The Professional Work of Wayland Holyfield
Wayland Holyfield is the writer and performer of “Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me),” which was named one of Arkansas’s official state songs in 1987. Grammy-nominated Holyfield, a prolific songwriter has written more than forty top-ten hits, including fourteen that claimed Billboard’s number one spot. Wayland composed a huge cache of songs of which one hundred – thirty - four of his compositions have been published and recorded by an array of successful and popular artists from the country music arena.
Wayland Holyfield was born on March 15, 1942, northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas,USA in the town of Mallettown. Wayland attended the University of Arkansas (1961-1965) earning a BA degree in marketing. In 1972, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a songwriting career. Holyfield had his first major hit when Johnny Russell charted "Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer" (No.4, 1973), just nine months after Wayland signed a publishing contract with Jack Clement. In 1975, Wayland achieved his first solo number one composition, You're My Best Friend (No. 1, 1975), recorded by Don Williams.
In addition to Williams, Holyfield's songs have been recorded by numerous Nashville luminaries including George Strait, Reba McEntire, Tammy Wynette, Conway Twitty, Charley Pride, Mark Chesnutt, John Anderson, Mel Street, The Oak Ridge Boys and Anne Murray.
For nearly two decades, Holyfield supplied the Nashville recording industry with a steady supply of chart toppers such as “Till The Rivers All Run Dry" (Don Williams, No. 1, 1976), "Some Broken Hearts Never Mend" (Don Williams, No. 1, 1977), "I'll Do It All Over Again" (Crystal Gayle, No. 2, 1977) and “If I Had a Cheating Heart (Mel Street, No 9, 1978). In 1980, Wayland received a Grammy nomination for "Could I Have This Dance" (Anne Murray, No. 1, 1980), which was featured in the movie, Urban Cowboy starring John Travolta. Wayland has long been active in protecting songwriters' rights and was the first writer member from Nashville to serve on the board of ASCAP, the performance rights association.
Other popular Holyfield compositions include, I'm Getting Good at Missing You (Solitaire) (Rex Allen Jr., No. 10, 1977), “Nobody Likes Sad Songs” (Ronnie Millsap, No. 1, 1979), “Tears of the Lonely” (Mickey Gilley, No. 3, 1982), Ed Bruce’s biggest chart single, You're the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had “(No. 1, 1981) and "Down In Tennessee" (John Anderson, No. 12, 1985).
Throughout his career, Wayland accumulated several awards, including ASCAP\Country Writer of the Year\co-winner (1983) and NSAI Presidential Award (1979). Wayland’s songwriting skills earned him sixteen ASCAP performance awards and fourteen BMI performance awards. Holyfield is the current chairman of the Nashville Songwriters Foundation.
Waylon has been a member of the board of directors of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, (NSAI) for almost 25 years. In 1990, Holyfield was elected to the ASCAP Board of Directors, the first Nashville writer so honored. Holyfield was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992. “Most of us go to our grave with our music still inside of us”. ..... Wayland Holyfield. ~RJB: Country Music Historian, 9/2010.
Holyfield, Wayland: Song Catalog.
Wayland Holyfield is the writer and performer of “Arkansas (You Run Deep in Me),” which was named one of Arkansas’s official state songs in 1987. Grammy-nominated Holyfield, a prolific songwriter has written more than forty top-ten hits, including fourteen that claimed Billboard’s number one spot. Wayland composed a huge cache of songs of which one hundred – thirty - four of his compositions have been published and recorded by an array of successful and popular artists from the country music arena.
Holyfield, Waylan: Song Catalog:
- I Have This Dance (Anne Murray, 1980)
- Don't Count the Rainy Days (Michael Martin Murphy, 1983)
- Down in Tennessee (John Anderson,1985)
- Falling Again (Don Williams, 1981)
- I Met a Friend of Yours Today (Mel Street, 1976)
- If I Had a Cheating Heart (Mel Street, 1978)
- I'll Be Leaving Alone (Charley Pride, 1977)
- I'll Do It All Over Again (Crystal Gayle, 1977)
- I'll Need Someone to Hold Me When I Cry (Janie Fricke, 1981)
- I'm Getting Good at Missing You (Solitaire) (Rex Allen Jr., No. 10, 1977)
- I've Got a Winner In You (Don Williams, 1978)
- Never Been So Loved (Charley Pride, 1981)
- Nobody Likes Sad Songs (Ronnie Milsap, 1979)
- No, No, No (I'd Rather Be Free) (Rex Allen Jr., 1978)
- Only Here For a Little While (Billy Dean, 1990)
- Put Your Dreams Away (Mickey Gilley, 1982)
- Rednecks, White Socks, and Blue Ribbon Beer (Johnny Russell, 1973)
- She Never Knew Me (Don Williams, 1976)
- Some Broken Hearts Never Mend (Don Williams, 1977)
- Surround Me With Love (Charlie McClain, 1981)
- Tears of the Lonely (Mickey Gilley, 1982)
- Till the Rivers All Run Dry (Don Williams, 1976)
- Two Less Lonely People (Rex Allen Jr., 1976).
- Virginia How Far Will You Go (Mel Street, 1978)
- When You Get to the Heart (Barbara Mandrell, 1986)
- (Wish I Had a) Heart of Stone (Baillie & the Boys, 1989)
- You'll Be Back (Every Night in My Dreams) (Statler Brothers, 1982)
- You're My Best Friend (Don Williams, 1975)
- You're the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had (Ed Bruce, 1981)
