Johnny MacRae (February 15, 1929—July 3, 2013), born Fred A. MacRae, nicknamed "Dog"
was an American country music composer credited with 235 songs
released by recording artists including
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
,
George Jones
George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...
, and
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...
.
His best known songs include "
You Can't Make a Heart Love Somebody
"You Can't Make a Heart Love Somebody" is a song written by Johnny MacRae and Steve Clark, and recorded by American country music singer George Strait. It was released in December 1994 as the second single from his album ''Lead On''.
Content
Th ...
" (
George Strait
George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer. Strait is considered one of the most influential and popular recording artists of all time. In the 1980s, he was credited for ...
), "
Tonight the Heartache's on Me" (
Dixie Chicks
The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and E ...
), "
I'd Love to Lay You Down
"I'd Love to Lay You Down" is a song written by Johnny MacRae, and recorded by American country music artist Conway Twitty. It was released in January 1980 as the first single from the album '' Heart & Soul''. The song was Twitty's 24th number on ...
" (
Conway Twitty
Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...
), "
I Still Believe in Waltzes
"I Still Believe in Waltzes" is a song recorded by American country music artist Conway Twitty on his 1980 album ''Rest Your Love on Me''. The following year, Twitty recorded a duet version with Loretta Lynn that was released in May 1981 as the se ...
" (
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as " You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My M ...
& Conway Twitty), "
Goodbye Says It All
"Goodbye Says It All" is a debut song by American country music band Blackhawk, written by Bobby Fischer, Charlie Black and Johnny MacRae. It was released in October 1993 as the lead single from their self-titled debut album. It peaked at #11 in ...
" (
Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to:
Animals
* Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856
* Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus''
* Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii''
* Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus urub ...
), and "
Living Proof" (
Ricky Van Shelton
Ricky Van Shelton (born January 12, 1952) is an American retired country music singer. Active between 1986 and 2006, he charted more than 20 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts. This figure includes 10 Number One hits: "Somebod ...
).
MacRae was a native of
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fifth-largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson County. Independence is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the largest suburb on the Missouri side of the Kansas City metro ...
. He began composing at age 30.
He served in the U.S. Navy for 15 years and on his free time he wrote songs and fronted a
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western music ...
band.
He moved to
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
in 1963 and eventually became head of
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American brand name used by Sony Pictures' Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, a subsidiary of Japanese multinational conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. It has served several different purposes for its parent ...
Music Publishing (Nashville office) from 1976 to 1984, then became vice president of
Combine Music
Monument Records is an American record label in Washington, D.C. named for the Washington Monument, founded in 1958 by Fred Foster, Buddy Deane (a prominent Baltimore disc jockey at WTTG), and business manager Jack Kirby. Buddy Deane soon left ...
and later wrote for
Chappell Music
Warner Chappell Music, Inc. is an American music publishing company and a subsidiary of the Warner Music Group. Warner Chappell Music's catalogue consists of over 1.4 million compositions and 65,000 composers, with offices in over 40 countries.
...
.
In 2003, his song, "
I'd Be Better Off (in a Pine Box)
"I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)" is a debut song written by Johnny MacRae and Steve Clark, and recorded by American country music artist Doug Stone. It was released in February 1990 as the first single from his self titled debut album. It peake ...
" was included in CMT's list of "100 Greatest Country Songs".
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:MacRae, Johnny
Songwriters from Missouri
1929 births
American country songwriters
Country music composers
2013 deaths