Jerry Wayne Gillespie (born Decatur,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

) is an American country songwriter. He co-wrote " Do You Love as Good as You Look", a #1 song in 1981 for

The Bellamy Brothers The Bellamy Brothers are an American pop and country music duo consisting of brothers David Milton Bellamy (born September 16, 1950) and Homer Howard Bellamy (born February 2, 1946), from Dade City, Florida. The duo had considerable musical succ ...

and wrote " Heaven's Just a Sin Away", a #1 country hit in 1977 for

The Kendalls ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

. He co-wrote " Somebody's Knockin'", a

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 ...

finalist in 1982 for

Terri Gibbs Teresa Fay Gibbs (born June 15, 1954) is an American country music artist who is blind. Between 1980 and 2017, she has recorded eleven studio albums, including four for MCA Records and one for Warner Bros. Records. She also charted 13 singles ...

, and " I Just Can't Stay Married to You", a #5 hit for Christy Lane in 1979. He wrote or co-wrote a number of successful songs for Tommy Overstreet, including "Gwen (Congratulations)", co-written with Ricci Mareno, a #5 country hit in 1971, and "That's When My Woman Begins a #6 country hit in 1975. Gillespie also worked as a producer with Christy Lane, The Kendalls, and Micki Fuhrman. Gillespie's first music venture was with his cousin Gary in a Nashville-area teenaged rock band named "The Valiants". The band put out two singles in 1965-1966 with songs written by Gillespie.

Other Gillespie songs that charted

*"Catch the Wind" (Jerry Gillespie, Ricci Mareno) Jack Barlow, #26 Country, 1971 *"A Seed Before the Rose" (Jerry Gillespie, Ricci Mareno)"Seed Before The Rose"
(Gillespie-Mareno), release details at 45cat.com, retrieved October 5, 2014; see als
copyright details at ASCAP
, Work ID: 490299059 Tommy Overstreet, #16 Country, 1972 *"It'll Be Me" (Gillespie/ Clement/ Bourke) Tom Jones, #34 Country, 1983 *"You Really Go for the Heart" (Charles Black, Tommy Rocco, Jerry Gillespie) Dan Seals, #37 Country, 1983 *"We Just Gotta Dance" (Jerry Gillespie) Karen Taylor-Good, #66 Country, 1984 *"I Love You By Heart" (Jerry Gillespie, Stan Webb), Sylvia and Michael Johnson, #9 Country, 1985 *"She's Ready for Someone to Love Her" (Charles Black, Jerry Gillespie, Tommy Rocco) The

Osmond Brothers The Osmonds were an American family music group who reached the height of their fame in the early to mid-1970s. The group had its best-known configurations as a quartet (billed as the Osmond Brothers) and a quintet (as the Osmonds). The group ...

, #67 Country, 1983. Also covered by

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted m ...

and

Jerry Reed Jerry Reed Hubbard (March 20, 1937 – September 1, 2008) was an American singer, guitarist, composer, and songwriter as well as an actor who appeared in more than a dozen films. His signature songs included " Guitar Man", " U.S. Male", "A Thi ...

*"Baby Wants", The Osmond Brothers, #45 Country, 1986 "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" also charted in a minor way for

Kelly Willis Kelly may refer to: Art and entertainment * Kelly (Kelly Price album) * Kelly (Andrea Faustini album) * ''Kelly'' (musical), a 1965 musical by Mark Charlap * "Kelly" (song), a 2018 single by Kelly Rowland * ''Kelly'' (film), a 1981 Canadia ...

in 1993 (#63 Country). "Old Pictures" and "Dr. Dr." were written by Gillespie with

K. T. Oslin Kay Toinette Oslin (May 15, 1942 – December 21, 2020) was an American country music singer-songwriter. She had several years of major commercial success in the late 1980s after signing a record deal at age 45. Oslin had four number one hits and ...

, and appeared on her platinum-selling 1987 debut album '' 80s Ladies''. His Christmas song "Blue Decorations" was covered by B. B. King on his 2001 Grammy-winning album '' A Christmas Celebration of Hope''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillespie, Jerry American country songwriters American male songwriters Living people People from Decatur, Alabama Songwriters from Alabama Year of birth missing (living people)