Johnny Darrell

Johnny Darrell was born on July 23, 1940, in Hopewell, AL, but grew up in Marietta, outside of Atlanta. After a stint in the Army, he moved to Nashville to manage a Holiday Inn. It was in this way that he made a few music-business contacts. Darrell came to the attention of United Artists producer Kelso Herston through Bobby Bare, who had heard about Darrell's curious brand of songwriting through one such contact. Darrell signed with UA, and issued his first single, "Green Green Grass of Home," in 1965. A year later, "As Long as the Wind Blows" made it into the Top 30. 1967 saw...