top of page
"Country Music is Three Chords and the Truth"
Harlan Howard
Australian Radio Show on Harlan Howard.m
Search
A FUN EVENING AT HARLAN HOWARD SONGS, FALL OF 1999
Written by: Melanie Smith-Howard Producer extraordinaire, Tony Brown, called and asked if Harlan and I would be willing to host a...
Melanie Howard
May 19, 20201 min read
Dennis Morgan and Harlan Howard
Harlan and Dennis were more than just writing pals, they were also friends. It was imperative to Harlan to be friends first. He disliked...
Melanie Howard
Mar 22, 20202 min read
SOME OF THE BOYS WHO MAKE THE NOISE ON 16TH AVENUE
The title of this musing is a reference to a line in a country song by our friend, Thom Schuyler, who wrote “16th Avenue,” a hit for Lacy...
Melanie Howard
Mar 10, 20202 min read
HARLAN HOWARD ANNIVERSARY
Today, March 3, 2020 is the anniversary of the death of Harlan Howard. An eighteen year void. Nearly two decades of longing. Longing to...
Melanie Howard
Mar 3, 20201 min read
A LIFETIME OF FRIENDS
Harlan Howard was a great friend to many. He loved hanging round songwriters but also liked singers and bartenders - anyone who would sit...
Melanie Howard
Feb 26, 20202 min read
“LIFE TURNED HER THAT WAY”
“Life Turned Her That Way” was the first of many #1 records I got to experience with Harlan Howard. It was in the latter part of 1987 and...
Melanie Howard
Feb 11, 20201 min read
HARLAN PERRY HOWARD
Harlan Perry Howard may not be a household name, but I bet you know some of his songs. Being an introvert, Harlan didn’t relish the...
Melanie Howard
Jan 30, 20202 min read
HARLAN AND FRIENDS UNROCK THE HARD ROCK
During the 1990’s, I had the pleasure of serving on the board of a school in Nashville that I dearly love, W.O. Smith Music School...
Melanie Howard
Aug 21, 20192 min read
Harlan Howard Birthday Bash
Usually on the Tuesday closest to September 8th, a large stage was erected in the parking lot of BMI, bars were set up and a huge...
Melanie Howard
Jul 18, 20193 min read
FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FISHING
When Harlan Howard moved from California to Nashville in June 1960, he hit the ground running. Fresh from shucking his blue collar,...
Melanie Howard
Jun 25, 20193 min read
HARLAN HOWARD SONGS, INC.
In 1989 shortly after Harlan and I married, we started a publishing company and appropriately named it, Harlan Howard Songs. During that...
Melanie Howard
Jun 14, 20192 min read
“BLAME IT ON YOUR HEART”
The year was 1992, early summer, and Harlan Howard had an appointment to write with Kostas at Shoney’s Inn on Demonbruen. After forty...
Melanie Howard
Jun 11, 20193 min read
TIGER BY THE TAIL
Harlan Howard and Buck Owens were “starvation buddies” in the early 1950’s. Harlan had moved from Michigan to California where there was...
Melanie Howard
Jun 5, 20192 min read
DARRELL BARTON…WHO THE HECK IS DARRELL BARTON?
Most of my stories are about Harlan Howard, and though Harlan is involved in this story; he is not the central figure. In the early...
Melanie Howard
May 8, 20193 min read
HE CALLED ME BABY
Melanie Smith-Howard/Candi Staton Well he did. Harlan sometimes called me child bride, but most days he referred to me as Baby. When we...
Melanie Howard
May 3, 20192 min read
“BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LOVE”
Harlan Howard spent his adult life as a professional songwriter and was proud to be one. He often referred to his songs as his children....
Melanie Howard
Apr 30, 20193 min read
THE TIES THAT UNBIND
Harlan’s early years were much like a dandelion on a windy, spring day. He was a tender weed with a strong root system. Harlan was that...
Melanie Howard
Apr 3, 20194 min read
“THE CHOKIN’ KIND”
I love the surprise of finding a classic Harlan Howard song that is reimagined or unfamiliar to me. I am most impressed when artists take...
Melanie Howard
Mar 6, 20192 min read
The Writing of “I Fall To Pieces”
Harlan Howard wrote two paragraphs in July 1999 about co-writing the iconic song “I Fall To Pieces” with Hank Cochran. Harlan moved to...
Melanie Howard
Feb 12, 20192 min read
Lori McKenna
In the spring of 2004, I was working with the gifted singer songwriter, Mary Gauthier. She was at my office telling me about a fellow...
Melanie Howard
Feb 6, 20195 min read
bottom of page