Hugh Prestwood (September 2004)

'Not living in Nashville, I have not had the pleasure of meeting Gene, but I've been an admirer of his for many years.

He is the 'real thing' and has, it seems to me, managed to hold on to his authenticity and integrity in an age where 'selling out' has become pretty routine.

Gene has recorded two songs of mine, for which I am very proud.  And, what's even better, I love the cuts'.

Thank you, Hugh Prestwood, for your support of Gene Watson.

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About Hugh Prestwood...

Hugh Prestwood was discovered in 1978 by Judy Collins, who gave him his first hit ('Hard Times for Lovers') & subsequently recorded five more of his songs.

A staff songwriter for BMG Music, Hugh has penned No.1 hits for Randy Travis ('Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart'), Trisha Yearwood ('The Song Remembers When'), Michael Johnson ('The Moon is Still over her Shoulder' & 'That's That'), Shenandoah ('Ghost in this House'), Crystal Gayle ('The Sound of Goodbye'), & Collin Raye ('On The Verge').

Hugh has also composed hits for Highway 101 ('Bing Bang Boom'), Anne Murray ('Feed This Fire'), Ty England ('Smoke in her Eyes') & Kathy Mattea ('Asking Us to Dance').  Other artists who have recorded Hugh's songs include Conway Twitty, Lee Greenwood, Don Williams, Jackie De Shannon, Vern Gosdin, Maura O'Connell, Tanya Tucker & The Judds.

In 1991, Hugh was honored at the annual BMI Awards with the 23rd Robert J. Burton Song of the Year award for 'Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart' (recorded by Randy Travis).  Hugh was also selected by Billboard Magazine as the No.2 country songwriter of that year.  Billboard currently lists 'Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart" as the 5th biggest country hit of the 1990s.

Hugh Prestwood made his recording debut on RCA records in 1993 with the album 'Signatures 3', which featured five of Nashville's top writers doing their own songs.

In 1994, Hugh won a Prime Time Emmy Award for 'Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music & Lyrics' for his composition 'The Song Remembers When', which was featured in the Disney special 'Trisha Yearwood - The Song Remembers When'.  The song was also nominated for a Cable ACE Award for Best Original Song & was voted Song of the Year by members of the Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI).

In 1997, Hugh's song 'On the Verge' was listed by Billboard magazine as the 4th biggest country hit of the year.  Three of Hugh Prestwood's songs have been nominated for Grammy Awards in the 'Best Performance' Category: 'Sound of Goodbye' (performed by Crystal Gayle), 'Hard Rock Bottom of your Heart' (performed by Randy Travis) & 'Ghost in this House' (performed by Shenandoah).

Born & raised in El Paso, Texas & a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso, Hugh Prestwood currently resides on Long Island, New York.  Since 1982, he has taught advanced songwriting at The New School in Manhattan.  Additionally, each year, Hugh teaches songwriting workshops for the NSAI in various locations throughout the United States.

Visit Hugh Prestwood's Official Website

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