On This Day in 2001, Johnny Russell, the Songwriter Who Penned Hits for Buck Owens, the Beatles, George Strait, and Many More Died at 61

On this day (July 3) in 2001, country singer/songwriter Johnny Russell died of diabetes-related complications in a hospital outside of Nashville at the age of 61. Over the course of his career, he wrote songs that would become hits for the likes of Buck Owens and George Strait. The artists who recorded his songs include Dolly Parton, Burl Ives, George Jones, and Loretta Lynn.

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Russell was a legendary songwriter whose lyrics topped charts and reverberated from the walls of some of the biggest venues in the world. His journey began in Moorehead, Mississippi, on January 23, 1940. His family relocated to Fresno, California, where he would start honing his skills as a performer and songwriter in the early 1950s. According to Mississippi Writers and Musicians, he started winning talent contests shortly after his family moved to California. Then, at the young age of 18, Russell cut his first record, “In a Mansion Stands My Love.”

[RELATED: The Two-Sided Story Behind “Act Naturally” by Buck Owens and His Buckaroos, a Song The Beatles Would Later Cover]

A Look at Johnny Russell’s Hits

Country legend Jim Reeves heard “In a Mansion Stands My Love” and cut it, releasing it as the B-side of his 1960 No. 1 single “He’ll Have to Go.” Reeves was far from the last legend to record one of Russell’s songs. Below is a short list of his songs and the icons who recorded them.

• “Makin’ Plans”–Loretta Lynn, Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton, Conway Twitty,
• “Let’s Fall to Pieces Together”–George Strait
• “Got No Reason Now for Going Home”–Gene Watson
• “It Sure Seemed Right”–Dottie West
• “The World’s Meanest Man”–Burl Ives

Russell also had hits as a performer. “Catfish John,” “Rain Falling on Me,” “Chained,” “The Baptism of Jesse Taylor,” “She’s in Love with a Rodeo Man,” “That’s How My Baby Builds a Fire,” “The Son of Hickory Holler’s Tramp,” “You’ll Be Back (Every Night in My Dreams,” and “How Deep in Love Am I?” were all top 40 country hits for Russell.

His biggest hit came in 1973 when “Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

“Act Naturally”

While Russell’s discography is packed with country gold, “Act Naturally” is the crown jewel of his catalog. He penned the song and shared writing credit with Voni Morrison, a member of Buck Owens’ band, the Buckaroos. Morrison took it to Owens, who recorded it in 1963. The song became Owens’ first No. 1 single.

Two years after Owens took “Act Naturally” to the top of the country charts, the song made its way across the pond. The Beatles recorded the song for their album Help!, and introduced it to a massive global audience. The song featured noted country music fan Ringo Starr on lead vocals. Starr seldom sang lead. “Act Naturally” was only the fifth song in the Beatles’ discography on which he took the lead.

The Fab Four’s version of the song wasn’t a huge hit. However, they released it as the B-side to “Yesterday,” which was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

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