Kostas Lazarides ( gr, Κώστας Λαζαρίδης; born April 14, 1949) is a Greek-born 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, ...

songwriter, known professionally as Kostas. He has written for several country music artists, including

Dwight Yoakam Dwight David Yoakam (born October 23, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter, actor, and film director. He first achieved mainstream attention in 1986 with the release of his debut album ''Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''. Yoakam had considerabl ...

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 ...

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 ...

, and

Travis Tritt James Travis Tritt (born February 9, 1963) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In the 20 ...

, and has won eleven awards from

Broadcast Music Incorporated Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performance rights organization in the United States. It collects blanket license fees from businesses that use music, entitling those businesses to play or sync any songs from BMI's repertoire of over 20.6 milli ...

(BMI).The Songs of Kostas
In addition, he has recorded a self-titled album ''Kostas'' on First American Records (1980) and an album entitled ''X S in Moderation'' on

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...

(1994). He was inducted into the

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1970 by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is u ...

in 2019.

Biography

Kostas Lazarides was born in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

, Greece. When he was seven years old, he and his family moved to the United States, taking up residence in

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...

. Lazarides eventually began identifying himself by the singular name Kostas.

Musical career

Kostas performed in Montana as a singer and songwriter throughout the 1980s. Eventually, he was discovered by record producer Tony Brown, who was searching for new material for country singer

. Kostas' first cut as a songwriter, "

Timber, I'm Falling in Love "Timber, I'm Falling in Love" is a song written by Kostas, and recorded by American country music artist Patty Loveless. It was released in May 1989 as the third single from her album '' Honky Tonk Angel''. Background "Timber, I'm Falling in Lov ...

", was recorded by Loveless; released as a single in 1989, it went to number one on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' country charts, becoming Loveless's first number one hit. She would also release three more of his songs as singles: " The Lonely Side of Love" (1989), " On Down the Line" (1990), and "

Blame It On Your Heart "Blame It On Your Heart" is a song written by Harlan Howard and Kostas, and recorded by American country music artist Patty Loveless. It was released in April 1993 as the first single from her album '' Only What I Feel''. A cover version by Debo ...

" (1993). "Blame It on Your Heart" also earned BMI's Robert J. Burton award for being the most performed single of 1994.BMI.com , Country Songwriter Kostas Performs for Montana Broadcasters
/ref>

also recorded several songs written by Kostas, including "Nothing's Changed Here", "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose", and "Send a Message to My Heart" (a duet with Loveless), all of which were released as singles from Yoakam's 1990 album ''

If There Was a Way ''If There Was a Way'' is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam, released on October 30, 1990. Five of its tracks would rise into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1991 and 1992. They were ...

''. Yoakam's 1993 album, '' This Time'', included another song co-written by Kostas: the single "

Ain't That Lonely Yet "Ain't That Lonely Yet" is a song written by Kostas and James House, and recorded by American country music artist Dwight Yoakam. It was released in March 1993 as the first single from his album '' This Time''. It peaked at number 2 for the wee ...

", which earned Yoakam 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 pres ...

for Best Country Vocal Performance - Male in 1994. During the early 1990s, Kostas also wrote singles for

McBride & the Ride McBride & the Ride is an American country music band consisting of Terry McBride (musician), Terry McBride (lead vocals, bass guitar), Ray Herndon (background vocals, guitars), and Billy Thomas (background vocals, drums). The group was founded in ...

Holly Dunn Holly Suzette Dunn (August 22, 1957 – November 14, 2016) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Dunn recorded for MTM Records between 1985 and 1988, Warner Bros. Records between 1988 and 1993, and River North Records between 1995 ...

Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and relocat ...

, and

The Mavericks The Mavericks are an American country music band from Miami, Florida. The band consists of Raul Malo (lead vocals, guitar), Paul Deakin (drums), Eddie Perez (lead guitar), and Jerry Dale McFadden (keyboards). Malo and Deakin founded the band in ...

