Texas native Larry Henley is one of only a handful of Music City composers to win a Grammy for Song of the Year (for “The Wind Beneath My Wings,” featured in the 1988 film Beaches). Henley is also distinctive in that he has had major success on both the Country and Pop charts. He first achieved fame in the 1960s Pop group The Newbeats, but by the 1970s he was forging a second career as a songwriter in Nashville with hits such as “If It’s All Right With You” (Dottie West) and “The World Needs A Melody” (the Carter Family w/ Johnny Cash), followed by “’Til I Get It Right” (Tammy Wynette), “Lizzie And The Rainman” (Tanya Tucker), “He’s A Heartache (Looking For A Place To Happen)” (Janie Fricke) and “Is It Still Over?” (Randy Travis). In addition to the Grammy, “The Wind Beneath My Wings” was the ACM’s 1983 Song of the Year and the CMA’s 1984 Song of the Year. Henley was NSAI Songwriter of the Year in 1983.
© Moments By Moser Photography * Bev Moser
