Timothy Jon Johnson (January 29, 1960 – October 21, 2012) was 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, ...

songwriter. Johnson is known for writing the singles "

I Let Her Lie "I Let Her Lie" is a song written by Tim Johnson, and recorded by American country music artist Daryle Singletary. It was released in July 1995 as the second single from the album ''Daryle Singletary''. The song reached number 2 on the ''Billboa ...

" by

Daryle Singletary Daryle Bruce Singletary (March 10, 1971 – February 12, 2018) was an American country music singer. Between 1995 and 1998, he recorded for Giant Records, for which he released three studio albums: '' Daryle Singletary'' in 1995, '' All Because ...

, "God Only Cries" by

Diamond Rio Diamond Rio is an American country music band. The band was founded in 1982 as an attraction for the Opryland USA theme park in Nashville, Tennessee, and was originally known as the Grizzly River Boys, then the Tennessee River Boys. It was fou ...

, " Do You Believe Me Now" by

Jimmy Wayne Jimmy Wayne Barber (born October 23, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He released his self-titled debut album in 2003 on the DreamWorks Records label. Four singles were released from it, including "Stay Gone" and " I L ...

, "

Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind "Things That Never Cross a Man's Mind" is a song written by Tim Johnson, Don Poythress and Wynn Varble, and recorded by American country music artist Kellie Pickler Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American country music singer ...

" by

Kellie Pickler Kellie Dawn Pickler (born June 28, 1986) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television personality. Pickler gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of ''American Idol'' and finished in sixth place. In 2006, she signed ...

, "

She Misses Him "She Misses Him" is a song written by Tim Johnson, and recorded by American country music artist Tim Rushlow Timothy Ray Rushlow (born October 6, 1966) is an American recording artist. Between 1991 and 1997, Rushlow was lead vocalist of coun ...

" by

Tim Rushlow Timothy Ray Rushlow (born October 6, 1966) is an American recording artist. Between 1991 and 1997, Rushlow was lead vocalist of country music group Little Texas, which recorded four albums and a Greatest Hits package, in addition to charting ...

, " This Heartache Never Sleeps" 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 ...

, "That's Important To Me" by

Joey + Rory Joey + Rory was an American country and bluegrass duo composed of singer-songwriters Rory Lee Feek (born April 25, 1965) and Joey Feek (September 9, 1975 – March 4, 2016), who were husband and wife. Both members of the duo were vocalists and ...

among many many others. Johnson was known as a songwriter's songwriter and penned many hits alone as well as collaborating with other talented writers. Johnson is also known for his collaborations with

Rory Lee Feek Rory Lee Feek (born April 25, 1965) is an American country music singer and songwriter. In his career, he has written singles for Clay Walker, Blake Shelton, Tracy Byrd and other artists. He and his wife, Joey Feek, formed the duo Joey + Rory ...

, with whom he founded an organization called the Song Trust, in which works by new artists were all credited to that name. Song Trust's first release was "Bring Him Home Santa" in 2008. He was also on the board of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and co-produced the first two albums by

Blaine Larsen Blaine Larsen (born February 2, 1986) is an American country music artist. He was raised in Buckley, Washington. At age fifteen, he recorded his debut album ''In My High School'' on Giantslayer Records, an independent record label. The album w ...

. Johnson and Feek also owned the Giantslayer Records label. Johnson was the co-founder of Songwriter Institute which connected hit songwriters with amateur songwriters by way of retreats and private appointments. In this venture, Johnson produced the educational video Pro vs Am with fellow hit songwriter

Clay Mills Clayton Bernard "Clay" Mills is an American songwriter. His credits include the #1 hits " Beautiful Mess" by Diamond Rio and "Don't Think I Don't Think About It" by Darius Rucker, which won Mills an award from ASCAP. Other country music artists wh ...

. Born in Noti, Oregon, Johnson grew up elk hunting in the shadows of the Cascade Mountains, and attended Willamette University located in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

before transferring and graduating from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

. Before moving to Nashville to pursue songwriting, Johnson spent five years in Japan teaching English as a foreign language. Until his death in October 2012, Johnson resided with his wife Megan Green Johnson and two children in

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Tim 1960 births 2012 deaths Deaths from cancer in Tennessee American country songwriters American male songwriters People from Lane County, Oregon Musicians from Oregon Songwriters from Oregon