Pat Alger (born September 23, 1947, in LaGrange, GeorgiaCarlin 2003, p. 3.) is a

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, singer and guitarist and a member of 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 ...

(2010) and the

Georgia Music Hall of Fame The Georgia Music Hall of Fame was a hall of fame to recognize music performers and music industry professionals from or connected to the state of Georgia. It began with efforts of the state's lieutenant governor Zell Miller to attract the music ...

(2013).

Early life and work

Patrick J. Alger was born in 1947 in LaGrange, Georgia. Alger attended Georgia Tech studying architecture but decided to concentrate on writing songs. He started as a solo folk performer at folk clubs.Miller 1996, p. 9. In 1973, he moved to

Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, NY. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 in 2000 ...

. It was there where he began his career as a musician and songwriter working together with Happy and

Artie Traum Arthur Roy Traum (April 3, 1943 – July 20, 2008) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer. Traum's work appeared on more than 35 albums. He produced and recorded with The Band, Arlen Roth, Warren Bernhardt, Pat Alger, Tony Levin, ...

as a member of the Woodstock Mountains Revue. The group included the Traum brothers,

Arlen Roth Arlen Roth (born October 30, 1952) is an American guitarist, teacher, and author. From 1982 to 1992, he was a columnist for ''Guitar Player'' magazine. Those ten years of columns became a book, ''Hot Guitar''. His father Al Ross (Abraham Roth) ...

John Herald John Herald (September 6, 1939 – July 18, 2005) was an American folk and bluegrass songwriter, solo and studio musician and one-time member of The Greenbriar Boys trio. Biography Herald was born in Manhattan in 1939, to an Armenian born poet ...

and Maria Muldaur among others. Some of the songs he wrote during this period were "Old Time Music" and "Southern Crescent Line."

Career

In 1980, his first success as a songwriter was after

Livingston Taylor Livingston Taylor (born November 21, 1950) is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Boston and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, he is the brother of singer-songwriter James Taylor, singer-songwriter Kate Taylor, singer ...

had a hit with "First Time Love". The next year, in 1981, 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 ...

. 1984-88, he toured with the

Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly (February 1, 1937 – August 21, 2021) and Phillip "Phil" Everly (January 19, 193 ...

in the United States and in Europe. He teamed with

Nanci Griffith Nanci Caroline Griffith (July 6, 1953 – August 13, 2021) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She appeared many times on the PBS music program ''Austin City Limits'' starting in 1985 (season 10). In 1994 she won a Grammy Award f ...

, and co-wrote Griffith's hit songs " Once in a Very Blue Moon" and "Lone Star State of Mind." Some of his songs were recorded by

Kathy Mattea Kathleen Alice Mattea (born June 21, 1959) is an American country music and bluegrass singer. Active since 1984 as a recording artist, she has charted more than 30 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including four that reac ...

such as "Goin' Gone", "She Came From Fort Worth", and "A Few Good Things Remain." He wrote four Number One hits for

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him popularity, particularly in the United States with success on the co ...

like "

Unanswered Prayers "Unanswered Prayers" is a song by American country music artist Garth Brooks which hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in 1991. It was released on October 12, 1990, as the second single from his album '' No Fences'' and also appears ...

", "What She's Doing Now", "

The Thunder Rolls "The Thunder Rolls" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Garth Brooks. It was released in April 1991 as the fourth and final single from his album ''No Fences''. The song became his sixth number one on the country cha ...

", and "That Summer." He also wrote hits for

Hal Ketchum Hal Michael Ketchum (April 9, 1953November 23, 2020) was an American country music singer and songwriter. He released eleven studio albums from 1986 to 2014, including nine for divisions of Curb Records. Ketchum's 1991 album ''Past the Point of ...

, " Small Town Saturday Night," for

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American singer, actress, author and television personality. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single " She's in Love with the Boy," which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard'' c ...

, "Like We Never Had A Broken Heart," for

Don Williams Donald Ray Williams (May 27, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was an American country singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He began his solo career in 1971, singing popular ballads and amassing seventeen number ...

, " True Love", and for

Mark Collie George Mark Collie (born January 18, 1956) is an American country music singer, songwriter, musician, actor, record producer, and fundraiser for Type 1 diabetes study. He has won awards and acclaim for his music, his acting, and his philanthrop ...

, "Calloused Hands." Through the years, his songs are recorded and performed by such diverse artists as

Peter, Paul and Mary Peter, Paul and Mary was an American folk group formed in New York City in 1961 during the American folk music revival phenomenon. The trio consisted of tenor Peter Yarrow, baritone Paul Stookey, and contralto Mary Travers. The group's reper ...

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

, Lyle Lovett,

Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Performing rockabilly, pop and country music, she had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s and is ranked fourth in that decade, surpassed onl ...

, and Crystal Gayle. He has three critically-acclaimed solo albums in the 1990s featuring backup by Griffith, Lovett, Mattea, and Yearwood.Miller 1996, p. 10. He has well over twenty hits to his credit, including eight Number One hits, and played venues all over the world, including a year-long tour as opening act for the

. He starred in the 30th anniversary of the Washington Center for the Performing Arts gala. He is featured on NPR Radio's "

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

" and "

Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to ...

", and hosted, along with fellow HOF inductee Tony Arata, WSM's radio show featuring past HOF inductees. The Music City Center, in Nashville, opened May 2013, and houses a permanent home for the NSAI inductees. The first floor gallery and outdoor courtyard features Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame members. It is the project of the Nashville Songwriter's Foundation, of which Alger is a board member. His advocacy for the songwriter and their intellectual property rights is well-known as is the efforts of NSAI and NSF/

Awards

1991, he was voted Songwriter of the Year by the Nashville Songwriter's Association International. The same year, he was voted Jukebox Songwriter of the Year by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers,

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

. 1992, he received the Country Songwriter of the Year award from ASCAP. Country Music Association awarded him two Triple Play awards for three Number One hits in a year. 2010, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He serves as Chairman of the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, and is a two-time past President of Nashville Songwriters Association International. Pat Alger was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in September 2013 Miller 1996, p. 11.

Discography

Alger first recorded one duet album with Artie Traum and then three solo albums: * ''From The Heart'' (1980) * ''True Love & Other Short Stories'' – Sugar Hill Records (1991) * ''Seeds'' – Sugar Hill Records (1993) * ''Notes and Grace Notes'' (1994)

Notes

References

* Carlin, Richard (2003), ''Country Music: A Biographical Dictionary'', Taylor & Francis * Miller, Zell (1996), ''They Heard Georgia Singing'', Mercer University Press

External links

Pat Alger Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2015) {{DEFAULTSORT:Alger, Pat 1947 births Living people People from LaGrange, Georgia American country singer-songwriters Country musicians from Georgia (U.S. state) Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)