Red Lane

b. Hollis R. DeLaughter, 9 February 1939, near Bogalusa, Louisiana, USA. A singer-songwriter who learned guitar as a child, Lane moved to Nashville in the early 60s, where he worked with Justin Tubb and as a session musician. In 1967, he became frontman for Dottie West’s band and co-wrote with West her 1968 hit ‘Country Girl’. In the early 70s, he recorded for RCA Records and charted four minor hits, the biggest being ‘The World Needs A Melody’ and the last, ‘It Was Love While It Lasted’, in 1972. Since then he has remained active as a session musician and toured as a guitarist with Merle Haggard. Some of his songs have been recorded by top artists but he has failed to achieve further chart successes of his own. However, Lane was acknowledged in 1993 when he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.