Hall, Tom T.

TOM T. HALL

• From Olive Hill, Kentucky. Lives in Nashville.
• Nickname: “The Storyteller.” He is a member of the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame.
• Began playing guitar at age 4; wrote his first song at age 9.
• Age 17, formed his first band The Kentucky Travelers.
• As a recording artist he has had seven #1 songs: “A Week in a Country Jail” (1969–70), “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died” (1971),“Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine” (1972–73),” “I Love” (1973–74), “Country Is” (1974), “I Care” (1974–75), and “Faster Horses (the Cowboy and the Poet)” (1976). Other notable hits: “The Ballad of Forty Dollars” (1968), “Me and Jesus” (1972).
• 1968, his “Harper Valley PTA,” recorded by Jeannie C. Riley, became a huge international hit on both pop and country charts, selling nearly 2 million records in two weeks.
• First bluegrass hit: “Fox on the Run” (1976, from the album Magnificent Music Machine (Mercury) with musicians Bill Monroe, J. D. Crowe, Jimmy Martin, Kenny Baker and others.)
• 1971, became a member of the Grand Old Opry.
• 1982, recorded an album with Earl Scruggs called Storyteller & The Banjo Man (Mercury).
• 1982, ran for Governor of Tennessee (lost.)
• 1998, released second bluegrass album Homegrown (Mercury).
• 2005, he and his wife Dixie formed Blue Circle Records to promote young emerging bluegrass talent.
• 2007, released Tom T. Hall Sings Miss Dixie & Tom T. (Blue Circle).
• 2008, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
• 2011, was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame.
• 2012, was presented with the BMI “Icon” Award for his lifetime songwriting achievements.
• 2015, Dixie Hall (“Miss Dixie”) died at the age of 80.
• 2018, Tom T. and Dixie were together inducted into the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame.
• 2021, Tom died at the age of 85.