Country Music Songwriter Danny Dill Dies

Remembering Danny Dill the Songwriter and Person
Danny was an amazing person and will be remembered well. He was a perpetual entertainer and friend to others. I am partial, given I’m a relative (my grandmother is his first cousin. I don’t rightly know what that makes me.) . Attending Danny’s funeral in his hometown Huntington, TN it was sobering to hear how he touched those around him. And then last Sunday, our families and Danny’s friends from the music industry and his time in AA gathered to celebrate his life at local country music venue, the Troupadore. The gathering was bittersweet, but it was certainly inspiring to see his three grandchildren, now all in their 20s sing his classics. Danny’s creative and friendly spirit lives on through his unique songs and them.

Dannys Global Affect on Entertainment and Country Music Culture
Danny co-wrote the Long Black Veil and Detroit City. CMT highlights:

Born Horace Eldred Dill, his songwriting credits include two country classics — “The Long Black Veil” and “Detroit City.” He got his start as a professional musician while working with Annie Lou Stockard as Annie Lou and Danny, a duet act that performed on the Grand Ole Opry during the ’40s and ’50s. Although Dill recorded as a solo artist, he found his greatest success as a songwriter. He and the late Marijohn Wilkin co-wrote “The Long Black Veil,” a Top 10 country hit for Lefty Frizzell in 1959. With cryptic lyrics about a murder, it resembled a traditional folk song and was recorded in later years by numerous artists, including Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, The Band and the Kingston Trio. Dill and Mel Tillis co-wrote “Detroit City,” which Bobby Bare took to the Top 10 in 1963.

Related Danny Dill Information:
• Tennessean article
• Danny Dill remembered
• Danny Dill’s life at Hillbilly Music