Whatever Happened To ‘With Pen In Hand’ Singer Johnny Darrell?

The year was 1968.  A beautiful song hit, not only the Country Music chart but the Pop chart as well.

The song was 'With Pen In Hand', sung by an artist with an extraordinary voice, Johnny Darrell.  The song, written by Bobby Goldsboro, would also be Grammy nominated in 1969 for pop artist Vikki Carr.   But it was the Johnny Darrell version that captivated Country Music fans around the world.

So who was Johnny Darrell and whatever happened to him?

Well, Johnny was born in Alabama and grew up in Georgia. And while 'With Pen In Hand' was his biggest and most well known smash hit, he also had a Top Ten Country hit with 'Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town', a song that will forever be remembered as a huge hit for Kenny Rogers and The First Edition.

Johnny charted several more singles into the mid 1970's, but never was able to reach the musical heights he did with the classic 'With Pen In Hand'.

So whatever happened to Johnny Darrell?

Johnny had a long battle with diabetes, and it contributed to taking his life in 1997 at the much too young age of 57.