Larry Henley

Lawrence Joel "Larry" Henley (June 30, 1937 – December 18, 2014) was an American singer and songwriter, best known for co-writing (with Jeff Silbar) the 1989 hit record "Wind Beneath My Wings."

Lawrence Joel Henley was born in Arp, Texas on June 30, 1937. He grew up in Odessa, Texas. He had originally planned on an acting career before becoming a singer and songwriter.

He was the lead singer of pop group the Newbeats, formed in the 1964, singing in a distinctive falsetto. The group had two hits that charted in the top 20 of Billboard magazine, with one of them, "Bread and Butter", reaching No. 2 on the Billboard charts and selling over a million copies. They toured Australia and New Zealand with Roy Orbison, Ray Columbus and the Invaders and the Rolling Stones on the "Big Beat '65" tour. The group's last single was released in 1974. Henley had a solo album, Piece a Cake, released in 1975.

He co-wrote with Red Lane "'Til I Get It Right" for Tammy Wynette, a 1973 #1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles, later covered by Barbra Streisand and Kenny Rogers. Other #1 country hits were his songs "Is It Still Over?" (performed by Randy Travis), "Lizzie and the Rainman" (performed by Tanya Tucker), and "He's a Heartache (Looking for a Place to Happen)" (performed by Janie Fricke). Other songs included "Shotgun rider" for Delbert McClinton, "You're Welcome to Tonight" by Lynn Anderson and Gary Morris and "The World Needs a Melody" by The Carter Family with Johnny Cash.

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