- Raised in Vancleave, through the 1980s, Paul Overstreet became one of the Nashville’s most consistently successful and honored songwriters.
True confession. Country music is not my genre. However, if you start singing “Jackson” (1968) by Johnny Cash and June Carter, I could tell you they made it famous. And whenever my family traveled down our long driveway and headed to Jackson, someone would start singing the lyrics. Of course, back in that day, we traveled to Jackson only once or twice a month. Mercy, how times have changed.
I don’t know when I first heard “Forever, and Ever, Amen” (1987). Maybe it was from a television show, the radio in the farm truck, or at someone’s wedding. Today, whenever I think about the song, etched in my memory bank, I see Randy Travis playing the guitar and singing in his deep, rich baritone voice. In my younger years, I may have swooned—just a little.
And if you think it’s an old song, think again. Shania Twain and Ronald Keaton (2021) and Josh Turner with Randy Travis (2020) have resurrected and recorded “Forever, and Ever, Amen.”
Raised in Vancleave, through the 1980s, Paul Overstreet became one of the Nashville’s most consistently successful and honored songwriters, penning major hits for George Jones, Randy Travis, Tanya Tucker, The Judds, Kenny Chesney, and Allison Krause while becoming a chart-topping singer himself. Some of his songs about family, marriage and religion, such as “On the Other Hand,” “Sowin Love,” “Seeing My Father In Me,” and “When You Say Nothing at All,” became modern country classics.
Origination of the Country Hit
The book Forever and Ever, Amen: The Heart-Warming Stories Behind the Music of Paul Overstreet was published in 2005. Randy Travis writes the book’s Forward. The following are several thoughts he shared:
“If I had to pick my favorite Overstreet song, it would have to be ‘Forever and Ever, Amen.’ The response we’ve received in person and by mail from this one song outweighs all others I’ve recorded combined. This song has made people laugh, cry, remember loved ones who are no longer with them, and consider how much they love those who are still around. I have no idea how many times people have told me this song was used at their wedding, or how many times it’s been used at funerals…I consider myself very fortunate each time I stand before an audience and sing his songs. More often than any other time, I see the powerful effect his words have on people.”
The song, for three straight weeks, topped the 1987 Billboard charts. It was written by songwriters Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz. Several years before Paul moved to Nashville, Don was trying to enter the country music business as a songwriter. In 1976, he wrote “The Gambler,” which became the 1979 CMA Song of the Year. You might remember the Kenny Rogers’ version and the 1980 TV movie.
Eventually, Overstreet and Schlitz teamed together and wrote “On the Other Hand.” In 1985, Travis recorded the song. After growing in popularity, the song was re-released in 1986 and became Travis’ first number one hit. Later, with the encouragement of Travis, Overstreet and Schlitz agreed to meet for a writing session at Overstreet’s home.
In the book, Overstreet shares the story of Schlitz’s son learning the “Lord’s Prayer.” He went throughout the house saying, “Mommy, I love you forever and ever, amen.” Don thought the phrase would make a great song. The two men continued to share stories into the wee hours of the night, and by morning, they had a new song. In March 1987, “Forever and Ever, Amen” was released. Sung by Randy Travis, it became number one on the U.S. Billboard charts.
The duo also wrote “When You Say Nothing at All,” which was a hit for Keith Whitley and Alison Krauss. For The Forester Sisters, they wrote “You Again.” Tanya Tucker recorded “I Won’t Take Less Than Your Love” with Overstreet and Paul Davis.
From Newton to Nashville
Paul Overstreet, the youngest of five children, was born on March 17, 1955, to Mary Lela (Havens) Hatten and William E. Overstreet in Newton, Mississippi. His father was a pastor who traveled between Mississippi and Louisiana, preaching in small Baptist Churches.
Paul and his siblings grew up in Vancleave. Each had a musical talent; they sang and played the piano or guitar. Paul, a self-taught guitarist, loved the music of Elvis Presley, Marty Robbins, Grand Funk Railroad, and Janis Joplin.
As a young boy, when Paul was around six, his parents divorced. Times were hard. In the book mentioned earlier, Paul wrote, “There were weeks we didn’t know where our food would come from. Mom cried a lot, prayed a lot, trying to figure out a way to take care of her family. I also remember standing in line with Mom to get commodities—government-dispersed food supplies like cheese, peanut butter, lard, and flour. Mom remarried, and things changed a bit.”
After high school, one resource stated that Overstreet worked as a mechanic in Texas. It was from here that he headed to Music City. He found jobs during the day and played in country bands at night. The pressure of work and discouragement of not having a breakthrough as a singer and songwriter took a toll on the young man.
Things began to change in January of 1982. Overstreet’s song, “Same Ole Me,” was taken to number five on the country singles chart by George Jones with the Oak Ridge Boys. The song brought Overstreet the notoriety he needed in Nashville.
Over the past forty years, he has written or co-written 27 top ten songs. He has his record label, Scarlet Moon Records. Some projects released are A Songwriters Project, Volume 1, and Living By the Book. His website states this album is an “all original, country songs of faith and family.”
He has been married to Julie Miller since 1985; they have six children: Nash, Chord, Summer, Harmony, Skye, and Charity. All are talented in music. They play the guitar, are songwriters, sing, and work in the music industry.
Awards
While working on this article, I downloaded the book Forever and Ever, Amen: The Heartwarming Stories Behind the Music of Paul Overstreet to my Kindle to learn more about the man and his songs. The twenty chapters cover his top songs. It also includes family pictures, letters from fans impacted by his music, and details on why he wrote each song.
Overstreet was the BMI Songwriter of the Year for five consecutive years. As of this writing, this is the first time anyone else has achieved that honor. He is a two-time Grammy Award winner in the NSAI Songwriter’s Hall of Fame (2003).
As a former Mississippian, Paul Overstreet was the first songwriter to be inducted into the Mississippi Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 2019.
In 2011, Paul Overstreet joined Elvis Presley, Faith Hill, Tammy Wynette, and others on the Mississippi Country Music Trail. The road marker was erected at the intersection of Highway 57 and Bulldog Lane in Vancleave.
I’ve already added some of Paul Overstreet’s songs to my Spotify playlist. What about you?
