Pat Alger
Encyclopedia
Pat Alger is a country music
songwriter, singer and guitarist.
and Artie Traum
as a member of the Woodstock Mountains Revue. The group included the Traum brothers, John Herald
and Maria Muldaur
among others. Some of the songs he wrote during this period were "Old Time Music" and "Southern Crescent Line." In 1980, he had his first success as a songwriter when Livingston Taylor
had a hit with "First Time Love". Between 1984 and 1988, he toured with the Everly Brothers in the United States and in Europe. He later teamed up with Nanci Griffith
and co-wrote Griffith's hit songs "Once In A Very Blue Moon" and "Lone Star State of Mind." Some of his songs have also been recorded by Kathy Mattea
such as "Goin' Gone", "She Came From Fort Worth" and "A Few Good Things Remain." He wrote some of the number one hits of Garth Brooks
like "Unanswered Prayers
", "What She's Doing Now", "The Thunder Rolls" and "That Summer." He also wrote hits for Hal Ketchum
, "Small Town Saturday Night
," for Trisha Yearwood
, "Like We Never Had A Broken Heart," for Don Williams
, "True Love
", and for Mark Collie
, "Calloused Hands." Through the years, his songs have been recorded and performed by such diverse artists as Peter, Paul and Mary
, Dolly Parton
, Lyle Lovett
, Brenda Lee
and Crystal Gayle
. He has recorded three critically acclaimed solo albums in the 1990s featuring backup by Griffith, Lovett, Mattea and Yearwood.
He has well over 20 hits to his credit, including eight number 1 hits and has literally played venues all over the world. He starred in the 30th anniversary of the Washington Center for the Performing Arts gala. He has been featured on NPR Radio's "All Things Considered". He was a featured performer in Atlanta for the induction of Ray Charles into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
gave him two Triple Play awards given to those who have three number one hits in a year. In 2010, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwiters Hall of Fame.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
songwriter, singer and guitarist.
Biography
Alger attended Georgia Tech studying architecture but decided to concentrate on writing songs. He started as a solo folk performer at folk clubs. He began his career as a musician and songwriter working together with HappyHappy Traum
Happy Traum is an American folk musician who started playing music in the Fifties. Happy is most famously known as one half of Happy and Artie Traum, a duo he began with his brother...
and Artie Traum
Artie Traum
Artie Traum was a New Age Voice Award-winning guitarist, producer and songwriter. Traum's work appeared on more than 35 albums...
as a member of the Woodstock Mountains Revue. The group included the Traum brothers, John Herald
John Herald
John Herald was an American folk and bluegrass songwriter, solo and studio musician, and one-time member of The Greenbriar Boys trio.-Biography:...
and Maria Muldaur
Maria Muldaur
Maria Muldaur is a folk-blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s...
among others. Some of the songs he wrote during this period were "Old Time Music" and "Southern Crescent Line." In 1980, he had his first success as a songwriter when Livingston Taylor
Livingston Taylor
Livingston Taylor is an American singer-songwriter, born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He attended the Westtown School in Pennsylvania...
had a hit with "First Time Love". Between 1984 and 1988, he toured with the Everly Brothers in the United States and in Europe. He later teamed up with Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith
Nanci Griffith, is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Austin, Texas.-Biography:...
and co-wrote Griffith's hit songs "Once In A Very Blue Moon" and "Lone Star State of Mind." Some of his songs have also been recorded by Kathy Mattea
Kathy Mattea
Kathleen Alice "Kathy" Mattea is an American country music and bluegrass performer who often brings folk, Celtic and traditional country sounds to her music. Active since 1983 as a recording artist, she has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot...
such as "Goin' Gone", "She Came From Fort Worth" and "A Few Good Things Remain." He wrote some of the number one hits of Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks
Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
like "Unanswered Prayers
Unanswered Prayers
"Unanswered Prayers" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American Country Music artist Garth Brooks which hit #1 on the country billboard charts in 1990. It debuted on his second album No Fences and also appears on The Hits, The Limited Series, and Double Live...
", "What She's Doing Now", "The Thunder Rolls" and "That Summer." He also wrote hits for Hal Ketchum
Hal Ketchum
Hal Michael Ketchum is an American country music artist. He has released ten studio albums since 1986, including nine for the Curb and Asylum-Curb labels. Ketchum's 1991 album Past the Point of Rescue is his most commercially successful, having been certified gold by the Recording Industry...
, "Small Town Saturday Night
Small Town Saturday Night (song)
"Small Town Saturday Night" is the title of a song written by Pat Alger and Hank DeVito, and recorded by American country music artist Hal Ketchum. It was released in April 1991 as the first single from his album Past the Point of Rescue...
," for Trisha Yearwood
Trisha Yearwood
Patricia Lynn Yearwood, professionally known as Trisha Yearwood , is an American country music artist. She is best known for her ballads about vulnerable young women from a female perspective that have been described by some music critics as "strong" and "confident."Trisha Yearwood signed with MCA...
, "Like We Never Had A Broken Heart," for Don Williams
Don Williams
Don Williams , is an American country singer, songwriter and a 2010 inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He grew up in Portland, Texas, and graduated in 1958 from Gregory-Portland High School. After seven years with the folk-pop group Pozo-Seco Singers, he began his solo career in 1971,...
, "True Love
True Love (Don Williams song)
"True Love" is a single by American country music artist Don Williams. Released in January 1991, it was the second single from Williams' album True Love. The song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in April 1991....
", and for Mark Collie
Mark Collie
George Mark Collie is an American country music artist and occasional actor. He has released eight albums, and has charted 16 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. His highest peaking singles are "Even the Man in the Moon Is Cryin'" at #5, and "Born to Love You" at #6, from 1992 and...
, "Calloused Hands." Through the years, his songs have been recorded and performed by such diverse artists as Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio whose nearly 50-year career began with their rise to become a paradigm for 1960s folk music. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers...
, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Pearce Lovett is an American singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 1980, he has recorded thirteen albums and released 21 singles to date, including his highest entry, the number 10 chart hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, "Cowboy Man"...
, Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
and Crystal Gayle
Crystal Gayle
Crystal Gayle is an American country music singer best known for her 1977 country-pop hit, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". An award-winning singer, she accumulated 18 number one country hits during the 1970s and 1980s...
. He has recorded three critically acclaimed solo albums in the 1990s featuring backup by Griffith, Lovett, Mattea and Yearwood.
He has well over 20 hits to his credit, including eight number 1 hits and has literally played venues all over the world. He starred in the 30th anniversary of the Washington Center for the Performing Arts gala. He has been featured on NPR Radio's "All Things Considered". He was a featured performer in Atlanta for the induction of Ray Charles into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
Awards
In 1991, he was voted Songwriter of the Year by the Nashville Songwriter's Association International, and the same year he was voted Jukebox Songwriter of the Year by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, ASCAP. In 1992, he received the Country Songwriter of the Year award from ASCAP. Country Music AssociationCountry Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
gave him two Triple Play awards given to those who have three number one hits in a year. In 2010, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwiters Hall of Fame.
Discography
Alger first recorded one duet album with Artie Traum and then three solo albums:- From The Heart (1980)
- True Love & Other Short Stories - Sugar Hill Records (1991)
- Seeds - Sugar Hill Records (1993)
- Notes and Grace Notes (1994)