Bob Morrison

Induction Year: 2016

Birth Name: Robert Edwin Morrison

Birth Date: 08-06-1942

Place of Birth: Biloxi, Mississippi

More than 200 recordings have been made of the songs penned by Nashville songwriting great Bob Morrison. His catalog includes “Lookin’ for Love” (Johnny Lee), “Whiskey If You Were a Woman” (Highway 101), the Grammy-winning “You Decorated My Life” (Kenny Rogers), “You’re the One” (The Oak Ridge Boys), “Tonight the Heartache’s on Me” (Dixie Chicks), “Don’t Call Him a Cowboy” (Conway Twitty), “Are You on the Road to Lovin’ Me Again” (Debby Boone) and “Shine On” (George Jones).

A native of Biloxi, MS, Morrison’s father was a jukebox operator. As a result, the future songwriter grew up on a diet of all kinds of music. Handsome and athletic, he taught himself guitar at age 15. During his student years attending Mississippi State on a track scholarship, he joined some bands. In 1963, he began performing solo in folk clubs.

The nuclear-engineering major was discovered by the legendary John Hammond. This led to early Bob Morrison singles on Columbia Records. He earned his college degree in 1965 and traveled to L.A. two years later to try his luck as an actor and singer. He was signed to Screen Gems and recorded the LP Friends of Mine for Capitol Records in 1971. After six years on the West Coast, a few acting parts and recordings of his songs by Bobby Goldsboro, he moved back east.

Morrison arrived in Nashville in 1973 and signed with Combine Music as a songwriter. Publisher Bob Beckham teamed him with Johnny MacRae, whom Morrison credited as a major mentor.

In the wake of recordings of Morrison songs by artists such as Dickey Lee, Mel McDaniel, Barbara Mandrell and The Oak Ridge Boys, Morrison was signed as an artist by the Combine-affiliated Monument Records. His Home Again LP was issued by the label in 1979.

But by then, it was clear that his destiny was as a songwriter, rather than a recording artist. In addition to Boone, Lee, Rogers and Twitty, Bob Morrison’s songs were recorded in the 1980s by Reba McEntire, The Kendalls, Mel Tillis, Gary Morris, The Carpenters, Roy Clark, Dottie West, John Anderson, Sammy Davis Jr., Jerry Lee Lewis, David Frizzell and Marie Osmond, among others.

In 1980, his “Lookin’ for Love” became the theme song of the blockbuster John Travolta film hit Urban Cowboy. During this era, the ABC television network used his “You’re the One” as its promo song.

Bob Morrison was named ASCAP’s Country Songwriter of the Year in 1978, 1980, 1981 and 1982. In all, he has earned more than 50 ASCAP songwriting citations, as well as a Songwriter of the Year accolade from the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) in 1981.

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Song Catalog

 

"(You Lift Me) Up To Heaven"

(written with Johnny MacRae, Bill Zerface, Jim Zerface)

Reba McEntire1980 #8 Country
 

"Angels, Roses And Rain"

(written with Bill Zerface, Jim Zerface)

Dickey Lee1976 #9 Country
 

"Are You On The Road To Loving Me Again"

(written with Debbie Hupp)

Debby Boone1980 #1 Country, #31 Adult Contemporary
Nancy Sinatra1995 
 

"Born To Love Me"

Rita Coolidge1975 
Roy Orbison1976 
Ray Price1977 #21 Country
Ray Charles1983 #20 Country
Kenny Rogers1985 
 

"Don’t Call Him A Cowboy"

(written with Debbie Hupp, Johnny MacRae)

Conway Twitty1985 #1 Country
 

"I Still Believe In Waltzes"

(written with Michael Hughes, Johnny MacRae)

Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn1981 #2 Country
 

"I’ll Love Away Your Troubles For Awhile"

(written with Johnny MacRae)

Janie Fricke1979 #14 Country
 

"Let Me Be Your Baby"

(written with Johnny MacRae)

Charly McClain1978 #13 Country

"Lookin' For Love"

(written with Wanda Mallette, Patti Ryan)

Johnny Lee1980 #1 Country, #5 Pop
Sawyer Brown2000 #44 Country
Mickey Gilley2005 
 

"Love The World Away"

(written with Johnny Wilson)

Kenny Rogers1980 #4 Country, #14 Pop
 

"Midnight Angel"

(written with Bill Anthony)

Barbara Mandrell1977 #16 Country
 

"Now There's You"

(written with Len Chera, Rich Peoples)

Shelly West1985 #21 Country
 

"One Night Fever"

(written with Johnny MacRae)

Mel Tillis1981 #10 Country
 

"Play Her Back To Yesterday"

(written with Michael Hughes)

Mel McDaniel1979 #24 Country
 

"Shine On (Shine All Your Sweet Love On Me)"

(written with Johnny MacRae)

George Jones1983 #3 Country
 

"Stuck Right In The Middle Of Your Love"

(written with Johnny MacRae)

Charly McClain1980 
Billy Swan1982 #19 Country
 

"That’s What You Do To Me"

(written with Johnny MacRae)

Bob Morrison1978 
Charly McClain1978 #8 Country
 

"The Grandest Lady Of Them All"

(written with Mel McDaniel)

Conway Twitty1978 #16 Country
Mel McDaniel1978 

"The Love She Found In Me"

(written with Dennis Linde)

Michael Johnson1981 
Gary Morris1983 #5 Country
Jim Ed Brown & The Browns1986 
Hal Gibson1989 #87 Country
 

"The River's Too Wide"

Jim Mundy1974 #13 Country
Olivia Newton-John1974 
Sammy Davis Jr.1984 
 

"Tonight The Heartache’s On Me"

(written with Mary Francis, Johnny MacRae)

Joy Lynn White1994 
Dixie Chicks1999 #6 Country, #46 Pop
 

"When A Love Ain’t Right"

(written with Johnny Wilson)

Charly McClain1979 #11 Country

"Whiskey, If You Were A Woman"

(written with Mary Francis, Johnny MacRae)

Highway 1011987 #2 Country

"You Decorated My Life"

(written with Debbie Hupp)

1979 Grammy for Best Country Song

Kenny Rogers1979 #1 Country, #7 Pop
The Heptones1985 
Laurie Bower2002 
 

"You'd Make An Angel Wanna Cheat"

(written with Bill Zerface, Jim Zerface)

The Kendalls1980 #5 Country

"You’re The One"

Glen Campbell1973 
Jerry Inman1974 #95 Country
The Oak Ridge Boys1978 #2 Country

Other Media

Bob Morrison

Induction Year: 2016