Harlan Howard
Induction Year: 1973
Birth Name: Harlan Perry Howard
Birth Date: September 08, 1927
Place of Birth: Detroit, MI
Deceased: March 03, 2002
Place of Death: Nashville, TN
Biography
"I feel I have done about everything in life but die--at least when it comes to relationships. I don't know if all that is essential for a writer, but it sure helps because you can draw upon all those feelings. You remember the guilt, the regrets, the dreams. But, then, it's like a painter...you embellish on the emotions. If you were rotten and you write a song about it, you make yourself 10 times as rotten. Maybe you did something wrong, say you get drunk and wreck the car, well, you dramatize it in the song. To me, a song is like a three-minute movie."
"I'm a title person. I don't sit around and strum melodies, waiting for inspiration. I look for a title that intrigues me...something that will look good on a title strip in a jukebox...like a book attraction in a bookstore. I think there is a real attraction in titles. Once you have the title, you have to figure out a way to make that into a love song of meaning--a little observation on love that hasn't been beaten to death. That's why love is such a good subject. You never run out of things to say about it. I'm fascinated by how much we'll go through for love...what we'll give up, the mistakes we'll make, how weak we can be."
"It takes a certain amount of inventiveness, but I write stories about people and embellish them. I make them bigger than life or more than they really are, but there's not really an emotion I put in a song that I haven't had. I've been lonesome. I've been rejected. I've been bad. I've been drunk. I've done all those things so I'm not writing about something I don't know about. I know the mistakes I've made and the wrongs that have been done to me--and I have a real good memory."
Former Occupations: | Education: |
Discography / Career Highlights
Career Milestones:
1954 - became serious about songwriting; wrote "Keeper of the Key" and "You Took Her Off My Hands"
1955 - moved to Los Angeles
1956 - Johnny Bond and Tex Ritter began listening to his songs
1958 - first major cut, "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down" recorded by Charlie Walker; song became a #2 hit and stayed on the charts for 22 weeks
1959 - Ray Price's recording of "Heartaches By the Numbers" stayed on charts for 40 weeks
1960 - moved to Nashville
1961 - signed a publishing contract with Acuff-Rose
1961 - had 15 songs on the country charts at the same time
1961 - received 10 BMI awards
1965 - formed his own publishing company, Wilderness Music
1992 - formed Harlan Howard Songs, Inc.
Awards:
1959 - BMI\Heartaches By the Numbers, Pick Me Up On Your Way Down, Mommy For a Day
1959 - BMI Pop\Heartaches By the Numbers
1960 - BMI\Above and Beyond
1961 - BMI\The Blizzard\Excuse Me\Foolin' Around\Heartbreak USA\I Don't Believe I'll Fall In Love Today\I Wish That I Could Fall In Love Today\I Fall to Pieces\Odds and Ends\Three Steps to the Phone\Under the Influence of Love
1961 - BMI Pop\I Fall to Pieces
1963 - BMI\Don't Call Me From a Honky Tonk\Second Hand Rose\You Comb Her Hair\You Took Her Off My Hands
1963 - BMI Pop\Busted
1964 - BMI\Your Heart Turned Left
1965 - BMI\Tiger By the Tail\I Won't Forget You
1966 - BMI\Evil On Your Mind\It's All Over\The Streets of Baltimore
1967 - BMI\Evil On Your Mind\The Hurtin's All Over\The Streets of Baltimore
1970 - BMI\Yours Love
1971 - BMI\She's a Little Bit Country
1973 - BMI\The Key's in the Mailbox
1975 - BMI\She Called Me Baby\No Charge
1975 - BMI Pop\She Called Me Baby
1997 - Country Music Hall of Fame induction
1997 - National Academy of Popular Music\Songwriters' Hall of Fame induction
1997 - Won 43 BMI songwriting awards
Catalog Highlights:
"Heartaches By the Number" - Artists: Ray Price, Guy Mitchell, Jack Reno
"I Fall to Pieces" - Co-writer: Hank Cochran - Artists: Patsy Cline
"The Chokin' Kind" - Artists: Joe Simon, Waylon Jennings
"Busted" - Artists: Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, John Conlee
"I Won't Forget You " - A rtists: Jim Reeves
"Why Not Me " - A rtists: The Judds
"Pick Me Up On Your Way Down " - A rtists: Charlie Walker, Bobby G. Rice
"Heartbreak USA " - A rtists: Kitty Wells
"The Blizzard " - A rtists: Jim Reeves
"I Don't Believe I'll Fall in Love Today " - A rtists: Warren Smith
"When I Get Through With You " - A rtists: Patsy Cline
"I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" - Co-writer: Buck Owens - A rtists: Buck Owens
"I Don't Know a Thing About Love" - A rtists: Conway Twitty
"Somebody Should Leave" - A rtists: Reba McEntire
"Above and Beyond" - A rtists: Buck Owens, Rodney Crowell
"Life Turned Her That Way " - A rtists: Mel Tillis, Ricky Van Shelton
"She Called Me Baby " - A rtists: Charlie Rich, Carl Smith
"Somewhere Tonight " - A rtists: Highway 101
"Mommy For a Day " - A rtists: Kitty Wells
"Too Many Rivers " - A rtists: Brenda Lee, Forester Sisters
"Streets of Baltimore " - A rtists: Bobby Bare
"Foolin' Around " - A rtists: Buck Owens
"No Charge " - A rtists: Montgomery Melba
"You Comb Her Hair " - A rtists: George Jones
"Evil On Your Mind " - A rtists: Jan Howard
"You Took Her Off My Hands " - A rtists: Ray Price
"Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache) " - A rtists: Buck Owens (1960)
"I Wish That I Could Fall In Love Today " - A rtists: Ray Price (1960), Barbara Mandrell (1988)
"Odds and Ends (Bits and Pieces) " - A rtists: Warren Smith (1961)
"Three Steps to the Phone (Millions of Miles) " - A rtists: George Hamilton IV (1961)
"Under the Influence of Love " - A rtists: Buck Owens (1961)
"Don't Call Me From a Honky Tonk " - A rtists: Johnny & Jonie Mosby (1963)
"Second Hand Rose " - A rtists: Roy Drusky (1963)
"Your Heart Turned Left (and I Was On the Right) " - A rtists: George Jones (1964)
"It's All Over " - A rtists: David Houston & Tammy Wynette (1968)
"The Hurtin's All Over " - A rtists: Connie Smith (1966)
"Yours Love " - A rtists: Waylon Jennings (1969), Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton (1969)
"She's a Little Bit Country " - A rtists: George Hamilton IV (1970)
"The Key's in the Mailbox " - A rtists: Freddie Hart (1960), Tony Booth (1972)
"No Charge " - A rtists: Melba Montgomery (1974)
Comments:
The following songs sold over 1 million copies each:
"Heartaches By the Numbers"
"Busted"
"The Chokin Kind"
"I Won't Forget You"
Recorded as an artist on RCA, Monument, Capitol, and Nugget labels
Won 10 BMI awards in 1961