Dave Loggins
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member, CMA Award winner and four-time Grammy nominee Dave Loggins passed away on Wednesday (July 10).
As a recording artist, he is best known for the 1972 pop smash “Please Come to Boston.” As a songwriter, Loggins wrote or co-wrote 14 No. 1 country hits and 25 top 10 successes in various formats.
Born David Allen Loggins, he came from a small hamlet in the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee. His father was a country fiddler. Loggins began playing guitar and writing songs when he was in high school in Bristol, Tennessee. He worked as a draftsman and as an insurance salesman before deciding to take his songs to Music City.
He arrived in Nashville in 1970 at age 25. Loggins recalled that his initial progress was slow because his songs were in the troubadour mode of James Taylor or Dan Fogelberg, rather than straight-ahead country compositions. But he got a publishing contract on Music Row, as well as a recording pact with the folk-oriented Vanguard Records.
The label issued Personal Belongings as his debut LP in 1972. Produced by Jerry Crutchfield and Glenn Keener and recorded at Jack Clement’s studio, it contained “Pieces of April.” Later that year, the song became a top 10 AC hit and a top 20 pop success for Three Dog Night.
Loggins moved to Epic Records for 1974’s Apprentice. This album contained his self-composed “Please Come to Boston,” which became a No. 1 AC smash, a No. 5 pop hit and an evergreen radio favorite. The performance earned Loggins a Grammy Award nomination. “Please Come to Boston” has since been recorded by more than dozen other stars, including Glen Campbell, Kenny Chesney and Babyface. Loggins followed that single with “Someday.”
Three Dog Night returned to his songwriting catalog for their 1975 pop hit “’Til the World Ends.” The following year, Dave Loggins self-produced his LP Country Suite. It contained “Lovin’ Somebody on a Rainy Night” and “You’re Got Me to Hold on To.” The former was recorded by England Dan & John Ford Coley as well as LaCosta. The latter song was recorded by Tanya Tucker and in 1976 became the songwriter’s first top 10 country hit.
Brent Maher produced 1977’s LP One Way Ticket to Paradise and 1979’s David Loggins. Neither yielded hits. But by this time, Loggins songs had been recorded by Andy Williams, B.W. Stevenson, Joan Baez, Paul Anka, Lynn Anderson, John Conlee, Twiggy, Dan Seals, Johnny Mathis and others. Despite his expressive singing voice and star-worthy looks, Loggins opted for the life of a Nashville songwriter after 1980.
In 1981, he wrote “Augusta.” The following year, the CBS television network chose it as the anthem for its annual coverage of the Masters Golf Tournament. It became the longest-lasting sports theme in broadcasting history.
In 1984, “Everyday” as recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys, became the first Dave Loggins song to become a No. 1 country hit. The songwriter topped the country charts again with “Roll On 18 Wheeler” (Alabama, 1984), “I’ll Never Stop Loving You” (Gary Morris, 1985), “You Make Me Want to Make You Mine” (Juice Newton, 1985), the Grammy nominated “Forty Hour Week” (Alabama, 1985), “Makin’ Up for Lost Time” (Crystal Gayle & Gary Morris, 1985) and “Morning Desire” (Kenny Rogers, 1985).
He did not write the ballad “Nobody Loves Me Like You Do,” but he sang it with Anne Murray. Their duet became a No. 1 hit in 1984 and won the CMA Award for Vocal Duo of the Year in 1985. This made Loggins the only artist to win a CMA Award without having a recording contract. In addition, the performance was nominated for a Grammy. In 1985, he also recorded a duet with Gus Hardin. It was on his own song “Just as Long as I Have You.”
These vocal performances did not interrupt his soaring songwriting career. His No. 1 hits continued with “Don’t Underestimate My Love for You” (Lee Greenwood, 1986), “One Promise Too Late” (Reba McEntire, 1987), “Wheels” (Restless Heart, 1987) and “Love Will Find Its Way to You” (Reba McEntire, 1988). Dave Loggins was named ASCAP’s Country Songwriter of the Year for 1987.
His songs continued to be recorded by such artists as Jimmy Buffett, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Dave Grusin, Tammy Wynette, Rita Coolidge, Vince Gill, Rick Nelson, Marie Osmond, Billy Joe Royal, Sonny James, Loretta Lynn, Nicolette Larson and Johnny Cash, among others. He hit No. 1 on the country charts once again in 1992. This was for Wynonna’s version of “She Is His Only Need.” It resulted in his fourth Grammy nomination.
In the 1990s, the songs of Dave Loggins were also recorded by Hank Williams Jr., Doug Stone, Billy Ray Cyrus, Rick Trevino, Jo Dee Messina, Steve Wariner, Smokey Robinson, Lacy J. Dalton and more.
Artists continued to validate his songwriting prowess in the new millennium. They included Toby Keith, Lee Ann Womack, Willie Nelson, Aaron Tippin and Sawyer Brown in 2000-2010. Over the years, Loggins’ composing collaborators included Don Schlitz, Lisa Silver, J.D. Martin, Steve Dorff and John Bettis.
During his five-decade career as a hit songwriter, Loggins earned 25 ASCAP Awards. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1995.
Dave Loggins died at Alive Hospice in Nashville. He was 76 years old.
He is survived by his three sons, Quinn Loggins, Kyle Loggins, and Dylan Loggins, as well as his grandson, Braxton Loggins. He was the second cousin of pop star Kenny Loggins. At the songwriter’s request, there will be no funeral. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Alive Hospice in Nashville.
