Biography
Norris "Norro" Wilson (April 4, 1938 – June 8, 2017) was an American country music singer-songwriter, producer, and member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Wilson wrote or co-wrote numerous hit songs during more than 40 years in the industry, including songs for David Houston, Jean Shepard, Charlie Rich, Charley Pride, George Jones, and Tammy Wynette, among many others.
Read full biography ↓
Originally recorded as "Hey Mister" in 1968 by co-writer Norro Wilson, "The Most Beautiful Girl" is a song recorded by Charlie Rich and written by Bill Sherrill, Norris Wilson, and Rory Bourke. The country and western ballad reached number 1 in the United States in 1973 on three Billboard music charts: the pop chart (two weeks), the country chart (three weeks), and the adult contemporary chart (three weeks), as well as in Canada on three RPM charts: the RPM 100 Top Singles chart, the Country Tracks chart, and the Adult Contemporary chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 23 song for 1974.
Norro Wilson also produced or co-produced songs for dozens of artists, including Joe Stampley, Margo Smith, Sara Evans, Kenny Chesney, and Shania Twain.
Earlier in his career, Wilson also charted ten singles on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Songs chart. The biggest of his three Top 40 hits was "Do It to Someone You Love," which reached No. 20 in 1970.
He died on June 8, 2017 in Nashville from heart failure.
Albums
YearAlbumUS CountryLabel
1969Dedicated To: Only You40Smash
Singles
YearSingleChart PositionsAlbum
US CountryCAN Country
1969"Only You"68—Dedicated To: Only You
"Love Comes but Once in a Lifetime"44—
"Shame on Me"56—singles only
1970"Do It to Someone You Love"20—
"Old Enough to Want To (Fool Enough to Try)"53—
1972"Everybody Needs Lovin"2847
1973"Darlin Raise the Shade"64—
"Aint It Good (To Feel This Way)"3582
1974"Loneliness (Can Break a Good Man Down)"96—
1977"So Close Again" (w/ Margo Smith)43—Happiness (Margo Smith album)
Awards and recognition
1975 Grammy Award (with Billy Sherrill, songwriters) for Best Country Song, "A Very Special Love Song"
1996 Inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
2008 Inducted into Kentucky Music Hall of Fame
Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.