Mac Davis, Hit Songwriter and Performer, Dead at 78: NPR.

Portrait of Mac Davis was taken on October 12, 1981.

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Portrait of Mac Davis was taken on October 12, 1981.

CBS Photo Archive / Getty Images by CBS

Mac Davis, a songwriter and artist who began more than a decade in music and entertainment in the early 1960s, died Tuesday in Nashville after undergoing heart surgery. Her death was confirmed by her manager Jim Mori. He was 78.

Davis’ lyric work was recorded by dozens of artists, including Nancy Sintra, Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Reba McNetry, Tom Jones, Kenny Rogers, Merle Haggard and many more. He was the winner of the Songwriters ‘Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and the BMI Icon Award. In all, he released 19 albums in the 25 years since the early 1970s Song Painter And by the end of 1994 Write songs for food.

Davis was born on January 21, 1942, in Texas. At the age of 16, after graduating from Davis High School, Lubbock moved to Atlanta with his mother, Edith. It was there, at the age of 20, that Davis began performing and writing songs in bands, working as a “promotion man” for record labels, trying to secure radio play for their releases. His work in Liberty Records’ capacity eventually led him to Los Angeles and to the command of Nancy Sintra, who hired him to write songs for himself and his company.

After writing for Sinetra and the surrounding pop comedy community, Davis’ songs caught the attention of Elvis Presley, who was enjoying a comeback. The combination produced several hits, including “In Ghetto,” “Memories” and “Don’t scold Daddy.” (Presley’s first recording of a 1968 Davis song, “A Little Less Conversation” and co-written with manager and producer Billy Strange, was not an immediate success, but reached number one in the UK in a remix of Junkie. XL.) Glenn Campbell, Dolly Parton, Bobby Goldsbro and Kenny Rogers, and The First Edition later found success in Davis-Pand works.

In the 70’s, Davis began developing his career as a recording artist, earning a Grammy nomination for the 1972 chart-topper “Baby Don’t Hooked on Me”. By the middle of the decade, Davis was one of the most popular figures in American celebrity life, hosting a variety of shows (such as Sony and Cher, Johnny Cash and many more); Soon after, he started appearing in movies.

Nick Nolte and Mac Davis in a scene from the movie North Dallas Forty Since 1979.

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Nick Nolte and Mac Davis in a scene from the movie North Dallas Forty Since 1979.

Michael Ouchs Archive / Getty Images

Davis’ songwriting career boomed in the ’70s, but his personal recording career peaked in the’ 80s with hits such as’ It’s Hard to Be Humble ‘(quoted by Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna in the song). )Loyalty“) And” Texas in My Rearview Mirror. “

As he sang in the later song, “I thank God every day and give me music and words to say.” In a statement, his family confirmed that he would be buried in the Blue Jeans of Lubbock, Texas, according to the song’s closing lines.