Nashville Songwriting Hall of Fame Member Red Lane Has Passed Away at Age 76

Red Lane, a 1993 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the co-writer of the Tammy Wynette hit "'Til I Get It Right," among several other enduring songs, died Wednesday night after a lengthy bout with cancer. He was 76.

Mr. Lane was born Hollis Rudolph DeLaughter on Feb. 9, 1939 in Zona (now part of Bogalusa), La. He began learning how to play music as a young child after his father sold his favorite .22 rifle to buy a guitar.

As the son of sharecroppers, Mr. Lane and his family moved frequently. After graduating from a high school in Indiana, Mr. Lane enlisted in the Air Force, where he served as an aircraft engine mechanic because his color blindness disqualified him from becoming a military pilot.

Toward the end of his service, Mr. Lane began playing music in nightclubs and in talent competitions several evenings a week. It was during this time that he acquired his stage name because the military brass reportedly wasn't fond of service members performing in clubs.

It was also where he cultivated a love of planes — later in his life, he'd get his pilot's license. He also purchased a DC-8 passenger jetliner and converted it into a home in Ashland City where he lived for more than 30 years.

In the 1970s, Mr. Lane learned he enjoyed jumping out of airplanes, too. In a 1975 Tennessean article, he described parachute jumping as "the nearest mettle tester (he'd) ever experienced."

He'd use his skydiving experience as inspiration for the song "The Day I Jumped From Uncle Harvey's Plane," which was recorded by Roger Miller.

During the early 1970s, Mr. Lane released a handful of songs on RCA. His most successful single was "The World Needs a Melody" (co-written with Larry Henley and Johnny Slate), which peaked at No. 32 in 1971.

Mr. Lane was also a session musician, playing guitar on recordings by Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Bobby Bare, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. He would also tour with Haggard, who has recorded several songs written by Mr. Lane.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum honored Mr. Lane as part of its Poets and Prophets series in 2010.

Funeral arrangements are unknown at this time.

Songs written by Red Lane include:

"BlackjackCounty Chain" (recorded by Willie Nelson, Del McCoury Band), "'Til I Get It Right" (recorded by Tammy Wynette), "Country Girl" (recorded by Dottie West), "Miss Emily's Picture" (recorded by John Conlee), "The Eagle" (recorded by Waylon Jennings) and "My Own Kind of Hat" (recorded by Merle Haggard)