Country Music Hall of Famer known for his iconic song "I Like Beer," Tom T. Hall died at his home in Franklin, Tennessee.
Aside from being the songwriter behind "Harper Valley PTA," Hall is also known for a lot of classic songs including, "That's How I Got To Memphis" and "Watermelon Wine" in the 1970s.
During his career in the music scene, Hall wrote 12 No. 1 hit songs and 26 more for the Top 10. Rolling Stone even included him on its list of "100 Greatest Songwriters," a tribute for the iconic Country singer who earned his nickname" The Storyteller," given to him by Tex Ritter, per Deadline.
By 2008, Hall entered the "Country Music Hall of Fame," alongside Emmylou Harris, The Statler Brothers, and Ernest Stoneman. He became a "Grand Ole Opry" member ever since 1971.
The singer died at the age of 85 on August 20, and no cause of death was confirmed by his son, Dean Hall.
Tom T. Hall In His Early Years
The singer was born in Olive Hill, Kentucky, where he started performing in a band that played before movies for a traveling theater.
This article also reported that he was the fourth son of an ordained minister, who started playing guitar at a young age and wrote his first song at the age of 9.
Hall also played in a bluegrass band, but when the band failed, he continued working as a disc jockey in Morehead, Kentucky. By 1957, he served for the US Army, including an assignment in Germany.
As he came back to writing, he was discovered by Nashville publisher Jimmy Key. His songwriting breakthrough came when Jimmy C. Newman recorded "Dj for a Day," which prompted Hall to move to Nashville and work as a staff songwriter at Newman's Newkeys Music publishing company.
It was there he fixed the middle initial "T" to his name.
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Tom T. Hall's Breakthrough In The Music Scene
For his entire career, the composer wrote songs for Johnny Cash, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, and a lot more. But after all those singers, his breakthrough came with Jeannie C. Riley, who recorded "Harper Valley PTA" in 1968.
"Harper Valley PTA" skyrocketed to No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Country Music singles charts, which became an impressive feat in a prosperous music era.
The record sold with more than six million copies and obtained a Grammy and CMA Awards, inspiring a motion picture and television show of the same name.
Hall made his last public appearance in 2011, as he performed on stage after he retired in the 1990s.
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