Tom T. Hall

Tom T. Hall was known as a storyteller, a songwriter with a keen eye for detail and a knack for narrative. Many musicians have covered his songs -- most notably Jeannie C. Riley's 1968 hit "Harper Valley P.T.A." -- and he also racked up a number of solo hits, including seven number one singles. Hall was the son of a bricklaying minister, who gave his child a guitar at the age of eight. Hall had already begun to write poetry, so it was a natural progression for him to write songs. He began learning music and performing techniques from a local musician, Clayton Delaney. When he was 11, his mother died. Four years later, his father was shot in a hunting accident, which prevented him from working. In order to support himself and his father, Hall quit school and took a job in a local garment factory. While working there, he formed his first band, the Kentucky Travelers. The group played bluegrass and gigged at local schools as well as a radio station in Morehead, Kentucky. The station was sponsored by the Polar Bear Flour Company, and Hall wrote a jingle for them. After the Kentucky Travelers broke up, he became a DJ at the radio station.