Pat Alger

Induction Year: 2010

Birth Name: Patrick J. Alger III

Birth Date: 09-23-1947

Place of Birth: Long Island City, Queens, New York

Pat Alger was born in New York, but raised in the small town of LaGrange, Georgia. As a teenager, he taught himself to play guitar and began writing songs at age 15. He studied architecture and graphic design at Georgia Tech in Atlanta while touring the Southeast college-club circuit, sharing stages with singer-songwriters such as Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Goodman and Jonathan Edwards.

He moved to Woodstock, New York in 1973 and made three folk albums with the Woodstock Mountains Revue for Rounder Records. This loose-knit group also included, at one time or another, John Sebastian, Paul Butterfield and Eric Andersen. Alger also recorded a 1980 duet album with guitarist/singer Artie Traum, also for Rounder, and the two toured together internationally.

He next spent time in Boston and Manhattan trying to break into the songwriting mainstream. Alger's first success as a songwriter was "First Time Love." Recorded by Livingston Taylor, it became a Top 40 pop hit in 1980.

Alger moved to Nashville in 1981. The Everly Brothers chose him as their opening act in 1984, and he toured with the duo for four years thereafter. His songs have been recorded by Mickey Gilley, Brenda Lee, Dolly Parton, George Hamilton IV, Crystal Gayle, Patti Page and Peter, Paul & Mary, among many others. He has written Top 10 country hits for Kathy Mattea, Garth Brooks, Hal Ketchum, Don Williams and Trisha Yearwood.

His solo albums include True Love and Other Short Stories (Sugar Hill, 1991), Seeds (Sugar Hill, 1991) and Notes and Grace Notes (Liberty, 1994). Pat Alger was named Songwriter of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association in 1991 and ASCAP's Country Songwriter of the Year in 1992. From 1995 to 1997, he was president of the Nashville Songwriters Association International board and most recently named 2013 Inductee Georgia Music Hall of Fame.

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Song Catalog

 

"A Few Good Things Remain"

(written with Jon Vezner)

Kathy Mattea1991 #9 country
 

"Calloused Hands"

(written with Gene Levine)

Mark Collie1991 #31 country
 

"City Lights"

Livingston & James Taylor1989 #23 adult contemporary
 

"Easy Come, Hard to Go"

(written with Rick Beresford)

Mickey Gilley1983 
 

"First Time Love"

(written with Peter J. Kaminsky)

Livingston Taylor1980 #13 adult contemporary, #38 pop
 

"For the Long Run"

(written with Daniel McGrath)

Chely Wright2001 

"Goin' Gone"

(written with Fred Koller, Bill Dale)

Kathy Mattea1987 #1 country
 

"I'd Rather Be in Love"

(written with Walter Carter)

Peter, Paul & Mary1988 
 

"Like We Never Had a Broken Heart"

(written with Garth Brooks)

Trisha Yearwood1991 #4 country
 

"Lone Star State of Mind"

(written with Fred Koller, Gene Levine)

Nanci Griffith1987 #36 country
Don Williams1992 
 

"Nothin's Gonna Bring Me Down"

Randy Travis2007 
 

"Once in a Very Blue Moon"

(written with Gene Levine)

Dolly Parton1985 
Nanci Griffith1986 #85 country
 

"One Less Rose in Texas"

(written with Jon Vezner)

Patti Page2001 
 

"Seeds"

(written with Ralph Murphy)

Kathy Mattea1993 #50 country
 

"She Came From Fort Worth"

(written with Fred Koller)

Kathy Mattea1990 #2 country

"Small Town Saturday Night"

(written with Hank DeVito)

Hal Ketchum1991 #2 country
 

"That Summer"

(written with Garth Brooks, Sandy Brooks)

Garth Brooks1993 #1 country

"The Thunder Rolls"

(written with Garth Brooks)

Garth Brooks1991 #1 country
Tanya Tucker1995 
 

"True Love"

Don Williams1991 #4 country

"Unanswered Prayers"

(written with Garth Brooks, Larry Bastian)

Garth Brooks1991 #1 country

"What She's Doing Now"

(written with Garth Brooks)

Garth Brooks1992 #1 country

Other Media

Pat Alger

Induction Year: 2010