Wayland D. Holyfield (born March 15, 1942) is a prominent

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

and leader in the songwriting community. His music has been regarded as a standard for “honest simplicity” in the Nashville writing community.

Personal life

Wayland Holyfield was born in Mallettown,

Conway County, Arkansas Conway County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Created as Arkansas's 11th county on October 20, 1825, Conway County has four incorporated municipalities, including Morrilton, the county seat and most populous city. The county ...

. He was educated in Arkansas public schools and attended

Hendrix College Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Approximately 1,000 students are enrolled, mostly undergraduates. While affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the college offers a secular curriculum and has a student ...

at Conway, Arkansas before graduating from the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkans ...

with a degree in marketing in 1965. Prior to his musical career Holyfield was a wholesale appliance salesman and advertising account manager. He and his wife, Nancy, have three grown children, Greg, Mark and Lee.

Early career

In 1972, Holyfield left Arkansas and moved to

Nashville, Tennessee 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 ...

to pursue a songwriting career and his first song was recorded in 1973. He received his first number one hit with " Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer". In 1975, Holyfield achieved his first solo number one hit " You're My Best Friend" recorded by

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 ...

. In addition to his collaborations with Williams, Holyfield's songs have been recorded by numerous Nashville singers including

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 ...

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 ...

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, Kathy Mattea,

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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. ...

, Charley Pride,

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, John Anderson, Mel Street, Gary Allan, Johnny Rodriguez, The

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, The

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and

Charly McClain Charlotte Denise "Charly" McClain (born March 26, 1956) is an American country music singer, best known for a string of hits during the 1980s. McClain's biggest hits include " Who's Cheatin' Who", " Sleepin' with the Radio On", and " Radio Hear ...

. During his career Holyfield was writer of over 40 Top Ten hits and 14 #1 hits. Some of his best-known songs are "Could I Have This Dance", " Some Broken Hearts Never Mend", " Til The Rivers All Run Dry", " You're the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had", " Only Here For a Little While", "Meanwhile", and " Nobody Likes Sad Songs". In his home state of Arkansas, Holyfield is most famous for his song "Arkansas, You Run Deep In Me" which was written for the 1986 Arkansas Sesquicentennial celebration. It was named one of Arkansas' official state songs in 1987. Holyfield played the song at the inauguration of President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

in 1993.

Leadership and awards

Holyfield is the current chairman of the Nashville Songwriters Foundation. He has been a member of the board of directors of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, (NSAI) for almost 25 years. Since 1990 he has been serving on the

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 ...

board of directors, the first Nashville songwriter to do so. And as of 2007 will have served for almost 17 years. Holyfield received a Grammy Award nomination in 1972 for " Could I Have This Dance" and in 1979, he received the NSAI Presidential Award. Holyfield has won 14 BMI Performance Awards and 16 ASCAP Performance Awards. Holyfield was the 1983 ASCAP Country Writer of the Year co-winner and in 1992 he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and to the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Lyrics to "Arkansas (You Run Deep In Me)", from Arkansas Secretary of State's website

Wayland Holyfield Interview - NAMM Oral History Library (2013)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holyfield, Wayland 1942 births Living people American country songwriters American male songwriters People from Conway County, Arkansas Songwriters from Arkansas University of Arkansas alumni