born April 30, 1933, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
U.S. country music singer and songwriter.
His grandfather taught him to play guitar, and by age 10 he was performing at local dances. After working as a disc jockey, in 1961 he moved to Nashville, Tenn., where he wrote hit songs for dozens of country, rhythm-and-blues, and pop singers; these songs include "Hello Walls," "Night Life," and "Crazy." Returning to Texas, he released the hit album Red Headed Stranger (1975); it was followed by Wanted: The Outlaws , which outsold every country album that had preceded it, and Stardust (1978), with songs by Hoagy Carmichael and Irving Berlin . He has recorded with at least 75 other singers, including Waylon Jennings (b. 1937). In the 1980s he organized annual Farm Aid festivals to raise money for farmers. His later albums include the critically acclaimed Teatro (1998).