Stan Munsey

Last updated

Stan E. Munsey (born July 10, 1955) is an American songwriter and one of several writer-musicians to emerge from the Muscle Shoals, Alabama music scene.

Biography

Munsey was born in Easton, Pennsylvania on July 10, 1955, and spent a significant number of his early years in Sheffield, Alabama. [1]

He is best known as a musician and songwriter, with songs on major recordings that have sold more than 12 million worldwide, and has penned tunes for Alabama, Shenandoah, The Statler Brothers, Glen Campbell, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, The Kinleys, Butch Baker, Lorrie Morgan, Suzy Bogguss, Barbara Mandrell, Lee Greenwood, Jonathan Edwards, Mel McDaniel, Charly McClain, Wayne Massey, Ty Herndon, Collin Raye, John Michael Montgomery, Marty Raybon, and Marie Osmond. [2]

As a musician, the first band Munsey recorded with was "The Chessmen", who released a single on the Paradox records label which got modest radio airplay in 1970. He played keys with numerous bands and artists throughout the seventies and shared his talents with the likes of Percy Sledge and Jim Stafford before making his mark in Nashville, Tennessee as a songwriter.

Munsey took some time off from his songwriting to tour with Los Angeles-based Wendy Waldman on Dan Fogelberg's Exile tour. He later signed with Charley Pride's publishing company where he penned songs for Lorrie Morgan and Tim McGraw. Munsey scored big with the McGraw single and title cut of the CD, "All I Want Is a Life", which reached the top of the Billboard Country charts in 1995 and earned him a BMI Million-Air award. [2] He was the keyboardist for Grammy Award-winning country music group Shenandoah, having joined during the 1990s, until his departure in 2018. [3] [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alabama (band)</span> American country music band

Alabama is an American country music band formed in Fort Payne, Alabama, in 1969. The band was founded by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry. They were soon joined by another cousin, Jeff Cook. First operating under the name Young Country and later Wildcountry, the group toured the Southeast bar circuit in the early 1970s, and began writing original songs. They changed their name to Alabama in 1977 and following the chart success of two singles, were approached by RCA Records for a recording deal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith Hill</span> American country singer (born 1967)

Audrey Faith McGraw, known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold almost 50 million albums worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Whitley</span> American country singer (1954–1989)

Jackie Keith Whitley was an American country music singer and songwriter. During his career, he released only two albums but charted 12 singles on the Billboard country charts, and 7 more after his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim McGraw</span> American country singer and actor (born 1967)

Samuel Timothy McGraw is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has released 16 studio albums. 10 of those albums have reached number one on the Top Country Albums charts, with his 1994 breakthrough album Not a Moment Too Soon being the top country album of 1994. In total, McGraw's albums have produced 65 singles, 25 of which have reached number one on the Hot Country Songs or Country Airplay charts. Three of these singles – "It's Your Love", "Just to See You Smile", and "Live Like You Were Dying" – were respectively the top country songs of 1997, 1998, and 2004 according to Billboard Year-End. He has also won three Grammy Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music awards, 11 Country Music Association (CMA) awards, 10 American Music Awards, and three People's Choice Awards. His Soul2Soul II Tour, which was done in partnership with his wife, Faith Hill, is one of the highest-grossing tours in country music history, and one of the top five among all genres of music. He has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Chesney</span> American country musician (born 1968)

Kenneth Arnold Chesney is an American country singer. With 30 million albums sold worldwide, he released his debut, In My Wildest Dreams, in 1994, and has since released 19 follow-ups. His albums spawned 27 singles that have peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Larry Butler was a country music producer/songwriter. From the mid-1970s through the 1980s, he worked with Kenny Rogers. Many of his albums with Rogers went either gold or platinum and accumulated many millions of sales around the world. These albums include Kenny Rogers (1976), The Gambler (1978), Gideon (1980) and I Prefer The Moonlight (1987). Rogers and Butler maintained a friendship outside of show business. Butler also produced Rogers' 1993 album If Only My Heart Had A Voice. He also participated in Rogers 2006 retrospective DVD The Journey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mac McAnally</span> American singer-songwriter

Lyman Corbitt McAnally Jr., known professionally as Mac McAnally, is an American singer-songwriter, session musician, and record producer. In his career, he has recorded ten studio albums and eight singles. Two of his singles were hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and six more on the Hot Country Songs chart. His ninth chart entry came in late 2008-early 2009 as a guest vocalist on Kenny Chesney's cover of his 1990 single "Down the Road".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shenandoah (band)</span> American country music group

Shenandoah is an American country music band founded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in 1984 by Marty Raybon, Ralph Ezell, Stan Thorn, Jim Seales, and Mike McGuire. Thorn and Ezell left the band in the mid-1990s, with Rocky Thacker taking over on bass guitar; Keyboardist Stan Munsey joined the line up in 1995, until his departure in 2018. The band split up in 1997 after Raybon left. Seales and McGuire reformed the band in 2000 with lead singer Brent Lamb, who was in turn replaced by Curtis Wright and then by Jimmy Yeary. Ezell rejoined in the early 2000s, and after his 2007 death, he was replaced by Mike Folsom. Raybon returned to the band in 2014. That same year, Jamie Michael replaced the retiring Jim Seales on lead guitar.

