“Set ‘Em Up Joe” | Vern Gosdin

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Oct. 13: It was 35 years ago today that one of country music’s greatest and most recorded tunesmiths, Hank Cochran, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. This is one of my favorites from his catalog, sung by another great, the man known as “The Voice.”

Cochran’s first hit was Patsy Cline’s recording of his collaboration with Harlan Howard, “I Fall to Pieces.” Other enduring songs with his name on them include “Make The World Go Away” (Eddy Arnold), “She’s Got You” (Patsy Cline), “Don’t Touch Me” (Jeannie Seely), “The Chair” and “Ocean Front Property” (George Strait), “Miami My Amy” (Keith Whitley) …

Hank Cochran

… And “Set ‘Em Up Joe,” an understated tribute to Ernest Tubb (who’s never mentioned, except by his initials in the chorus). It’s among the 10 No. 1’s written or co-written by Cochran so far. Learn more about Cochran on his Web site, and at his Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame page.

For Gosdin, the record was one of three Billboard chart-toppers. He had a terrific country voice, at least as expressive as George Jones’ but more roughly hewn. For as fine a country record as you’ll ever hear, seek out “Chisled In Stone.”

Gosdin died earlier this year after suffering a stroke. Learn more about him here; his discography can be found here.