Once known as, The Dean of Music Row
Three chords
and the truth.
When asked what country music is, Harlan readily quipped, “Three chords and the truth.” These five words were his daily mantra in the more than 4,000 songs that he penned in six decades. With over a hundred top ten country hits, several pop hits and some rhythm and blues hits, this is the story of the man who wrote to live.
Harlan Perry Howard, 1927 to 2002
He wrote that
The setlist
His story, in three acts
A life written the hard way
The orphan and the radio
A ward of the State of Michigan sneaks downstairs after dark, finds Ernest Tubb on a farmhouse radio, and teaches himself songwriting backwards, one missing lyric at a time.
The forklift and the explosion
A decade of factory shifts and three lyrics a day ends in Nashville, where he puts fifteen songs on the country charts at one time in 1961. BMI says the feat has never been matched.
The Dean and the table
White Russians with milk at Maude's, song titles on bar napkins, and a generation of young writers gathered at his feet, hanging on every word.
I write about things people do, whether they should or not.
Harlan Howard
On the record
What they said about him
He is easier to explain in other people's words. These are the ones that stuck.
He was so good to young people. He was always in our corner. The gift of a great Harlan song was they were direct, simple, and from the heart. He's up there with Hank Williams. He was one of the heroes.
Harlan was the standard we held our careers up to, frequently with disappointment.
In 1961 alone, he had fifteen songs on country charts simultaneously, a feat not equaled since.
The legendary songwriter Harlan Howard said all you need for a good country song is three chords and the truth. The Truth is built on that same idea.
The corner table
Two rooms, one table
For years he held court at Maude's Courtyard, White Russian in hand, song titles landing on bar napkins. When Maude's closed, the table moved up the street to Sunset Grill, and the songwriters followed him there.
Every September
The Harlan Howard
Birthday Bash
For more than a decade a stage went up in the BMI parking lot and a honky tonk took over Music Row. It was a benefit for songwriters, a guitar pull, and the best party this town ever threw.