Wilburn Steven Rice (born April 19, 1939 in

Datto, Arkansas Datto is a town in Clay County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 100 at the 2010 census. History Datto was established as a railroad stop along the Cotton Belt Railroad in 1900. Members of the Day family, namely Isaac and his sons, C ...

) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer and songwriter. Rice charted six singles between 1971 and 1978, including the Top 40 hit "Travelin' Minstrel Man", but is better known for his songwriting. Rice has written songs for artists such as

Johnny Paycheck Johnny Paycheck (born Donald Eugene Lytle; May 31, 1938 – February 19, 2003) was an American country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member notable for recording the David Allan Coe song " Take This Job and Shove It". He achieved his greate ...

, Reba McEntire, Lynn Anderson,

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Rec ...

and

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...

, and he has more awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers than any other songwriter. Rice has also been nominated for two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

Biography

Wilburn Steven Rice was born April 19, 1939. He learned to play guitar at age fourteen and was signed to his first recording contract at age 18. In 1960, he had his first cut as a songwriter when

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

recorded "Girl Next Door Went A-Walking". Rice began collaborating with songwriter, Jerry Foster, after meeting him while on tour. The two wrote songs together and were signed to a songwriting contract through the assistance of

Cowboy Jack Clement Jack Henderson Clement (April 5, 1931 – August 8, 2013) was an American singer, songwriter, and record and film producer. Biography Early life Raised and educated in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, Clement was performing at an early age, ...

. Some of their earliest songs they wrote were "Big Big City" and "Quarter Mile Rows" which were both recorded by singer-pianist

Moon Mullican Aubrey Wilson Mullican (March 29, 1909 – January 1, 1967), known professionally as Moon Mullican and nicknamed "King of the Hillbilly Piano Players", was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and pianist. He was associated with t ...

. Their writing partnership has been hugely successful with many dozens of charting hits from the late 1960s to early 1980s. Two of his cuts received

nominations: "Back Side of Dallas" by Jeannie C. Riley and " Here Comes the Hurt Again" by

Mickey Gilley Mickey Leroy Gilley (March 9, 1936 – May 7, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 19 ...

. He has also received 73 awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the most received by any songwriter. In 1974, Rice had eleven cuts on the country music charts at the same time. Rice charted six singles as a recording artist in the 1970s. Five as a solo artist in 1971–1972 and one as a duet with then-labelmate

Lois Johnson Lois Johnson Scoggins (May 15, 1942 – July 7, 2014) professionally known as Lois Johnson was an American country music singer. She was from Maynardville, Tennessee. She recorded for different labels between 1969 and 1978, charted twenty singl ...

titled "All the Love We Threw Away". in 1977. His first Capitol release, "Travelin' Minstrel Man", peaked at number 33 on Hot Country Songs in 1971. In the 1980s to mid 1990s, Rice also had a very successful songwriting partnership with his then-wife,

Sharon Vaughn Mary Sharon Vaughn (born May 2, 1947) is an American musician, songwriter and producer who was previously based in Sweden. She has written hits for artists such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Reba McEntire, The Oak Ridge Boys, George Jones, K ...

(under her married name Sharon Rice or Mary S. Rice). Among the songs that Rice has written include "Someone to Give My Love To" by

, "

Lonely Too Long "Lonely Too Long" is a song written by Bill Rice, Sharon Vaughn and Mike Lawler, and recorded by American country music artist Patty Loveless. It was released in August 1996 as the third single from her eight album, '' The Trouble with the Truth' ...

" by

Patty Loveless Patty Loveless (born Patricia Lee Ramey, January 4, 1957) is an American country music singer. She began performing in her teenaged years before signing her first recording contract with MCA Records' Nashville division in 1985. While her first ...

, " I'll Think of Something" by

Hank Williams, Jr. Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...

(later covered by

Mark Chesnutt Mark Nelson Chesnutt (born September 6, 1963) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Between 1990 and 1999, he had his greatest chart success recording for Universal Music Group Nashville's MCA and Decca branches, with a total of ei ...

), "

I'm Not That Lonely Yet "I'm Not That Lonely Yet" is a song written by Bill Rice and Sharon Vaughn, and recorded by American country music artist Reba McEntire. It was released in June 1982 as the first single from the album '' Unlimited''. The song reached #3 on the '' ...

" by Reba McEntire, " Would You Take Another Chance on Me" by

and "

Wonder Could I Live There Anymore "Wonder Could I Live There Anymore" is a song written by Bill Rice, and recorded by American country music artist Charley Pride. It was released in May 1970 as the first single from the album ''From Me to You "From Me to You" is a song by t ...

" by

. He lives in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Bill 1939 births American country singer-songwriters Living people Singer-songwriters from Arkansas People from Clay County, Arkansas Country musicians from Arkansas Capitol Records artists Epic Records artists Polydor Records artists