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Herbert Paul Gilley

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Herbert Paul Gilley

Birth
Maytown, Morgan County, Kentucky, USA
Death
16 Jun 1957 (aged 27)
Morgan County, Kentucky, USA
Burial
Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Kentucky, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
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Songwriter PAUL GILLEY wrote country music songs performed by Hank Williams, B.J. Thomas and others. He penned the lyrics to classics such as "COLD, COLD HEART" and "I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY. His writing of "COLD, COLD HEART" was enough to establish his reputation as a musical great. Paul Gilley was a gifted wordsmith. His musical accomplishments came in his very short life of twenty-seven years when he drowned in a farm pond in 1957.

Paul Gilley was a native of Maytown in Morgan County, Kentucky. He sold the lyrics - not the melody - to Hank Williams or an agent for a fee which he wrote or co-wrote: COLD, COLD HEART and (co-wrote) I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY. He started writing songs while a student at Ezel High School (1944) and had his work published in 1947. He left Ezel High School in Morgan County, Kentucky to graduate from Hazel Green Academy in Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Kentucky in 1949.
He wrote and sold some 85 lyrics. (HALF AS MUCH recorded by Hank Williams; CRAZY ARMS recorded by Ray Price; IF TEARDROPS WERE PENNIES recorded by Carl Smith; SPRINGTIME IN ALASKA recorded by Johnny Horton; ME AND FRED AND BILL AND JOE recorded by Porter Wagner; I OVERLOOKED AND ORCHID recorded by Carl Smith and Micky Gilley; DON'T LET THE STARS GET IN YOUR EYES recorded by Slim Wilet; GONNA FIND ME A BLUEBIRD recorded by Marvin Rainwater and others; I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY recorded by Hank William, Elvis Presley, B.J. Thomas and others were some.)
He co-wrote some songs with Carter Gibbs of Hazel Green, Kentucky.
Paul was a large man, standing some 6'9. He attended Western Kentucky University until a basketball injury forced him to leave WKU. After he recovered from his injury, he attended Morehead State University in Kentucky. While at MSU, he traveled to Kansas City in 1951 to participate in the NAIB Tournament.

He is buried beside his Mother, Nora Alice Phipps Gilley (October 17, 1890 - February 19, 1958) and his Father, McClellan "Clell" Gilley (July 23, 1899 - July 4, 1963).
Paul was the only child of Nora and Clell Gilley.



Songwriter PAUL GILLEY wrote country music songs performed by Hank Williams, B.J. Thomas and others. He penned the lyrics to classics such as "COLD, COLD HEART" and "I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY. His writing of "COLD, COLD HEART" was enough to establish his reputation as a musical great. Paul Gilley was a gifted wordsmith. His musical accomplishments came in his very short life of twenty-seven years when he drowned in a farm pond in 1957.

Paul Gilley was a native of Maytown in Morgan County, Kentucky. He sold the lyrics - not the melody - to Hank Williams or an agent for a fee which he wrote or co-wrote: COLD, COLD HEART and (co-wrote) I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY. He started writing songs while a student at Ezel High School (1944) and had his work published in 1947. He left Ezel High School in Morgan County, Kentucky to graduate from Hazel Green Academy in Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Kentucky in 1949.
He wrote and sold some 85 lyrics. (HALF AS MUCH recorded by Hank Williams; CRAZY ARMS recorded by Ray Price; IF TEARDROPS WERE PENNIES recorded by Carl Smith; SPRINGTIME IN ALASKA recorded by Johnny Horton; ME AND FRED AND BILL AND JOE recorded by Porter Wagner; I OVERLOOKED AND ORCHID recorded by Carl Smith and Micky Gilley; DON'T LET THE STARS GET IN YOUR EYES recorded by Slim Wilet; GONNA FIND ME A BLUEBIRD recorded by Marvin Rainwater and others; I'M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY recorded by Hank William, Elvis Presley, B.J. Thomas and others were some.)
He co-wrote some songs with Carter Gibbs of Hazel Green, Kentucky.
Paul was a large man, standing some 6'9. He attended Western Kentucky University until a basketball injury forced him to leave WKU. After he recovered from his injury, he attended Morehead State University in Kentucky. While at MSU, he traveled to Kansas City in 1951 to participate in the NAIB Tournament.

He is buried beside his Mother, Nora Alice Phipps Gilley (October 17, 1890 - February 19, 1958) and his Father, McClellan "Clell" Gilley (July 23, 1899 - July 4, 1963).
Paul was the only child of Nora and Clell Gilley.





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