Joe Allison Dead At 77

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Oldies but goodies Website) - Songwriter Joe Allison - whose songs were recorded by Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, and others--died of lung disease in Nashville on Friday (August 2) at the age of 77.

Allison's biggest hit came in 1960 when Jim Reeves recorded the crossover hit, "He'll Have To Go," which spent 14 weeks at Number One on the country chart and three weeks at Number Two on the pop chart.

Other Allison hits included "When You Leave, Don't Slam The Door," recorded by Tex Ritter; "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young" and "It's A Great Life," recorded by Faron Young; "Teenage Crush," recorded by Tommy Sands; "Love Is Just A State Of Mind," recorded by Roy Clark; and "I'd Fight The World," recorded by Reeves.

Other artists who have recorded Allison's songs include Glen Campbell, Johnny Rivers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Willie Nelson, Ray Price, and Ry Cooder.

In addition to his songwriting, Allison worked as a recording executive, radio personality, song publisher, and record producer. He was a founding board member of the Country Music Association (CMA) in 1953, and he was inducted into the Country Disc Jockey Hall Of Fame in 1976 and into the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 1978.

Joe Allison is survived by his wife Rita, his sons Gregory Joe, Brian James, and Mark Woodward, and his brother Jerry.