The time period “Renaissance Man” is bandied about usually. And sometimes, it’s employed to flatter versus precisely describe. In the case of songwriter, actor, painter, poet, author, comic, tutorial, and musician John Hadley, someway “Renaissance Man” doesn’t appear to encapsulate the complete breadth of his contributions. Whether or not you’ve heard the identify or not, you’ve actually heard the music, whether or not his identify was ascribed to the writing credit, or his affect was merely current within the work of others.
Over 1,000 songs have been revealed by John Hadley in his profession. In actual fact, he owned his personal music publishing firm known as Hadley Six Music, so you’ll be able to add entrepreneur and writer to his listing of accomplishments too.
George Jones, Roger Miller, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Reed, Garth Brooks, the [Dixie] Chicks, Wynonna Judd, Linda Ronstadt, Trisha Yearwood, Bobby Naked, Moe Bandy, T. Graham Brown, Joe Cocker, George Burns, Burt Reynolds and Dean Martin have been simply a number of the names John Hadley wrote songs for. He was additionally a daily collaborator with writers akin to Kevin Welch, David Olney, Tim O’Brien, Terri Hendrix, and Gary Nicholson simply to call a couple of. Hadley wrote some 100 music with David Olney alone.
A number of the most recognizable songs from the John Hadley catalog can be “Pushing Up Daisies” off of Garth Brooks’ Scarecrow album, the music “Reno and Me” co-written with Kevin Welch off of Waylon Jennings’ The Eagle, or “Hi there Mr. Heartache” for the [Dixie] Chicks album Fly. Roger Miller recorded Hadley’s “Rings For Sale” in 1972, and it turned a Prime 5 hit. When Moe Bandy recorded “Til I’m Too Outdated to Die Younger” in 1987, it hit the Prime 10.
For years, individuals in-the-know wished to report a John Hadley music, and songwriters wished to put in writing one with Hadley. Amongst different good habits, Hadley beloved to collaborate, although he not often carried out publicly. He most popular to let his writing do the speaking for him. He was additionally a detailed collaborator with the well-known bluegrass band Nation Gazette with Byron Berline, Roland White, Roger Bush, and Alan Munde.
However the songwriters room is way flung from the place John Hadley started. He first entered the general public consciousness showing beside brothers Tom and Dick on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Not solely was Hadley a joke author for the legendary program, he would additionally seem within the skits as nicely.
Overlapping along with his comedic profession on CBS, John Hadley was additionally an artwork professor on the College of Oklahoma for some 22 years—from 1965 to 1987. Pushing all his musical and comedic accomplishments apart, in sure circles John Hadley was recognized principally as an artist, with high-profile displays and sought-after items, and other people simply as shocked to listen to about his music profession as music followers have been of his artwork profession.
John Hadley was a long-time resident of Norman, Oklahoma, however in the course of the top of his songwriting profession, he’d journey to Nashville each two weeks to take part in writing periods. Hadley saved a cabin in Tennessee that was known as the “Fiddleback Shack” for the quantity of fiddleback spiders (a.ok.a. brown recluses) that might congregate there each time he left, and must be rousted away upon his return.
Finishing the circle of an achieved and well-rounded life, John Hadley additionally as soon as composed an Opera that was carried out at Nashville’s well-known Parthenon, and revealed quite a few books, together with his “Boogers and Hangnails” collection the place in fact he dealt with his personal illustrations.
It didn’t matter the medium. If John Hadley had one thing to specific, he would achieve this, and in no matter medium that suited it greatest. Generally concepts got here out in cross-medium collaborations. Hadley’s artwork aficionados beloved to speak in regards to the humor he expressed in bodily type.
“For the final 50 years, John has been my important mentor and instructor and possibly the very best buddy I’ve ever had,” stated frequent music collaborator Kevin Welch on the information of John Hadley’s passing. “I can’t start to deal with his life and affect right here … Hadley has lengthy been a giant a part of me, and that may by no means change.”
Gary Nicholson stated, “It was his love of making that he couldn’t comprise. 5 minutes within the presence of Hadley was sufficient for anybody to understand how particular he was, and in the event you have been lucky sufficient to be his pal and collaborator you have been gifted with a lifetime treasure. As a visible artist his fashion was celebrated by all, as a result of his humorousness and irony was on full show, and John was a naturally gifted songwriter, intuitive and intelligent but in addition a relentless craftsman. He beloved nothing greater than creating, exploring each chance of an thought.”
John Hadley was born in Lisbon, Ohio on April tenth, 1941. He handed away on December 18th in Norman on the age of 83. As is commonly the case today sadly, Hadley’s passing was famous by his many associates, however not by the media. It seems that amongst his different contributions, Hadley as soon as wrote a brief poem about this very second, as recalled by his buddy Donald Lipski upon Hadley’s passing.
You’re one among 2000 writers
Who had a music that obtained reduce by George Jones.
You possibly can snort and name me a liar,
However I’ve obtained the report at residence.
If I die tomorrow, and it don’t make the papers,
If I am going out chilly and alone,
You’ll nonetheless discover my identify below the title
Of a music that obtained reduce by George Jones.
John Hadley’s passing didn’t make the papers (at the least not but), however you’ll be able to certainly discover his identify listed within the credit of the George Jones music “You Can’t Get The Hell Out of Texas” from 1981. And for any fan of nation music, that’s all that issues.
