Country Songwriter With Multiple Hits Dead at 70: RIP to Walt Aldridge

Country songwriter Walt Aldridge is dead.

FAME Recording Studios confirmed Aldridge’s death on Nov. 19 in a Facebook post. He was 70.

“We are deeply saddened to say that our dear friend and colleague Walt Aldridge has passed away,” they said. “We cannot possibly put into words how much Walt meant to the FAME family! There was a time in the 80’s when Walt’s songwriting along with Robert Byrne, Tommy Brasfield and Mac McAnally carried the most of the weight of the Muscle Shoals Music industry through a difficult time in history.”

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Per his obituary from Morrison Funeral Homes, James Walton Aldridge, Jr. was born on Nov. 12, 1955 in Florence, Alabama. While not much is known about the cause of death, the obituary states that he “safely entered the arms of Jesus” on Nov. 19 after a “long and courageous battle with illness.”

Aldridge spent 17 years as a staff songwriter, musician, and engineer at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, working on around 200 records during that time. Engineering credits include Billy Ray Cyrus, Terri Gibbs, Alabama, Jerry Reed, The Gatlin Brothers, Lou Reed, Billy Oceans, Heartland, Marie Osmond, and Wilson Pickett, among many others. Some songs that fans might know that he’s behind include “I Loved Her First” by Heartland, “The Fear of Being Alone” by Reba McEntire, “Some Things Never Change” by Tim McGraw, and “Sure Can Smell the Rain” by Blackhawk.

Additionally, Aldridge has written or co-written 56 Top 40 songs on the Billboard Country Charts and was named one of their Top 10 Writers of the Year twice. Notable recognitions include over 20 gold and platinum RIAA certifications, seven No. 1 record CMA certificates, over 30 performance awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and “No Getting Over Me” was named ASCAP’s Most Performed Country Song.

Aldridge has been awarded a bronze star on the Alabama Music Hall of Fame Walk of Fame, and he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017, as well as the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2018. In addition to music, Aldridge spent 10 years as a Professor in the Entertainment Industry Department at the University of North Alabama.

“Today we remember our good friend and member of the FAME family, Walt Aldridge,” wrote FAME Recording Studios on Instagram on Nov. 29. “Walt’s work helped carry the sound of this place around the world, and his wisdom shaped everyone who was lucky enough to write, sing or learn beside him. Our love and deepest sympathy go out to Walt’s family and friends. Thank you, Walt, for the music you left in these walls and in all of us.”