Picture of McDavis on October 12, 1981.

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Picture of McDavis taken on October 12, 1981.

CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images / CBS

McDavis, a songwriter and presenter who began a decade in music and entertainment in the early 1960s, died Tuesday in Nashville following heart surgery. His death was confirmed by manager Jim Mori. He was 78 years old.

Davis’ lyricist was recorded by dozens of artists, including Nancy Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Reba McIntyre, Tom Jones, Kenny Rogers and Merle Hoggard. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame Hall of Fame, the Nashville Lyricist Hall of Fame, the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and was awarded the BMI Icon Award. He has released 19 albums in 25 years, beginning in the 1970s Song painter Ends 1994s Write songs for food.

Davis was born on January 21, 1942, in Texas. Davis graduated from high school at the age of 16 and left Lubbock to join his mother Edith in Atlanta. While working as a “promotion man” for record labels, Davis began writing bands and songs at the age of 20, trying to secure radio releases for their releases. His work for the Liberty Record eventually reached Los Angeles and the orbit of Nancy Sinatra, who then hired him to write songs for her and her company.

After writing for Sinatra and the pop community around her, Davis’ songs caught Elvis Presley’s attention. The combination has garnered numerous hits, including “In the Geto”, “Memories”, and “Daddy Cry Daddy”. (Presley’s first recording of the Davis song “A Little Less Dialogue” since 1968, co – written and arranged with co – producer Billy Strange, but was not immediately successful. Succeeded in works.

Davis began his career as a recording artist in the 1970s, winning a Grammy nomination for his 1972 chart topper “Baby Don’t Get Hook on Me”. By the middle of the decade, Davis had become ubiquitous in American popular life, presenting a variety of shows of his own (including Sony & Cher and Johnny Cash); By the end of it, he also started appearing in movies.

Nick Knott and Mac Davis in a scene from the film North Dallas Forty Since 1979.

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Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

Nick Knott and Mac Davis in a scene from the film North Dallas Forty Since 1979.

Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images

Although Davis ‘lyricist rose to prominence in the 1970s, his personal recording career peaked in the’ 80s, with “It’s hard to be humble” (quoted by Kentrick Lamar and Rihanna in the song).Honesty“),” Texas in rearview mirror. “

In that second song, he sang, “I thank God every day for giving me the music and the words to say it.” His family confirmed in a statement that he would be buried in blue jeans in Lubbock, Texas, according to the song’s last lines.