Sharon Vaughn

Sharon Vaughn
Birth nameMary Sharon Vaughn
Also known asMary S. Rice, M.S. Rice, Sharon Rice, Sharon Bellamy
Born (1947-05-02) May 2, 1947 (age 77)
OriginOrlando, Florida, United States
GenresPop, rock, country
Occupation(s)Songwriter, Musician, Producer
Years active1973-present
LabelsCinnamon, Dot

Mary Sharon Vaughn (born May 2, 1947)[1] is an American musician, songwriter and producer who was previously based in Sweden. She has written hits for artists such as Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Reba McEntire, The Oak Ridge Boys, George Jones, Kenny Rogers, Keith Whitley, Randy Travis, Patty Loveless, Agnes, Kate Ryan, Claire Richards, Boyzone, September, and Dimash Qudaibergen.[2]

Career

Vaughn moved to Nashville in her early 20s. In 1974, she charted two singles as a performer for Cinnamon Records: a duet with Narvel Felts titled "Until the End of Time", and "Never a Night Goes By". A year later, she signed with Dot Records and released a third single, "You and Me, Me and You".[3] She was also the lead singer in the Lea Jane Singers, and worked with the Jordanaires, the Nashville Edition and The Holladay Sisters.[4]

Vaughn’s first big songwriting success was "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys",[5] which was first recorded by Waylon Jennings in 1976 and further popularized in 1980 by Willie Nelson for the soundtrack of the movie The Electric Horseman.[6] Her next songwriting hit was "Y'all Come Back Saloon" by The Oak Ridge Boys in 1977. Since then she has worked with country artists such as Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Tanya Tucker and Kenny Rogers. Vaughn has been nominated for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame three times, and was inducted in 2019.[4][7]

Vaughn has during the last couple of years,[when?] had over 100 cuts with European artists and four number ones in Japan. She has worked with several Swedish Idol artists, including the winner Jay Smith (2010) and a number one hit for Ola. She has also worked with many Scandinavian songwriters and artists including Agnes, Mutt Lange, Tony Nilsson, Vendela, Anders Hanson and Emilia.[4]

In 2009, her co-written song "Release Me" by Swedish pop artist Agnes reached #1 on the U.S Billboard Dance Club Songs Chart.[8] In 2013, Vaughn received a JASRAC Award as #1 of the Top 10 Foreign Works for her 2011 co-written song "Rising Sun" by the Japanese pop band Exile.[9]

During 2014, Vaughn competed as the songwriter of three songs in Melodifestivalen.[10]

Vaughn has also co-written songs with Ian Dench[11] and Carl Falk.[12] Between 2005 and 2022, she has co-written at least 10 songs with Paul Brady which he recorded on his albums Say What You Feel,[13] Unfinished Business,[14] and Maybe So.[15]

Vaughn moved to Sweden in 2008.[16] In 2018, she was registered as having emigrated from Sweden.[17] She returned to Orlando and then moved to Nashville in 2020 where she currently works.[18][19]

Charted singles

Year Song Peak chart positions[3]
US Country
1974 "Until the End of Time" (with Narvel Felts) 39
"Never a Night Goes By" 96
1975 "You and Me, Me and You" 99

Songs written

The following table lists a selection of songs from Vaughn's career as a songwriter:[2]

