnny Lee’s success with “Picking up Strangers” marked the start of Hill’s ascent.
After ATV Music closed in 1984, Hill continued as an independent writer and publisher. “Nights,” recorded by Ed Bruce, became a hit, as did additional songs cut by Anne Murray and Kenny Rogers. By the late 1980s he had joined the Collins Music writing staff with songwriting as his sole focus, resulting in “Alright Already” for Larry Stewart and Alabama’s chart-topping “Born Country.” In 1992 he moved to MCA Music Nashville, where George Jones, Tracy Byrd, Sammy Kershaw, Neal McCoy, and Gil Grand recorded his material. Hill remained in Nashville after leaving MCA for Starstruck Writers Group late in 1998. When Warner Chappell Music acquired Starstruck in 2000, he continued there as a staff writer.
Albums
