Jim Weatherly
James Dexter Weatherly
March 17, 1943
Pontotoc, Mississippi, U.S.
February 3, 2021 (aged 77)
Brentwood, Tennessee, U.S.
Country, pop
Singer-songwriter
Vocals
1965–2021
Early life[edit]
Weatherly was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi, on March 17, 1943.[2] He attended Pontotoc High School, where he was an all-star quarterback for the school's football team.[3] He also started writing songs and formed his own bands during this time.[2] He went on to study at the University of Mississippi. He was a backup quarterback on the Ole Miss Rebels football team that was undefeated in 1962.[3] The team successfully defended their Southeastern Conference championship the following season with Weatherly as their starting quarterback.[2] He subsequently received honorable mention All-American honors in 1964.[3] Upon graduating, he chose to pursue music over a career in football.[2]
Songwriting career[edit]
Weatherly wrote songs for almost 50 years. His best-known song is "Midnight Train to Georgia", recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips. It peaked at number 1 on the pop and R&B charts, and went on to win a Grammy Award. The song was subsequently inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999, and was chosen by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Recording Industry Association of America as No. 29 of the 365 Songs of the Century.[3] Ray Price has recorded 38 of Weatherly's songs. Both Gladys Knight & the Pips (in 1972) and Bob Luman (in 1973) had top five records with "Neither One of Us".[4] Other artists who have recorded Weatherly's songs include: Glen Campbell, Kenny Rogers, Asha Puthli, Neil Diamond, Kenny Chesney and Garth Brooks.[4]
Gladys Knight and the Pips have recorded twelve other Weatherly compositions, such as "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)" and "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me". That version of "Neither One of Us" became his first number one pop record in Cashbox and Record World magazine charts, and became a number one R&B record. It was followed by "Where Peaceful Waters Flow"," Midnight Train to Georgia" and "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me", which were all pop and R&B hits.[5] Weatherly's catalog includes songs that have been performed by Ray Price, Lynn Anderson, Brenda Lee, Bob Luman, and Batdorf & Rodney.[4]
Later life[edit]
He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2006. Five years later, he was enshrined into the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014. He was also conferred the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Music by the government of Mississippi that same year.[3]
Weatherly died from natural causes at his home in Brentwood, Tennessee, on February 3, 2021, at the age of 77.[9][10]