The Songwriters Behind The Country Hit Makers

The traditional image of country music is of a singer-songwriter strumming his guitar and singing songs about his own life and experiences. There’s a lot of truth in that image, as such country legends as Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson have made their names singing their own songs.

But they often sang songs by other writers, equally brilliant (if lesser-known) in their own right. These were the artists behind the artists, and now, their stories are being told in “Tennessee Walt’s Three Chords and the Truth: Country’s Greatest Songwriters,” an all-new show that looks at the people who wrote — but didn’t sing — some of country’s greatest songs. On Saturday, April 9, at 2 p.m. Tennessee Walt (a.k.a. Gayden Wren) will appear at East Hampton Library to talk about these songwriters.

“The artists who are profiled in the new show aren’t household names,” Wren explained. “They’re the likes of Elsie McWilliams, Fred Rose, Cindy Walker, Harlan Howard, Hank Cochran and Shel Silverstein. Cochran, Howard, Rose and Walker are all in the Country Music Hall of Fame, and McWilliams and Silverstein should be, but even many hardcore country fans have no idea who they were.

“You may not know their names,” Wren said,” “but you know their songs: ‘Hobo Bill’s Last Ride,’ ‘Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,’ ‘You Don’t Know Me,’ ‘Heartaches by the Number,’ ‘Make the World Go Away’ and ‘A Boy Named Sue’ were all written by these men and women.”

Tennessee Walt is an East Hampton Library favorite, having premiered all five of his previous shows there. He’s happy to be debuting this one here as well.

“People don’t think of the Hamptons as a country area,” the singer said, “but I’ve played shows in Florida, Michigan, Tennessee and Texas, not to mention all over Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester, and I’ve rarely found an audience more knowledgeable, curious and interested in learning new things.

“I come a long way for these shows — I live in Queens — but I’m happy to do it,” added Wren. “East Hampton is a show I look forward to each year, and it’s a great place to debut a new show.”

“Tennessee Walt’s Three Chords and the Truth: Country’s Greatest Songwriters” premieres on Saturday, April 9, at 2 p.m. at the East Hampton Library, 159 Main Street in East Hampton. Admission is free. For information, call 631-324-0222 or visit easthamptonlibrary.org.