DAVE'S DIARY - 14 AUGUST 2004 - SAM HOGIN RIP
SAM
HOGIN FINALLY MAKES NEWS
RIP AT 54
"She missed her bus, missed her plane/ Surely, this can be explained/
Lost her car at the mall/ Got lost in a bathroom stall/ Joined a cult,
joined the Klan/ On the road with Pearl Jam/ Buried with the Grateful
Dead/ Came back as a parrot head/ Got derailed, got de-iced/ Offered as
a sacrifice/ FBI, CIA, if they've seen her/ They ain't saying/ No news!
Still no news!" No News - Sam Hogin- Phil Barnhart-Mark D. Sanders.
ARTISTS BELIEVED IN SAM HOGIN
When Sam
Hogin died in Nashville on August 9 at 54 he shared a fate with many peers
- his songs were better known than him.
But, with 179 titles listed with BMI and many others elsewhere, his creativity
will earn hefty royalties for his estate long after he departed.
Hogin, known for his eccentricities, suffered from diabetes and was undergoing
dialysis.
A memorial service was held for the writer whose forte was lyrics.
Sam was twice nominated for the Country Music Association's song of the
year award - in 1981 for the Don Williams hit I Believe In You -
co-written with Roger Cook.
| The
song was a #1 hit in 1980 for frequent Aussie tourist - Texan born
Don Williams. The song blended old-school tributes to faith and family with lines that challenged traditional thoughts about religion, politics and society. ''I don't believe that heaven waits for only those who congregate'' was one line. Another verse said, ''I don't believe the price of gold/ The certainty of growing old/ That right is right and left is wrong/ That north and south can't get along." It concluded ''But I believe in love, I believe in babies/ I believe in mom and dad, and I believe in you.'' |
Don Williams |
A
BROKEN WING
Hogin was nominated for a CMA Award in 1998 for Martina McBride's hit
A Broken Wing, a co-write with Cook, James House and Phil Barnhart.
He scored wide exposure on Nu Country FM for Lone Star's dance mix and
hit version of No News.
Hogin also wrote Runnin' Away With My Heart and What Would It
Take for the band that was the launch pad for latter day star John
Rich of Big & Rich.
Rich was also the prime mover in the career of Redneck Woman chart topper
Gretchen Wilson.
Hogin was a staff writer for more than 15 years at Sony Tree where he
worked alongside hit composers such as Don Cook, Bobby Braddock and Kix
Brooks.
''The first time we wrote together Sam sat on the floor with an empty
tablet,'' said Brooks of superstar country duo Brooks & Dunn.
''I said, 'What do you play? Piano? Guitar?' He said, 'Naw, I just write.'
He was a great writer, with no ego, and he was a special, caring guy.''
''He was an incredibly unique writing talent,'' said Cook - the famed
songwriter and hit producer.
''It all came from a unique place. I loved working with him and loved
hanging out with him because he was so off the wall. He tried to sing
a few times, and we begged him not to do that anymore. He wasn't a singer,
but he was a lyricist, and a hell of a good one.''
LEE ANN WOMACK
 |
Texan
star Lee Ann Womack wrote with Hogin when attempting to kick start
her career. ''I was thinking, 'Why would this guy want to spend time
with me?'', Womack recalled, "I was intimidated because I knew
his track record, but he immediately put me at ease. He was always
willing to spend time with and nurture new artists.'' Such was Hogin's humility. His other hits included Shenandoah's I Want To Be Loved Like That, Rhett Akins' Don't Get Me Started, Wade Hayes What I Meant to Say and Crystal Gayle pair Too Many Lovers and Livin' in These Troubled Times. And Hogin also wrote the pre-fame Shania Twain tune Dance With the One That Brought You with Gretchen Peters. < Lee Ann Womack |
Other artists to earn him royalties included thrice wed recent father and hell raiser Trace Adkins, George Jones and Sara Evans.