Skip Ewing
Skip Ewing | |
|---|---|
| Born | Donald Ralph Ewing March 6, 1964 Redlands, California, United States |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, banjo, piano |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Labels | MCA, Capitol, Word, Write! |
| Website | skipewing |
Donald Ralph "Skip" Ewing (born March 6, 1964) is an American country music singer and songwriter. As a recording artist, he placed six singles in the top 20 of the Billboard country chart, including "Burnin' a Hole in My Heart" and "It's You Again".[1] He became more widely successful as a songwriter for other performers; by 2011, his catalog included more than 250 album cuts, more than 25 hit singles and 11 number-one songs.[2]
Early life
[edit]Ewing was born in Redlands, California, into a military family that moved frequently, including a period in Charleston, South Carolina. His father, a United States Navy officer known as "Skipper", called him "Little Skipper", which was eventually shortened to Skip.[3] Seeing Glen Campbell on television inspired Ewing to play guitar, while hearing Haggard encouraged him to write poems and songs; he learned guitar before he could read. As a teenager, he performed in stage productions and at bluegrass festivals.[4] After his parents divorced, Ewing left home at 16 rather than choose between them. He supported himself with restaurant, veterinary, carpentry and mechanic work while continuing to pursue music.[4][5]
After high school, Ewing played bass in a country show at Busch Gardens–The Old Country in Virginia. An Opryland USA talent scout saw the production and recruited him for a similar job in Nashville. Ewing worked full-time at Opryland while pitching songs on Music Row, supplementing his income by singing demos and commercial jingles. He subsequently became a staff songwriter for Acuff-Rose Music.[5][6]
Career
[edit]Recording career
[edit]Before recording his own material, Ewing had songs recorded by George Jones, George Strait and Charley Pride. In 1987, he signed with MCA Records. Label executive and producer Jimmy Bowen asked Ewing to co-produce his debut album, The Coast of Colorado, despite Ewing's lack of previous production experience.[5][6] Released in 1988, the album consisted entirely of songs written or co-written by Ewing and produced five top-20 country singles.[3] "Burnin' a Hole in My Heart" reached number three, while "I Don't Have Far to Fall" and "The Gospel According to Luke" also reached the top ten.[5][7] Contemporary reviews emphasized Ewing's songwriting: Cash Box praised the album's material and his understated vocal delivery, singling out the title track, "I Don't Have Far to Fall", "Burnin' a Hole in My Heart" and "Dad".[8]
Ewing followed it with The Will to Love in 1989; its lead single, "It's You Again", reached number five. During this period, he toured extensively and opened concerts for performers including Alabama, Barbara Mandrell, Waylon Jennings, Randy Travis, Crystal Gayle and The Bellamy Brothers.[5] Critical reaction to Ewing's 1990 album A Healin' Fire was mixed. RPM praised his storytelling vocals and highlighted "Love's Alright", "Dancin' to the Radio" and "The Dotted Line", while Bob Millard of Country Music regarded much of the album as overly formulaic but praised "It Never Would Have Worked Out".[9][10] In 1991, Ewing followed Bowen to Capitol Records, but stopped recording two years later to concentrate on songwriting.[11]
Ewing returned as a recording artist with the 1997 Word Records album Until I Found You. Producer Billy Joe Walker Jr., who had played on much of Ewing's earlier work, encouraged him to make the album after the two had begun writing together. Although several major Nashville labels expressed interest, Ewing signed with Word, whose parent company also owned Opryland Music Group, his longtime publisher.[11] By then, Ewing's compositions had become better known through recordings by other performers, but he chose mostly unfamiliar material for the album rather than recut those hits.[4] The album included collaborations with Kent Blazy, Tim Johnson, Victoria Shaw, Gary Chapman and Donny Kees.[11][12]
Ewing later participated in the Big Kidz Band children's project Indian Elephant Tea. Reviewing a 2003 Rounder Records edition, Los Angeles Times critic Lynne Heffley found the collection uneven but praised the title song and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider Took the ‘A’ Train", which combined the nursery rhyme with Duke Ellington's "Take the A Train".[13]
Songwriting
[edit]By May 1997, more than 100 Ewing songs had been recorded by other artists.[4] His songs for other artists include "If I Didn't Have You" by Randy Travis, "Love, Me" by Collin Raye, "Something That We Do" by Clint Black, "You Had Me from Hello" and "Me and You" by Kenny Chesney, "I Believe" by Diamond Rio, "Wish You Were Here" by Mark Wills, and "Someone Else's Star", "Rebecca Lynn" and "I'm Not Supposed to Love You Anymore" by Bryan White.[2][6] "Something That We Do" was named the 1997 Nashville Songwriters Association International Song of the Year.[6] In 2000, Ewing shared BMI's Country Songwriter of the Year honor with Al Anderson, Martie Seidel and Shania Twain after three of his compositions—"Put Your Hand in Mine", "Wish You Were Here" and "You Had Me from Hello"—ranked among BMI's 50 most-performed country songs. The ceremony brought Ewing his 14th BMI citation.[14]
Ewing and Max T. Barnes developed the idea for "Love, Me" from a card that Ewing's then-girlfriend gave him before he left to tour with The Judds; she signed it "Love, Me" rather than with her name. Ewing's MCA producer rejected the resulting song, but his publisher continued pitching it. Collin Raye recorded it after publisher Troy Tomlinson played Ewing's demo during a meeting with Raye and producer Jerry Fuller. Released in 1991, it became Raye's first number-one country single and was nominated for the 1992 CMA Song of the Year award.[15][16]
Several other Ewing compositions found success years after they were written. He and Don Sampson wrote "Rebecca Lynn" in 1989; Ewing recorded it himself and later named his daughter after the song before Bryan White took it to number one in 1995. "Someone Else's Star" had first been recorded by Davis Daniel before White's version became a hit. Ewing attributed such delayed successes to timing and persistence, and described emotional honesty and empathy as central to his songwriting.[11]
In 2008, Ewing and Connie Harrington co-wrote Reba McEntire's single "Every Other Weekend". Kenny Chesney sang on the version released on Reba: Duets, while Ewing joined McEntire on the radio version after stations began playing the album track.[17] At the time, Ewing said he had concentrated on songwriting while raising his daughter and had also been collaborating on projects with Maya Angelou.[17] Sony/ATV Music Publishing signed Ewing in 2011.[2] In 2018, he was nominated for induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.[6] A song Ewing wrote with Dean Dillon in 1996, "Would If I Could", was recorded nearly three decades later as a duet by Ernest and Lainey Wilson for Ernest's 2024 album Nashville, Tennessee.[18]
Selected songs written for other artists
[edit]The following table lists charting singles and other prominent recordings written or co-written by Ewing. Billboard country-chart peaks are shown.
