Hugh Prestwood obit

Hugh Prestwood, Whose Country Songs Were Cut by Randy Travis and Trisha Yearwood, Dead at 82

Prestwood was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006 alongside Jimmy Buffett, who recorded one of his songs 

He was not on the list.

Hugh Prestwood might not be a name that most country music fans know, but it should be because he was truly a legend at his craft.

Prestwood, a songwriter who authored hits for some of country music’s best, has died after he reportedly suffered a stroke

He was 82.

“Hugh Prestwood, who wrote major hits, including Randy Travis’ ‘Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart’ and Trisha Yearwood’s ‘The Song Remembers When,’ died on September 22,” the Country Music Hall of Fame wrote in a post on X. “The Texas native, who composed his work solo, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006.”

Prestwood was reportedly first discovered by Judy Collins, and he wrote his first hit, “Hard time for Lovers,” for her in 1978. Rolling Stone said Prestwood was “one of the most respected and in-demand songwriters in Nashville from the late Seventies to the mid-Nineties.”

Trisha Yearwood also wrote about Prestwood’s death on social media.

“Hugh Prestwood was a poet,” she wrote. “’The Song Remembers When’ is one of the greatest songs ever written, and I’m the lucky girl who got to sing it. It paints the beautiful picture of the power of music.

“We’re all luck that Hugh decided to be a writer,” she continued. “I will miss his voice.”

Prestwood has written several number one songs, such as Crystal Gayle's "The Sound of Goodbye" and Randy Travis's "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart", which won BMI's Robert J. Burton award for Country Song of the Year.[2] Prestwood’s song, “The Song Remembers When”, recorded by Trisha Yearwood, was picked as the Nashville Songwriters Association’s Song of the Year and also won a Prime Time Emmy for “Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics.

Other artists who have recorded his material include Shenandoah and Alison Krauss ("Ghost in This House"), Highway 101 ("Bing Bang Boom"), Barbara Mandrell ("Where are the Pieces of My Heart"), John Conlee, Tanya Tucker, Don Williams, The Judds, James Taylor and Jerry Douglas. Michael Johnson has recorded or performed over a dozen Prestwood-penned songs, including his 1987 number one hit "The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder"; Johnson's LP's That's That, Michael Johnson, and Departure each feature multiple Prestwood songs.[4] Prestwood is also known for his song "Asking Us to Dance," which originally appeared on Kathy Mattea's album Time Passes By. Jimmy Buffett recorded "Savannah Fare You Well", on his Far Side of the World album. The song was not written, as many might assume, by Buffett for his daughter Savannah Jane, born 1979.

Three of Prestwood's songs have been nominated for Grammys in the "Best Performance" category:

"Sound of Goodbye" performed by Crystal Gayle. "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart" performed by Randy Travis. "Ghost in this House" performed by Shenandoah.

In 2006, along with Jimmy Buffett and Jim Weatherly, Prestwood was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame.

For over 20 years he taught Advanced Songwriting at Manhattan’s New School.

Most recently, the English recording artist Rumer released her album, Nashville Tears - The Songs of Hugh Prestwood (2020). All 15 tracks of this album were written by Prestwood.