Christopher Marsh Lindsey is a Grammy nominated American country music songwriter and record producer. He has created major hits for Taylor Swift, The Civil Wars, Adam Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, Kellie Pickler, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Lonestar, and many others. Lindsey has over 250 commercial recordings of his songs selling 90 Million records and counting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim McGraw (song)</span> 2006 single by Taylor Swift

"Tim McGraw" is the debut single by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, who wrote it with Liz Rose for her debut studio album Taylor Swift (2006). Big Machine Records released the song to US country radio on June 19, 2006. Produced by Nathan Chapman, "Tim McGraw" is an acoustic guitar–led country ballad that incorporates the '50s progression and elements of alternative rock. In the lyrics, Swift's character pleads with her ex-boyfriend to remember her every time he hears her favorite song by the country musician Tim McGraw, the song's namesake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Wiseman</span> American songwriter

Craig Michael Wiseman is an American Country music songwriter and producer, and the owner/founder of the Big Loud enterprise. He has been writing since the late 1980s, and his songs have been recorded by Lorrie Morgan, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Dolly Parton, Blake Shelton, and numerous other acts. He has written twenty-six No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs music charts, and has won a number of industry awards. In 2009, he was named "Songwriter of the Decade" by the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and in 2015, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Curtis Blaine Wright is an American country music artist. He first played in the 1970s and 80s as a member of the Super Grit Cowboy Band before becoming a solo artist in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Wright charted three singles on Billboard Hot Country Songs between 1990 and 1993. He has also recorded as a member of Orrall & Wright, Shenandoah, and Pure Prairie League. In addition to these, Wright holds several credits as a songwriter, including the number one singles "A Woman in Love" by Ronnie Milsap, "Next to You, Next to Me" by Shenandoah, and "What's It to You" by Clay Walker. Curtis Wright now resides in his hometown Huntington Pennsylvania with his wife Debra He continues writing and is pursuing his music career.

Marcus Spencer Hummon is an American country music singer-songwriter. Notable songs written or co-written by Hummon include "Ready to Run" and "Cowboy Take Me Away", recorded by The Chicks; "Born to Fly", recorded by Sara Evans; "Only Love", recorded by Wynonna Judd; "The Cheap Seats", recorded by Alabama; "Pilgrims on the Way", recorded by Michael Martin Murphey; "One of These Days", recorded by Tim McGraw; "Cornfields or Cadillacs", recorded by Farmer's Daughter; "Love Is the Right Place", recorded by Bryan White; and "Bless the Broken Road", recorded by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as well as Rascal Flatts. Three of these songs reached number one on the country record charts: "Cowboy Take Me Away", "Born to Fly", and the Rascal Flatts version of "Bless the Broken Road". Hummon has also scored films and written operas and musicals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All I Want Is a Life</span> 1996 single by Tim McGraw

"All I Want Is a Life" is a song written by Stan Munsey, Tony Mullins, and Don Pfrimmer and recorded by American country music artist Tim McGraw. It was released in January 1996 as the third single and partial title track to McGraw's album All I Want. The song peaked at number 5 in the United States, and at number 2 in Canada.

Thomas Stevenson Douglas is an American country music songwriter. He has written Top 10 Billboard Country hits for John Michael Montgomery, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Collin Raye, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney and others.

Christopher G. Tompkins is an American songwriter based in Nashville. Since 2002 he has co-written songs for pop, rock, and country artists Jimmy Buffett, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, and Nickelback and has written charting singles for artists such as Kenny Chesney, Florida Georgia Line, and Tim McGraw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James T. Slater</span> American songwriter

James Thomas Slater is a two-time Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter based in Nashville. He has written several hit songs of American popular music.

Gary Steven Harrison is an American songwriter.

Adam Shoenfeld is a professional guitarist, songwriter and producer based in Nashville, TN. Primarily focused on modern country music, his guitar playing has been featured on over 500 albums, and is closely associated with Big & Rich and Jason Aldean ("Hicktown").

References

  1. ↑ "Alabama's Music Achievers". Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  2. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 227.
  3. ↑ "Bios". Shenandoah Official Website. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Shenandoah". Allmusic. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.