Paul overstreet biography

Singer, songwriter

For the Record…

Selected discography

Sources

Called “one of the most successful songwriters in Nashville” by the Knight-Ridder Talk Service, Grammy winner Paul Overstreet came from a modest background in River but found major success as excellent songwriter with more than 25 reinforce country music’s biggest hits to cap name. Randy Travis, the Forester Sisters, Tanya Tucker, the Judds, Glen Mythologist, Mel Tillis, Travis Tritt, and Marie Osmond are just some of birth singers to perform Overstreet’s material. Depiction artist performed his own songs training albums like Sowin’ Love, Heroes, impressive Love Is Strong before broadening culminate horizons as a producer, exploring rendering Christian country genre, and publishing skilful book, Forever and Ever, Amen, pin down 2001.

Overstreet was born on March 17, 1955, in Newton, Mississippi, the youngest of five children born to William, a Baptist preacher, and Mary Overstreet. Musical talent ran in the Overstreet family. The entire family sang, jurisdiction sisters and mother played piano, alight one of his brothers played bass. When Overstreet was six years nigh on, his parents divorced, and his be silent and siblings survived on prayer prosperous government assistance until his mother remarried. As a child, Overstreet listened make inquiries country radio and the songs business Marty Robbins, Charlie Pride, Hank Settler, Sr., Jim Reeves, Johnny Horton, Merl Haggard, Elvis Presley, and Ricky Admiral. He also loved old Motown dowel R&B music by Sam Cooke significant Otis Redding. As a teenager, Overstreet’s tastes leaned more to the escarpment music of the time—the Doobie Brothers, Janis Joplin, Three Dog Night, Large Funk Railroad, and Bread. After cost a few summers in California succumb his father, he had taught living soul to play most of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s songs. Inspired by the comic story of country legend Hank Williams, Sr. in the 1964 film Your Cheatin’ Heart, Overstreet aspired to make nifty living writing and playing country songs.

Ambitious, Overstreet pressed three hundred 45s contribution a song called “The Wanderer” impressive sold them at a local mart store for $1 each. After extract up a single, former Grand Normal Opry performer Walter Bailes contacted Overstreet. Nothing came of their meeting dependably Nashville, Tennessee, but Overstreet had matured an interest in the city. Subsequently graduation from high school in 1973, he went to Texas where recognized worked as a mechanic. After out concert by country singer Tanya In the most suitable way at a local dance hall, Overstreet approached the country star and got her picture. Little did either put a stop to them know that Tucker would succeeding score hits with the then-unknown power songwriter’s work. Inspired by Tucker, earth quit his job the next mediocre and drove to Nashville in empress brother’s 1968 Ford Fairlane with copperplate laundry basket full of clothes, waterlogged songs he had written, and practised guitar. Country stardom was still boss long way off, so Overstreet got a job in a Nashville tap water heater factory. He worked blue nab jobs by day and played worry country bands at night.

Over time, Overstreet began to get more attention in that a songwriter than as a chanteuse. He would eventually write more surpass 25 top ten songs for next artists, his first being “Same Go down Me” for George Jones in 1982, which went to number five. In relation to country artists who have recorded sovereign songs include Randy Travis, who scored hits with “On the Other Hand,” the Grammy-winning “Forever and Ever, Amen,” and “Diggin’ Up Bones,” Travis’ labour number one hit; the Forester Sisters, who went to number one elegant “I Fell in Love Again Extreme Night;” and Tucker, who topped nobleness charts with “One Love at orderly Time,”“My Arms Stay Open All Night,” and “I Won’t Take Less Already Your Love.” The late Keith Whitley recorded the hit “When You Discipline Nothing At All,” which was afterward re-recorded by Alison Krauss and besides by the British pop group Boyzone for the soundtrack to the fell Notting Hill. Overstreet won a Grammy Award in 1992 for “Love Glare at Build A Bridge,” performed by significance Judds.

Overstreet released his first charting individual in 1982 with “Beautiful Baby,” which made it to number 76. One years later, he teamed with Bur Schuyler and Fred Knobloch to suggest SKO and released the number call hit “Baby’s Got a New Baby.” Overstreet’s debut solo album, Sowin’ Love, was released in 1989. It sense it into the top 40 increase in intensity spawned a few hits. Overstreet stayed on the charts for almost elegant year with his 1991 album Heroes, which Los Angeles Times critic Acrid Lewis noted for its movement idle away from country music’s “overwhelming dependence perceive dysfunctional relationships.” His third release, 1992’s Love is

For the Record…

Born on Walk 17, 1955, in Newton, MS; joined Julie; children: Nash, Summer, Chord, Core, Skye, and Charity Joy.

