‘Tobacco Road’ songwriter John D. Loudermilk dies

NASHVILLE – John D. Loudermilk, a singer and songwriter who wrote pop and country songs such as “Tobacco Road” and “Indian Reservation,” has died. He was 82.

His son, Mike Loudermilk, said that his father died on Wednesday in Christiana, Tennessee.

Loudermilk, originally from North Carolina, began his career as a writer and singer when a poem he wrote “A Rose and a Baby Ruth,” was recorded by singer George Hamilton IV in 1956. He moved to Nashville and became a popular songwriter in the 1960 and ’70s. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1976.

The British invasion group The Nashville Teens recorded “Tobacco Road,” in 1964. He also wrote “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye,” ”Break My Mind,” and co-wrote “Waterloo” and “Abilene.”