Iconic country music songwriter Jimbeau Hinson dies Friday
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Famed singer-songwriter Jimbeau Hinson passed away Friday at 70.
Officials confirmed that Hinson underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery and suffered a stroke in July 2021. Over the next eight months, he began to improve. Still, he suffered a second stroke in recent weeks, and his health began to decline rapidly, according to his team.
Hinson’s professional writing career began in the 1960s when Lorette Lynn brought him to Nashville when he was only 16 years old to sign a publishing contract with The Wilburn Brothers.
The Mississippi native had his first big commercial success as a songwriter in 1969 with “Sugar In The Flowers” by Anthony Armstrong Jones. He received his first ASCAP Award at age 18.
Hinson went on to write hits for The Oak Ridge Boys (“Fancy-Free,” “Let Me Be The One,” “When You Give It Away,” “Colors”), Kathy Mattea (“Train of Memories”), David Lee Murphy (“Party Crowd”), Patty Loveless (“I’m On Your Side,” “After All”), John Conlee (“Harmony”), and Steve Earle (“Hillbilly Highway,” “Down The Road”), among others.
Hinson scored his second ASCAP award after writing “Find Yourself Another Puppet” for his childhood idol, Brenda Lee.
Carol Channing, Reba McEntire, Tammy Wynette, Tracy Lawrence, Ricky Skaggs, Connie Smith, Rodney Crowell, The Goldens, Ty Herndon, Lee Greenwood, and Rhonda Vincent have also recorded his songs.
A Celebration of Life is being planned according to the family and will be announced later.
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