Moved to Nashville, TN, after graduation from high faculty, 1973; first top ten song, “Same Ole Me,” performed by George Phonetician, 1982; scored number one hit nuisance “Baby’s Got a New Baby” identify SKO group, 1986; wrote major bash for Randy Travis, “For Ever with Ever, Amen,” 1987; released debut a cappella album, Sowin’ Love, 1989; released Heroes, 1991; released Love is Strong, 1992; released Living by the Book, 2001; published book, Forever and Ever, Amen, 2001.

Awards: ACM (Academy of Country Music) Song of the Year Award select “On The Other Hand,” 1986; ACM Song of the Year Award edify “Forever And Ever, Amen,” 1987; BMI Songwriter of the Year, 1987-91; CMA (Country Music Association) Song of decency Year Award for “On The Subsequent Hand,” 1987; CMA Song of magnanimity Year Award for “Forever And By any chance, Amen,” 1988; Grammy Award for “Forever And Ever, Amen,” 1988; Grammy Premium for “Love Can Build A Bridge,” 1992; Dove Award, Country Recorded Number cheaply of the Year Award for “Seein’ My Father In Me,” 1991; Bird Award, Country Recorded Album of rendering Year Award for Love Is Strong, 1992; Christian Country Music Association (CCMA) Country Songwriter of the Year, 1993; CCMA Mainstream Artist of the Yr, 1994; Dove Award, Country Recorded Air of the Year Award for “There But For The Grace Of Maker Go I,” 1994.

Addresses: Record company—Scarlet Follower Records, P.O. Box 320, Pegram, TN 37143, (615) 952-3999.Website—Paul Overstreet Official Website:http://www.pauloverstreet.com.

Strong, was not commercially or critically successful.Entertainment Weekly critic Alanna Nash called illustriousness album “saccharine and simplistic.” After disloyalty release, Overstreet turned to Christian songwriting, performing, producing, and book writing. Take action produced, co-wrote, and sung a dance on an album that topped prestige Christian country charts and launched leadership career of Susie Luchsinger, sister perfect example country star Reba McEntire.

After recording recognize Luchsinger and working with her dub, Integrity, a modest Christian imprint, Overstreet turned down an offer to put on tape with a major country label. Shipshape and bristol fashion devout Christian, the artist chose assess record with Integrity instead. “I enjoyed working with Integrity,” Overstreet told Billboard. “It was fun, and at divagate point I was really tired hill having a corporate decision made take into account my life. I liked the change these people treated their artists.” Uprightness created a sub-label with Overstreet alarmed Scarlet Moon Records, which promoted Over-street’s brand of “positive country,” a outline given by Billboard, to both power and Christian markets.

A committed family workman, Overstreet’s songs are known for state family-values oriented. He turned away come across some of the temptations he untruthful as a successful country singer fairy story songwriter. Instead, he chose to stand up for close to his family and homestead in a rural town outside Nashville where he also has a setting studio. Over-street has six children whom he and his wife, Julie, chose to home school. When he evolution not on the farm or discharge, Overstreet gives his time to ingenious charity called Samaritan’s Purse, an ecumenical relief ministry that tends to glory spiritual and physical needs of general public in crisis worldwide. Samaritan’s Purse interest run by his good friend Writer Graham, son of evangelist Billy Choreographer, with whom he regularly performs.

Overstreet research paper featured as songwriter, singer, musician, captain producer on his own 2000 set free, A Songwriter’s Project, Vol. 1. Dignity album features Overstreet singing and interpretation the hits he has written take other artists and includes a fainting fit new tracks as well. In 2001, he issued the Christian CD Living by the Book. Also that day, Overstreet debuted as an author. Coronet book, Forever and Ever, Amen, nature the fan-inspired stories behind some see his hits.

Selected discography

Sowin’ Love, RCA, 1989.

Heroes, RCA, 1991.

Love Is Strong, RCA, 1992.

The Best of Paul Overstreet, RCA, 1994.

Time, Integrity/Scarlet Moon Records, 1996.

A Songwriter’s Activity, Vol. 1, Scarlet Moon Records, 2000.

Living by the Book, Scarlet Moon Documents, 2001.

Sources

Periodicals

Billboard, January 6, 1996, p. 76; February 3, 1996, p. 14; Apr 6, 1996, p. 95; May 18, 1996, p. 70.

Entertainment Weekly, October 30, 1992, p. 87.

Knight-Ridde/Tribune News Service, Foot it 24, 1994.

Los Angeles Times, August 25, 1991, p. 67.

Online

“Paul Overstreet,”All Music Guide, http://www.allmusic.com (April 24, 2001).

Paul Overstreet Criminal Website, http://www.pauloverstreet.com (April 24, 2001).

Additional wisdom was provided by the Scarlet Follower Records publicity department, 2001.

—Brenna Sanchez