Year Artist Song
1976 Waylon Jennings "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys"
1977 The Oak Ridge Boys "Y'all Come Back Saloon"
1980 Willie Nelson "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys"
1982 Reba McEntire "I'm Not That Lonely Yet"
1982 Bobby Bare "(I'm Not) A Candle in the Wind"
1982 Leon Everette "Soul Searchin'"
1983 Leon Everette "I Could'a Had You"
1983 Reba McEntire "There Ain't No Future in This"
1985 Waylon Jennings "The Broken Promise Land"
1986 John Schneider "The Broken Promise Land"
1988 John Anderson "Warm Place in the Snow"
1989 Keith Whitley "Lady's Choice"
1990 Kenny Rogers and Holly Dunn "Maybe"
1990 Keith Whitley and Lorrie Morgan "'Til a Tear Becomes a Rose"
1990 Earl Thomas Conley "Who's Gonna Tell Her Goodbye"
1991 Mark Chesnutt "Broken Promise Land"
1993 George Jones "Tear Me Out of the Picture"
1996 Patty Loveless "Lonely Too Long"
1997 Sara Evans "True Lies"
1998 Randy Travis "Out of My Bones"
1999 Trisha Yearwood "Powerful Thing"
2000 Craig Morgan "When a Man Can't Get a Woman Off His Mind"
2004 Randy Travis "Right on Time"
2004 Jimmy Buffett and Martina McBride "Trip Around the Sun"
2007 Delta Goodrem "The Guardian"
2008 Agnes "Release Me"
2009 Alcazar "Harlem Nights"
2009 Kevin Borg "More Than I Do Now"
2009 Malena Ernman "One Step From Paradise"
2010 The Wanted "A Good Day For Love To Die"
2010 Boyzone "Too Late For Hallelujah"
2011 September "Heat Rising"
2011 EXILE "Rising Sun"
2011 Girls' Generation "Top Secret"
2012 Namie Amuro "Only You"
2012 Jedward "Waterline"
2012 Charlotte Perrelli "In The Sun"
2012 Tegoshi Yuya "愛なんて" (Ai Nante [Such Thing As Love])
2013 Diandra "Colliding Into You"
2013 Kimberley Walsh "You First Loved Me"
2013 Sunrise Avenue "Unholy Ground", "Lifesaver", I Can Break Your Heart", "Hurtsville", "Letters In The Sand", "Aim For The Kill", "Afraid Of The Midnight"
2013 Robin Stjernberg "Beautiful"
2013 Måns Zelmerlöw "Braver On The Outside"
2013 Shirley Clamp "Burning Alive"
2013 Helena Paparizou "Survivor"
2013 Ellen Benediktson "Songbird"
2018 Claire Richards "My Heart Is Heading Home (This Christmas)"
2019 Sergey Lazarev "Scream"
2020 Stefania Liberakakis "Superg!rl"
2020 Uku Suviste "What Love Is"
2021 Uku Suviste "The Lucky One"
2021 Stefania Liberakakis "Last Dance"
2021 Natalia Gordienko "Sugar"
2021 Dimash Kudaibergen "Stranger"

References

  1. ^ "Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame". Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation. Archived from the original on 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  2. ^ a b "Sharon Vaughn Discography at Discogs: Writing-Arrangement - Credits". Discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  3. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 439. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  4. ^ a b c "Logga in på Mina sidor". Stim.se. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Sharon Vaughn, Hero to Songwriters". ASCAP. Fall 2008. Archived from the original on 26 August 2010. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  6. ^ "Logga in på Mina sidor". Stim.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  7. ^ "Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame". Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
  8. ^ "Agnes - Chart history". Billboard. 2009-10-31. Archived from the original on 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  9. ^ "Top 10 Foreign Works" (PDF). Jasrac.or.jp. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  10. ^ "Alla artister i Melodifestivalen 2014 presenteras – de tävlar i Göteborg och Örnsköldsvik - Melodifestivalen". SVT.se. Archived from the original on 2013-12-01. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  11. ^ "Wally Lopez - Follow Me! (CD) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Archived from the original on 2016-08-04. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  12. ^ "Brother - Boyzone | Credits". AllMusic. 2010-03-08. Archived from the original on 2016-10-11. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  13. ^ "Say What You Feel". Paulbrady.com.
  14. ^ "Unfinished Business". Paulbrady.com.
  15. ^ "Maybe So". Paulbrady.com.
  16. ^ Insulander, Krister (2019-10-23). "Vem skrev vad?". Stim Magasinet (in Swedish). p. 17. Archived from the original on 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
  17. ^ "Mary Sharon Vaughn (73 år) | Ratsit". Ratsit.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2020-07-24.
  18. ^ "Sharon Vaughn: Around the World and Back Again". Orlando Magazine. 2019-07-31. Archived from the original on 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  19. ^ "The Bank i avtal med Sharon Vaughn". Musikindustrin (in Swedish). 2021-04-26. Archived from the original on 2021-09-17. Retrieved 2021-09-17.