Paul Gilley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Herbert Paul Gilley |
| Born | October 1, 1929 Maytown, Kentucky, US |
| Died | June 16, 1957 (aged 27) Morgan County, Kentucky, US |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Lyricist, music promoter |
| Years active | 1949–1957 |
Herbert Paul Gilley (October 1, 1929 – June 16, 1957) was an American country music lyricist and promoter from Kentucky. In his lifetime, he was little known as a songwriter, but decades after his death by drowning at age 27, he was identified more widely as likely having written the lyrics to a dozen famous songs, including two that were hits for Hank Williams: "Cold, Cold Heart" and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry". He may have also written "I Overlooked an Orchid", which was a number-one country hit in 1974 for Mickey Gilley (no relation).[1][2][3] Other songs that have been attributed to Gilley include "If Teardrops Were Pennies", "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes", and "Crazy Arms".[4]
Gilley's contributions to songwriting are not widely known; he is not listed in the Oxford New Encyclopedia of Country Music published by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, nor in Barry McCloud's Definitive Country encyclopedia.[5] However, his hometown declared a Paul Gilley Day in 2012, and Morgan County, Kentucky, local historian W. Lynn Nickell wrote and published a biography, Paul Gilley: The Ghost Writer in the Sky.[4][6]
- ^ "Songwriter Paul Gilley". Kentucky Life. Kentucky Educational Television (KET). July 29, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2018.
- ^ Staff (June 6, 2012). "E.Ky. writer penned two of Hank Sr.'s biggest hits". The Mountain Eagle. Whitesburg, Kentucky.
- ^ Chet Flippo (1997). Your Cheatin' Heart: A Biography of Hank Williams (revised ed.). Plexo. pp. 7, 130, 150. ISBN 9780859652322.
- ^ a b "New biography on Morgan Co. songwriter Paul Gilley". Appalachian Attitude. WMMT 88.7 Mountain Community Radio. July 2, 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-12-04. Retrieved October 26, 2018.
- ^ Grant Alden (August 26, 2013). "Paul Gilley and why maybe you should have heard of him". No Depression: The Journal of Roots Music. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
- ^ Staff (March 1, 2012). "Paul Gilley Day set June 9" (PDF). Licking Valley Courier. Vol. 101, no. 20. p. 1.