Thom Schuyler

Induction Year: 2011

Birth Name: Thomas James Schuyler

Birth Date: 06-10-1952

Place of Birth: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Thom Schuyler has, like many others, written of trains, cars, houses and love beautiful and busted. He also wrote a Top 10 country hit that became an anthem for the music industry, a song about life along Music Row called "16th Avenue."

"Hey, it looks so uneventful, so quiet and discreet," he wrote, in words sung by Lacy J. Dalton in a 1982 hit. "But a lot of lives were changed there on that little one-way street/'Cause they walked away from everything, just to see a dream come true/So God bless the boys who make the noise on 16th Avenue."

The street is still one-way, and lives are still changed there, and Schuyler's depiction of the understated romance of a songwriter's life still rings true. Schuyler was writing what he knew, having scuffled for years in various non-romantic positions (framer, bus boy, carpenter, etc.) before signing a publishing contract in 1981 with Debdave/Briarpatch Music Publishing. He'd come to the awareness of that publisher's staff when he did remodeling work on their 16th Avenue building.

In the year after signing his first publishing deal, Schuyler scored major hits with Kenny Rogers' "Love Will Turn You Around" — a top-charting country and adult contemporary hit and ASCAP's Song of the Year — and with Eddie Rabbitt's "I Don't Know Where to Start" and Dalton's "16th Avenue." He scored numerous hits in the 1980s, including #1's "I Fell in Love Again Last Night" (Forester Sisters), "Love Out Loud" (Earl Thomas Conley) and "Long Line of Love" (Michael Martin Murphey).

On March 29, 1985, Schuyler joined with Fred Knobloch, Don Schlitz and Paul Overstreet at the Bluebird for what is credited as the first Nashville "in-the-round," a format in which songwriters share songs and banter. In today's Nashville, in-the-rounds are held each night. Schuyler, Knobloch and Overstreet developed a trio called S-K-O, charting three country hits. Later, Schuyler joined with Knobloch and Craig Bickhardt to form another major country trio, S-K-B.

In the early 1990s, Schuyler's "Point of Light" was a hit for Randy Travis that doubled as the theme song of President George H. W. Bush's volunteerism campaign. Schuyler remained active as a songwriter but also worked as an executive at RCA Records and Ronder/Almo-Irving Music and as a choir director at Woodmont Christian Church. Asked by American Songwriter magazine about advice for young songwriters, Schuyler advised, "Be alive and pay attention."

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Song Catalog

"16th Avenue"

Lacy J. Dalton1982 #7 country
Richard Clayerman1996 
 

"American Me"

(written with Fred Knobloch)

S-K-O1987 #16 country
 

"Brave Heart"

Thom Schuyler1983 #43 country
 

"Child Support"

Barbara Mandrell1987 #13 country
 

"Family Tree"

Michael Martin Murphey1989 #48 country
 

"Hurricane"

(written with Stewart Harris, Keith Stegall)

Leon Everette1981 #4 country
Levon Helm1981 
 

"I Don't Know Where to Start"

Eddie Rabbitt1982 #2 country, #9 adult contemporary

"I Fell in Love Again Last Night"

(written with Paul Overstreet)

The Forester Sisters1985 #1 country
 

"Life Gets Away"

(written with Clint Black, Hayden Nicholas)

Clint Black1995 #4 country

"Long Line of Love"

(written with Paul Overstreet)

Michael Martin Murphey1987 #1 country
The Rarely Herd1992 
Jesse Rivera1999 
Paul Overstreet2000 
 

"Love Out Loud"

Earl Thomas Conley1989 #1 country

"Love Will Turn You Around"

(written with David Malloy, Kenny Rogers, Even Stevens)

Kenny Rogers1982 #1 country, #1 adult contemporary, #13 pop
Bushman2000 
 

"My Old Yellow Car"

Lacy J. Dalton1983 
Dan Seals1985 #9 country
 

"No Easy Horses"

(written with Fred Knobloch, Don Schlitz)

S-K-B1987 #19 country
 

"Nothing Like Falling in Love"

(written with James Schnaars)

Eddie Rabbitt1984 #10 country, #38 adult contemporary

"Point of Light"

(written with Don Schlitz)

Randy Travis1991 #3 country
 

"This Old House"

(written with Craig Bickhardt)

Razorback1987 #66 country
S-K-B1987 #24 country
Craig Bickhardt2009 
 

"Years After You"

Eddie Rabbitt1982 
John Conlee1985 #2 country
Linda Davis1992 
 

"You Can't Stop Love"

(written with Paul Overstreet)

S-K-O1986 #9 country

Other Media

Thom Schuyler

Induction Year: 2011