Draft:Mark Sherrill

Marshall “Mark” Sherrill, born July 9, 1954 in Alexander City, Alabama, is a songwriter, singer and former Nashville, Tennessee-based record producer. He has written or co-written a number of songs which have landed on the county music charts over the years.

His most notable song, co-written with Don Goodman and James Bohon, is the country hit, Ol’ Red. The song was originally recorded in 1990 by legendary country music artist George Jones and subsequently covered by Kenny Rogers (1993) and Blake Sheldon (2002). Sheldon’s cover of Ol’ Red, along with its accompanying music video, is the most widely-known version of the song among the newer generation of country music fans. Peaking just shy of charting Top 10 recognition, he has said it’s the song most-requested by fans attending his concerts and considers it to be his signature song.

In a career spanning six decades, most spent working in Nashville, Sherrill has written a number of other songs recorded by country music artists, the most notable being Willie Nelson, Charlie Rich, Tammy Wynette (with George Jones), Conway Twitty, John Anderson, Loretta Lynn (with George Jones), Tanya Tucker, B.J. Thomas, Joe Stampley, Ricky Van Shelton, Lacy J. Dalton, Brenda Lee, David Allan Coe, Con Hunley, Darrell McCall and Boxcar Willie. Early in his career, he also co-wrote, along with Linda Kimball, the adult contemporary song, I’ve Been Waiting for You All of My Life, which was recorded by Paul Anka for his 1981 album* entitled, Both Sides of Love.

During his time in the Music City, in addition to songwriting, Sherrill was a record producer employed by notable labels MCA Nashville, CBS Records and PolyGram. Mark is cousin to the late, legendary songwriter and record producer, Billy Sherrill, a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member and 2010 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Sherrill left Nashville in 2011, moving to Pensacola, Florida where he currently resides. A popular fixture on the local country music scene, Mark is a founding member of the band, The Beach Billy’s, who perform at various venues throughout the greater Pensacola area. He also performs locally on occasion with his good friend and fellow songwriter, Bo Roberts, formerly lead guitarist and band leader for Hank Williams Jr.

Mark can also be seen and heard weekly on the main stage at the legendary Flora-Bama Lounge, a honky-tonk, beach bar located right on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico in Perdido Key, Florida, at the Alabama state line.

Sherrill, along with a number of other renowned country music songwriters, is featured annually at the Frank Brown International Songwriters’ Festival, held every November at the Flora-Bama and other select venues in the Pensacola and Orange Beach, Alabama area.

Mark has two children and six grandchildren, all residing in the greater Nashville metroplex area.