2001 – Songwriter Hal Blair dies at his home in Bi…
on February 2nd, 2001 at 12:30 pm
2001 – Songwriter Hal Blair dies at his home in Biggs, Calif. He is 85. The Kansas City, Mo.-born Blair, also a musician and actor, wrote “I Was The One” for Elvis Presley, Ringo for Lorne Greene, and “Ninety Miles An Hour Down A Dead End Street” For Hank Snow.
Inducted in to Hall of Fame: November 2, 2003
One of the leading lights of the country songwriting community on the West Coast, Hal Blair (1915-2001) contributed songs to virtually every Elvis Presley film from 1961 to 1967, including “No More” (from 1962’s Blue Hawaii), “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here” (from 1963’s Fun In Acapulco) and “What Now, What Next, Where To?” (from 1967’s Double Trouble). The Kansas City native came to Los Angeles in the 1940s as a performer in the Rhythm Rangers and was soon providing material for Hollywood’s singing-cowboy movies of the era. In the 1950s, Hal teamed up with his most noteworthy collaborator, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Don Robertson. In addition to songs for films, Blair created material for TV shows such as The Big Valley. Among his classics is “One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart),” which has been recorded more than 70 times
