Hal Blair

Induction Year: 2003

Birth Name: Hal Keller Blair

Birth Date: 11-26-1915

Place of Birth: Kansas City, Missouri

Death Date: 02-02-2001

Place of Death: Biggs, California

One of the leading lights of the country songwriting community on the West Coast, Hal Blair contributed songs to most of the Elvis Presley films made between 1961 and 1967. He also wrote for Hollywood's singing-cowboy stars.

Blair was a Kansas City native who was formally trained at the Kansas City Institute of Music and the Denver Institute of Music, studying voice at both. He performed as a singer and guitarist in hotels and nightclubs as well as in stage productions during his early career. He served in the Army Signal Corps during World War II.

Resuming his musical career, he came to Los Angeles as a country performer in the band the Rhythm Rangers. He was soon providing tunes for Western movie stars, particularly Eddie Dean. Their songwriting collaborations appeared in nine of Dean's Hollywood singing-cowboy films between 1946 and 1948. They also co-wrote the 1948 blockbuster "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)," which has been recorded by more than 70 artists. In addition to writing for films, Blair created material for such television shows as The Big Valley (1965-1969).

In the early 1950s, he teamed up with Hollywood co-writer Don Robertson, who also became a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Their country standards include "Please Help Me, I'm Falling," as well as hits for Hank Snow, Faron Young, Jim Reeves and Skeeter Davis. Blair was chiefly a lyricist, but could also compose music when needed.

Read More

Read Less

Song Catalog

 

"(I Can't Help You) I'm Fallin' Too"

(written with Don Robertson)

Skeeter Davis1960 #2 country, #39 pop
 

"Autumn on the Trail"

(written with Don Robertson)

The Sons of the Pioneers1963 
Riders in the Sky1998 
 

"Boogie Woogie Cowboy"

(written with Eddie Dean, Gus Snow, Jack Statham)

Tex Ritter1950 
Merle Travis1950 
Eddie Dean1958 
 

"Condemned Without Trial"

(written with Don Robertson)

Eddy Arnold1953 
The Dinning Sisters1954 
 

"Go Back You Fool"

(written with Don Robertson)

Faron Young1955 #11 country
 

"How Many"

(written with Howard Barnes)

Bill Haley & the Comets1957 
Jim Reeves1957 
 

"I Met Her Today"

(written with Don Robertson)

Eddy Arnold1956 
Elvis Presley1965 

"I Was the One"

(written with Claude Demetrius, William Peppers, Aaron Schroeder)

Elvis Presley1956 #8 country, #19 pop
 

"I'm Yours"

(written with Don Robertson)

Elvis Presley1965 #11 pop
 

"I've Come to Say Goodbye"

(written with Don Robertson)

Faron Young1963 #30 country
 

"My Lips Are Sealed"

(written with William Peppers, Ben Weisman)

Jim Reeves1956 #8 country

"Ninety Miles an Hour (Down a Dead End Street)"

(written with Don Robertson)

Hank Snow1963 #2 country
Bob Dylan1988 
John Berry1995 
 

"No More"

(written with Don Robertson)

Elvis Presley1961 
 

"Not One Minute More"

(written with Don Robertson, Ella Robertson)

Della Reese1960 #16 pop
The Isley Brothers1960 

"One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)"

(written with Eddie Dean, Lorene Dean)

Jimmy Wakely1948 #1 country, #10 pop
Eddie Dean1948 #11 country
Bob Eberly1949 #8 country
Nat King Cole1962 
Jerry Lee Lewis1969 #3 country
Willie Nelson1970 

"Please Help Me, I'm Falling"

(written with Don Robertson)

Hank Locklin1960 #1 country, #8 pop
Rusty Draper1960 #54 pop
Peter & Gordon1966 
Danny Davis & Hank Locklin1970 #66 country
Carl Smith1970 
John Fogerty1973 
Janie Fricke1978 #12 country
Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn & Tammy Wynette1993 
Charley Pride1996 
Lila McCann1997 
Patty Loveless2008 
Johnny Mathis2010 

"Ringo"

(written with Don Robertson)

Lorne Greene1964 #1 pop, #2 country
 

"Stars Over Texas"

(written with Eddie Dean)

Eddie Dean1946  
 

"Waco"

(written with Jimmie Haskell)

Lorne Greene1966 #50 country
 

"West to Glory"

(written with Eddie Dean)

Eddie Dean1947  

Other Media

Hal Blair

Induction Year: 2003