Ray Griff

Hit Nashville songwriter and Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame member Ray Griff has died at age 75.

Born in Vancouver, he came to Nashville as a teenager to become a country-music artist. He earned recording contracts with MGM, Dot, Capitol, RCA and other labels. Between 1967 and 1987 he placed 24 songs on the charts.

Griff made the top-40 with such self-penned songs as “The Mornin’ After Baby Let Me Down” (1971), “You Ring My Bell” (1975), “If I Let Her Come In” (his biggest singing hit, 1976), “I Love the Way That You Love Me” (1976), “That’s What I Get” (1976), “The Last of the Winfield Amateurs” (1977) and “A Passing Thing” (1977). He released 30 albums and had eight top-10 Canadian country hits.

But he became much more prominent in the U.S. as a songwriter for others. Griff wrote “It Couldn’t Have Been Any Better,” a No. 1 hit for Johnny Duncan in 1977. His top-10 songwriting successes include Gene Watson’s “Where Love Begins” (1975), Faron Young’s “Step Aside” (1971), the Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton duet “Better Move It On Home” (1971) and Wilma Burgess’s “Baby” (1965).

He had more than 700 recordings of his songs by Nashville stars. Among them are the top-20 “Who’s Gonna Play This Old Piano” by Jerry Lee Lewis (1972), “Something Special” by Mel Tillis (1968) and “Between This Time and the Next Time” (1981) by Gene Watson.

Other notable cuts include the hits “Canadian Pacific” by George Hamilton IV (1969), “Your Lily White Hands” by Johnny Carver (1967), “Lost in the Shuffle” by Stonewall Jackson (1965) and “Darlin’” by Wayne Kemp (1972).

“Darlin’” has also been recorded by Conway Twitty, George Jones, Jeanne Pruett, Wilma Burgess, Jim Ed Brown and Nat Stuckey. Similarly, “Baby” has multiple recordings by, among others, Dinah Shore, Ferlin Husky, Pat Boone, Eddy Arnold, Teresa Brewer, Dottie West, Arlene Harden and Tennessee Ernie Ford. “The Mornin’ After Baby Let Me Down” has been covered by Loretta Lynn, Ray Price, Bill Anderson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Mel Tillis and more. “Something Special” has been recorded by Bob Luman, Claude Gray, Jerry Wallace and George Hamilton IV, in addition to Tillis. “Step Aside” also has multiple recordings.

Ray Griff songs have also been recorded by Chat Atkins, Jim Reeves, Johnny Horton, Bonnie Guitar, David Houston, Marty Robbins, Kenny Starr, Del Reeves, Hank Snow, Slim Whitman, Connie Smith, Sheb Wooley, Jean Shepard, Narvel Felts, Mac Wiseman, Ruby Falls, Wayne Newton, Bobby Lewis and many others.

He moved back to Canada from Nashville permanently in 1998. Ray Griff is said to be his homeland’s most prolific songwriter, since his catalog includes more than 2,500 titles. Griff has seven BMI awards and 47 ASCAP citations. His songs “Canada” and “Maple Leaf” are often played on Canada Day (July 1) north of the border.

Also in his homeland, he hosted two TV series, Goodtime Country and Uptown Country. In addition, he has been a radio host with the syndicated series Raymond’s Place, which had its last broadcast on Jan. 31. In recent years, he has produced records for a number of Canadian country artists.

According to Canadian country journalist Larry Delaney, Ray Griff was hospitalized this week for minor rotator cuff surgery. He developed pneumonia in the hospital and died on Wednesday, March 9. In recent years, he had battled throat cancer.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

Photo: Twitter/Holly Williams

Holly Williams welcomed her second child, a daughter, with husband Chris Coleman on Tuesday, March 8.

Lillie Mae Louise Coleman weighed 6 lbs., 15 oz., and measured 20 inches long, and joins 17-month-old big sister Stella June.

Williams, a granddaughter of Hank Williams and the daughter of Hank Williams, Jr., also owns Nashville stores White’s Mercantile and H. Audrey. Williams and Coleman wed in 2009.

Jack Ingram

Singer-songwriter Jack Ingram has signed with Rounder Records.

Ingram recently recorded his debut project for the label, titled Midnight Motel. The album marks Ingram’s eighth studio project, and his first since 2009’s Big Drums & High Hopes. Midnight Motel will release in June, and was produced by Jon Randall.

Rounder Label Group COO Cliff O’Sullivan says, “Jack Ingram speaks from his heart, whether on a stage or in the studio. Midnight Motel is a return to the kind of raw songs and performances that made Jack fans from the early days of his career in Ft. Worth and all over Texas before becoming a nationally known artist in the past decade. We’re thrilled to have him join the Rounder Label Group family.”

Ingram will preview material from Midnight Motel at the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, next week. He has a handful of appearances in Nashville over the coming months, including a live taping of the tribute show The Life & Songs of Kris Kristofferson on March 16 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, and a writers round slot at Nashville’s Tin Pan South on April 6 at The Listening Room. Ingram will also headline a show at Nashville’s City Winery on March 28.

Sandbox Entertainment has added the John R. Cash Revocable Trust to its management/marketing roster in a partnership that will focus on strategic oversight and further brand development across all platforms for the legendary Cash name and its legacy.

“Johnny Cash has stood as one of the most enduring names in the entertainment business and we could not be more excited that Sandbox has been given an essential role in preserving and furthering the legacy of one of the most iconic artists of all time,” said Sandbox Entertainment President/CEO Jason Owen.

“Sandbox’s team understands how to keep Johnny Cash relevant and inspiring to his growing fan base. Cash’s artistic, poetic and prophetic legacy will thrive in Sandbox’s capable hands,” said Cathy Sullivan, Cash Trustee.

“My dad trusted Lou Robin to play an important role in the protection and promotion of the Cash brand, and I believe Dad would be gratified by Lou’s recommendation to turn that role over to Sandbox. Since my father’s passing in 2003, we have strove to maintain the same standard of business and morals as while he was alive. Josh and Jason pay careful attention to our needs and bring exciting new opportunities to assure the Cash legacy will endure and flourish,” added John Carter Cash.

“I’ve been working closely with the amazing Lou Robin for the past year to ensure we properly reflect the Cash history as we grow future fans,” said Sandbox’s Josh Matas.

Matas, via an existing business development arrangement, previously had been consulting on marketing and business initiatives for the Trust and will serve as manager moving forward.