Nashville, TN. (Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame announcement) - Hit songwriter and successful independent publisher
Roger Murrah was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame tonight during the 2005 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony.
Other songwriters inducted tonight were Gary Burr and Mike Reid, and in the Songwriter/Artist category, Vince Gill and Jerry Reed.
Murrah recently celebrated his 33rd year in Nashville and the 15th anniversary of his publishing company, Murrah Music Corporation. Among his lengthy list of hit songs are Al Jarreau's "We're in This Love Together," the Oak Ridge Boys' "Ozark Mountain Jubilee," "It Takes A Little Rain To Make Love Grow" and "Crazy Love;" Steve Wariner's "Life's Highway," Alan Jackson's "Don't Rock the Jukebox," Alabama's "High Cotton," "I'm In a Hurry (And Don't Know Why)"and "Southern Star;" as well as "Where Corn Don't Grow," recorded by Travis Tritt, Waylon Jennings and The Grascals; and "Goodbye Time," recorded by Conway Twitty and Blake Shelton. A native of Athens, Alabama, Murrah is also a BMI Songwriter of the Year and Songwriter of the Decade ('90s) and has been honored with a Bronze Star induction into the Walk of Fame at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.
Murrah began his songwriting career with a stint as staff writer at Rick Hall's Fame Music Publishing in 1968. He moved to Nashville in 1972 to sign with Bobby Bare's Return Music and had his first nationally charted song, "It's Raining in Seattle," recorded by Wynn Stewart in 1973. By 1978 he was signed to Bill Rice's Magic Castle Music. It was there that he wrote "Life's Highway," "Ozark Mountain Jubilee," Conway Twitty's "A Bridge That Just Won't Burn," as well as his first "Number 1" song - Mel Tillis's "Southern Rains." "We're in This Love Together" was released in 1981 and became an international hit and a BMI Multi-Million-Air Award winner.
At Tom Collins Music beginning in 1984, Murrah wrote several hits for artists such as Wynonna, Alabama, Conway Twitty, Lee Greenwood and the Oak Ridge Boys. He also broke new ground by co-writing with Waylon Jennings the "audio-biography," A MAN CALLED HOSS, containing "If Ole Hank Could Only See Us Now" and "Rough and Rowdy Days." During this time Murrah also wrote "Where Corn Don't Grow" and "Don't Rock The Jukebox," which was nominated for Grammy and CMA Song of the Year honors.
Murrah formed Murrah Music Corporation in 1990, and in 1992 the company was named "Billboard"'s Independent Publisher of the Year. The company's catalog includes two ACM Song of the Year titles-Rascal Flatts' "I'm Moving On" and Tracy Byrd's "Keeper of the Stars"-as well as hits by Alabama, Tanya Tucker, Wynonna, Clay Walker, Sammy Kershaw, Reba McEntire and Martina McBride.
The company recently had another three hits on the country charts at once-Blake Shelton's version of "Goodbye Time," Reba McEntire's "He Gets That From Me" and Blaine Larsen's debut, "How Do You Get That Lonely."
Murrah has served two consecutive terms as president of the Nashville Songwriters Association International and one as chairman of the Nashville Songwriters Foundation. He has served on the boards of the CMA, the Biblical Resource Center & Museum in Memphis, and as governor and vice president of the NARAS Board of Governors. He was also appointed by the governor for three terms on the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Advisory Council.
