Tom T. Hall

American singer-songwriter and author Tom T. Hall was born in Tick Ridge, Kentucky. His interest in music started early on and as a teenager Hall was already part of a band called Kentucky Travelers. During his military service overseas, he would perform on the Armed Forces Radio Network and write songs about his time serving. He worked with music in college and became a radio announcer and jockey until his songwriting break in 1963. Hall met his wife Dixie, also a musician, just a couple of years later and their partnership would last until his passing. He went on to write songs for dozens of country stars, such as Johnny Cash and one of his creations from this time, "Hello Vietnam", was later used in the war movie "Full Metal Jacket" (1987). In the next few decades, he would write no less than 12 number one hit songs, with 26 others reaching the Top 10 in the charts. In 2008, Hall was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and in 2018, into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2021, at age 85, but left behind an invaluable legacy.