Beloved Hall Of Fame Songwriter Hugh Prestwood Has Died At 82
Hugh Prestwood/Facebook
Hugh Prestwood, a talented songwriter behind some of country music’s biggest hits, has died at the age of 82 following a stroke.
Hugh Prestwood was an award-winning songwriter with hits recorded by Randy Travis (“Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart”), Trisha Yearwood (“The Song Remembers When”), and Shenandoah (“Ghost In This House”). Other artists who recorded songs written by Prestwood include Barbara Mandrell, Highway 101, Tanya Tucker, James Taylor, The Judds, and Don Williams.
“The Song Remembers When” was named the Nashville Songwriters Association’s Song of the Year in 1993. Though he never won a Grammy, he earned three nominations for “Best Performance” for “Sound of Goodbye” performed by Crystal Gayle, “Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart” by Travis and “Ghost in this House” by Shenandoah. Prestwood was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 2006.
In 2015, Hugh Prestwood made an appearance at Nashville’s iconic Bluebird Cafe to sing some of his biggest hits.
Before singing “The Song Remembers When,” the songwriter introduced it by sharing a story about Trisha Yearwood recording the song.
“There’s nothing more intense as a songwriter when you get a song cut than to hear what they did with your song. Sometimes they hook it, and sometimes they don’t,” Prestwood admitted. “But, I was sitting in the producer’s office, and he played me this cut, and I swear, I jumped out of my chair, and I said, ‘We’re in the Hall of Fame!’ She just killed it.”
“The Song Remembers When” was the lead single and title track of Trisha Yearwood’s third studio album. It would become her first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned an Emmy for being included in Trisha Yearwood: The Song Remembers When, a one-hour musical special that aired on the Disney Channel.
Shenandoah remembered Hugh Prestwood in a touching post following his death.
Mike McGuire, drummer and background vocalist for Shenandoah, paid tribute to Prestwood by sharing a personal note he had written to the songwriter on the anniversary of the band’s hit song, “Ghost In This House.” Unfortunately, the message was sent two days after Prestwood’s death and he never got to read McGuire’s kind words.
“I had texted him the note below and I noticed he never got the chance to read it. Iâm sad about that but he knew how much he meant to us. And since I never got to share this letter with him I thought Iâd share it with the world. After all, he shared âGhost In This Houseâ with us all,” McGuire wrote on Facebook before sharing the text he wrote to Hugh.
âHey Hughâ¦Mike McGuire here. Hope all is well with you buddy. I was just watching a bunch of YouTube videos tonight of you singing all of your great songs and it started making me feel nostalgic. You played such a huge role in our career and for me on a personal level back when I lived in NYC when you invited me to come down that night to your songwriting class. So I just wanted to stop for a minute and tell you how much I love you as a person and as a friend. God has truly blessed you with a unique songwriting talent and voice and I donât want you to ever forget what you have contributed to this worldâ¦..at least mine. You said it right when you wrote âThe Song Remembers Whenâ. Cause all your songs make me remember whenâ¦and whenâ¦and when. Thank you Hugh for the contribution you made to my life. You are loved by so many! Especially me.â
Alison Krauss also recorded “Ghost In This House” roughly a decade after Shenandoah.
Hugh Prestwood passed away Sunday, September 22, 2024, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Hugh Prestwood is survived by his wife, Judy Ahrens, son Bryan Prestwood, daughter Jennifer Bustillos, four grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. Music Row reports that a Celebration of Life will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions to Prestwood’s family to help with medical expenses are requested.
