Biography
Born on 12 August 1938 in Memphis, Tennessee, Craft grew up amid the countryside of Arkansas, where country music dominated his listening through broadcasts and discs. He mastered harmonica, accordion, ukulele, and guitar through self-instruction. After relocating to Richmond, Virginia, he experimented with electric guitar while incorporating banjo into his instrumental range. During the early 1960s he paused his formal education to tour as banjoist with Jimmy Martin And The Sunny Mountain Boys. Upon finishing his studies he returned to Memphis, pursued a law degree, oversaw operations at a music retailer, and performed alongside the Settlers. His move to Nashville, Tennessee, in the mid-1970s brought swift acclaim for his songwriting craft, with several compositions that same year receiving publication and earning nominations for major honors. In 1976 he launched his independent music publishing firm, through which he promoted material by Bruce Burch, Mark Germino, Henry Hipkens, Jon Ims, Tim O’Brien, Don Schlitz, Don Singleton, and John Starling. Recognition from fellow professionals has followed from the frequency with which prominent performers have selected and cut his work. Among the compositions are “Hank Williams, You Wrote My Life,” a hit for Moe Bandy; “It’s Me Again Margaret”; “Keep Me From Blowing Away”; “Take Another Swing At Me,” recorded by Randy Travis; “Blue Heartache”; “Raised By The Railroad Line,” cut by Tennessee Ernie Ford yet left unreleased; “Come As You Were”; “Brother Jukebox,” a hit for Mark Chestnutt; and “Midnight Flyer,” recorded by the Osborne Brothers. Additional interpreters of his songs encompass the Eagles, Clint Eastwood, Howard Keel, Alison Krauss, Barbara Mandrell, Kenny Rogers, and Linda Ronstadt.
Albums