. CCMA and Juno Award-winning Canadian

group

Prairie Oyster Prairie Oyster was a Canadian country music group from Toronto, Ontario. They were named Country Group or Duo of the year six times by both the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) and the Juno Awards. The band also won the Bud Country Fan ...

recorded songs written by Kostas on two of their most popular albums. As a result, Kostas developed a sizable following in Canada, which has enabled him to tour and perform in several provinces. In 1980, Kostas released a self-titled album on First American Records. In 1994, Kostas signed to

as a recording artist. ''X S in Moderation'', was released that year. The album, which included his own renditions of the singles that he had written, was part of a special songwriters' series by Liberty.

Partial credits

The following singles were written or co-written by Kostas: *

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 Can Love You Better "I Can Love You Better" is a song written by Pamela Brown Hayes and Kostas, and recorded by American country music group Dixie Chicks. It was released in October 1997 as their debut single and the first from their album '' Wide Open Spaces'', and ...

" *

– "

Heart Full of Love ''Heart Full of Love'' is the fifth studio album by American country music singer Holly Dunn. It includes the singles "You Really Had Me Going" and "Heart Full of Love," which respectively reached number 1 and number 19 on the Hot Country Songs ...

" *

Farmer's Daughter A farmer's daughter is a stock character who is a desirable and naive young woman. The Farmer's Daughter or Farmer's Daughter may also refer to: Movies * ''The Farmer's Daughter'' (1928 film), by scriptwriter Frederica Sagor Maas * ''The Far ...

- "You and Only You" *

Sammy Kershaw Samuel Paul Kershaw (born February 24, 1958) is an American country music artist. He has released 16 studio albums, with three RIAA platinum certifications and two gold certifications among them. More than 25 singles have entered the Top 40 on the ...

– "Your Tattoo" *

– "

", " The Lonely Side of Love", " On Down the Line", " Can't Stop Myself from Loving You", "

Blame It on Your Heart "Blame It On Your Heart" is a song written by Harlan Howard and Kostas, and recorded by American country music artist Patty Loveless. It was released in April 1993 as the first single from her album '' Only What I Feel''. A cover version by Debo ...

", " High on Love", "Out of Control Raging Fire" (with Travis Tritt) *

– " Here Comes the Rain", " There Goes My Heart", "

What a Crying Shame ''What a Crying Shame'' is the third studio album by the American country music band The Mavericks. The album was released on February 1, 1994, by MCA Nashville. It includes the singles "What a Crying Shame", "O What a Thrill", "There Goes My Hea ...

" *

– " Life #9" *

– " Going Out of My Mind", " Love on the Loose, Heart on the Run" * Jo Dee Messina – " Because You Love Me" *

Shane Minor Shane Allen Minor (born May 3, 1968) is an American country music artist. Signed to Mercury Nashville Records in 1999, Minor released his self-titled album that year, and it produced three hit singles on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & ...

– "

Slave to the Habit "Slave to the Habit" is a song recorded by American country music artist Shane Minor. It was his debut single and was released in March 1999 as the first single from the album ''Shane Minor (album), Shane Minor''. The song reached number 20 on the ...

" * Perfect Stranger – "Ridin' the Rodeo" *

Marty Stuart John Marty Stuart (born September 30, 1958) is an American country and bluegrass music singer, songwriter, and musician. Active since 1968, Stuart initially toured with Lester Flatt, and then in Johnny Cash's road band before beginning work as a ...

– " You Can't Stop Love" *

– " Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man" *

Joy Lynn White Joy Lynn White (born October 2, 1961) (also known as Joy White) is an American country music singer-songwriter. White was born in Bentonville, Arkansas but raised in Mishawaka, Indiana.

– "True Confessions" *

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 ...

- "Baby Take a Piece of My Heart" *

– " Nothing's Changed Here", " Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose", "

", "Send a Message to My Heart" (w/ Patty Loveless), " Try Not to Look So Pretty", "

Nothing Nothing, the complete absence of anything, has been a matter of philosophical debate since at least the 5th century BC. Early Greek philosophers argued that it was impossible for ''nothing'' to exist. The atomists allowed ''nothing'' but only i ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kostas 1949 births Living people Musicians from Thessaloniki American country songwriters American male songwriters Greek emigrants to the United States Writers from Billings, Montana Greek songwriters American writers of Greek descent Musicians from Montana Songwriters from Montana