World News – US – Mac Davis, country singer and songwriter of Elvis Presley, dead at 78

The singer-songwriter wrote Elvis Presley’s indelible « In the Ghetto » alongside solo hits like « Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me » and « Stop and Feel the roses « 

Mac Davis, country singer and songwriter of Elvis Presley « In the Ghetto », has died at age 78

Mac Davis, the country music artist and songwriter behind some of Elvis Presley’s most indelible recordings, died Tuesday at 78 Davis fell « seriously ill after heart surgery in Nashville, » his family tweeted Monday His manager confirmed the artist’s death in a statement

Born in Lubbock, Texas, in 1942, Davis would go on to become a country and adult-contemporary crossover star with solo hits like « Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me, » « Stop and Smell the Roses » and « One Woman’s Hell » In 1974 he was named Artist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music, beating nominees like Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard The same year he was nominated for the artist of the year by the Country Music Association

Davis enjoyed a resurgence in the ’80s, thanks to novelty hits « It’s Hard to Be Humble » (picked up by Willie Nelson on Ride Me Back Home in 2019), « Texas in My Rearview Mirror » and rockabilly  » Hooked on Music, ”which nodded, both lyrically and musically, to its greatest champion: Elvis Presley In the late 1960s, Presley cut a series of Davis compositions, including“ A Little Less Conversation ”and the story of downtown poverty“ In the Ghetto, ”which Davis also recorded The first was a posthumous success for Presley, thanks to a 2002 remix by Dutch DJ Junkie XL, while the success of the latter endeared Davis’ material to Presley Elvis also recorded Davis’ compositions « Memories » and « Don’t Cry Daddy », two staples of his 70s live performances.

A member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the National Songwriters Hall of Fame, Davis has also had his songs recorded by Kenny Rogers, Glen Campbell, Bobby Goldsboro and the soft-rock group Gallery, one of several artists to having cut Davis « I Believe in Music » In 1989, he recorded the duet « Wait ‘Til I Get You Home » with Dolly Parton for the album of the country legend White Limozeen

Davis also enjoyed modest success as an actor and TV personality, even hosting his own variety series, The Mac Davis Show, from 1974 to 1976 on NBC. In 2019 he appeared in an episode of the Netflix series Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings

Kenny Chesney considered Davis an early influence and remembered him Tuesday as a “songwriting hero” “He welcomed me into his home and turned this tremendous creative light on me Even though he had written ‘In the Ghetto’ for Elvis and had so many amazing successes, he made me feel that what I was doing mattered, « said Chesney » A little boy from town who had achieved the most great fame, he remained a good guy, a father of a family It was Mac: a giant heart, quick to laugh and a greater creative spirit I had the chance to make it shine on me « 

Mac Davis, Elvis Presley, In the Ghetto