On this day (December 15) in 2018, songwriter Jerry Chesnut died in Nashville. He was 87 years old. After years of dedication and hard work, some of country music’s biggest artists began recording his songs and sending them up the charts.
Videos by American Songwriter
Chestnut grew up in Harlan County, Kentucky, where he regularly performed classic country songs in coal camps. Years later, he moved to Florida and regularly performed on local radio stations. At the same time, he began teaching himself to write songs. In 1958, Chesnut felt he was ready to move to Nashville and commit to being a professional songwriter…