Famed country producer Billy Sherrill, behind such hits as ‘Stand By Your Man,’ dies at age 78

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Country record producer and songwriter Billy Sherrill, who helped create the smooth “countrypolitan” sound of the 1960s and ’70s, has died. He was 78.

Sherrill’s son-in-law, George Lale, said he died Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee.

Sherrill’s production style incorporated over-dubbing, strings and background vocals into country music to encourage crossover success for artists like Tammy Wynette, George Jones and Charlie Rich. He produced hits like, “Stand By Your Man,” which he co-wrote with Wynette, “The Most Beautiful Girl,” ”Behind Closed Doors,” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”

He worked at Sun Records in Nashville, and then joined the CBS record label in 1964. He won a Grammy Award for co-writing “Almost Persuaded,” in 1966. He also worked with Barbara Mandrell, Ronnie Milsap, Johnny Paycheck and Elvis Costello.

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A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Sherrill worked at Sun Records in Memphis.