Songwriter Max D. Barnes Dies At 67

[Shawn]

Max D. Barnes, the co-writer of such hits as "Chiseled in Stone," "Look at Us" and "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes," died early Sunday (Jan. 11) of pneumonia at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. He was 67.

During his nearly 40 years as a professional writer, Barnes saw his songs recorded by George Jones, Vince Gill, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Vern Gosdin, the Kendalls, Randy Travis, Pam Tillis, Keith Whitley, Waylon Jennings, John Anderson and Eddy Raven, among others. His son is songwriter and producer Max. T. Barnes, with whom he wrote Gosdin's 1983 hit, "Way Down Deep."

Max Duane Barnes was born July 24, 1936, in Hardscratch, Iowa. When he was still young, his family moved to Nebraska. He began learning to play guitar when he was 11. At 16, he left school and began singing in an Omaha nightclub. After that, he formed his own band, the Golden Rockets, whose lead singer soon became his wife, Patsy. While cultivating his musical skills, Barnes supported his family as a truck driver, lathe operator, carpenter, deckhand, bartender, carnival worker, car salesman and foreman of a lamp factory.

"Country music is for ordinary people," he said after he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992. "That's what I am, and I don't ever want to get above that. I try to trim every excess word. A song is like a mini-drama."

entire eulogy at CMT.com

[rainbowdemon]

I've never been a fan of country music. But a man with that kind of talent will be missed.

:(