| Year | Song | Recording artist | Co-writer(s) | US Country peak or distinction[19] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "It Wasn't His Child" | Sawyer Brown; later Trisha Yearwood and Tim McGraw | — | 51; subsequently recorded by several artists and performed by McGraw on CMA Country Christmas[20][21] |
| 1991 | "Love, Me" | Collin Raye | Max T. Barnes | 1 |
| 1991 | "If You Want to Find Love" | Kenny Rogers | Rogers and Max D. Barnes | 11 |
| 1992 | "If I Didn't Have You" | Randy Travis | Max D. Barnes | 1 |
| 1994 | "Little Houses" | Doug Stone | Mickey Cates | 7 |
| 1995 | "Someone Else's Star" | Bryan White | Jim Weatherly | 1 |
| 1995 | "Rebecca Lynn" | Bryan White | Don Sampson | 1 |
| 1996 | "I'm Not Supposed to Love You Anymore" | Bryan White | Donny Kees | 4 |
| 1996 | "Me and You" | Kenny Chesney | Ray Herndon | 2 |
| 1997 | "Something That We Do" | Clint Black | Black | 2; 1997 NSAI Song of the Year[6] |
| 1997 | "If I Never Stop Loving You" | David Kersh | Donny Kees | 3 |
| 1998 | "The Hole" | Randy Travis | James Dean Hicks | 9 |
| 1999 | "Wish You Were Here" | Mark Wills | Bill Anderson and Debbie Moore | 1 |
| 1999 | "Stranger in My Mirror" | Randy Travis | Kim Williams | 16 |
| 1999 | "You Had Me from Hello" | Kenny Chesney | Chesney | 1 |
| 1999 | "Put Your Hand in Mine" | Tracy Byrd | Jimmy Wayne Barber | 11 |
| 2002 | "I Believe" | Diamond Rio | Donny Kees | 1 |
| 2008 | "Every Other Weekend" | Reba McEntire | Connie Harrington | 15 |
| 2024 | "Would If I Could" | Ernest featuring Lainey Wilson | Dean Dillon | 35 on Country Airplay in 2025[22] |
Later recordings and Wyoming
[edit]After becoming disillusioned with the constraints of commercial songwriting, Ewing largely set music aside and spent years studying horses. He said that learning to understand a horse's perspective renewed his emphasis on empathy for listeners and helped restore his interest in writing.[23]
In 2018, after spending most of his adult life in Nashville, Ewing moved to Wyoming to study horsemanship and began writing and recording again there.[24] He released Wyoming in September 2020, followed by Christmas in 2021 and Road to California in 2024.[25][26][24] For Road to California, Ewing recorded with musicians including drummer Eddie Bayers, fiddler Jenee Fleenor, keyboardist Steve Nathan and producer Kyle Lehning.[27] The album included "Knots", which Ewing described as addressing mental-health struggles and the work of recovery,[24] and "Wreck of My Heart", which transformed a head-on collision that Ewing and his wife survived into a metaphor for the risks of love.[18]
In late 2025 and 2026, Ewing began previewing a forthcoming project titled Dragonfly with the singles "I Want It All", "Say Yes", "Stronger Where You're Broken" featuring Mae Estes, "Me & God and a Fishing Pole", and "Play On".[28][29] "Play On" was released on June 26, 2026.[29]
Horse and Writer
[edit]Ewing founded Horse and Writer, a Wyoming songwriting retreat combining mentorship with his interest in horses. By 2009, the program was in its ninth year. That year's seven-day invitational at the Lazy L&B Ranch selected aspiring songwriters for tuition-free instruction from Ewing, Clay Mills and Deanna Bryant.[30]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| US Country | ||
| The Coast of Colorado |
|
29 |
| The Will to Love |
|
44 |
| A Healin' Fire |
|
— |
| Following Yonder Star |
|
— |
| Naturally |
|
— |
| Homegrown Love |
|
— |
| Until I Found You |
|
— |
| Indian Elephant Tea (The Big Kidz Band featuring Skip Ewing) |
|
— |
| Wyoming |
|
— |
| Christmas | *Release date: November 12, 2021
|
— |
| Road to California | *Release date: April 26, 2024
|
— |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||
Compilation albums
[edit]| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Greatest Hits |
|
| Hits Volume One |
|
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [7] |
CAN Country | |||
| 1988 | "Your Memory Wins Again" | 17 | — | The Coast of Colorado |
| "I Don't Have Far to Fall" | 8 | — | ||
| "Burnin' a Hole in My Heart" | 3 | 5 | ||
| 1989 | "The Gospel According to Luke" | 10 | 11 | |
| "The Coast of Colorado" | 15 | 24 | ||
| "It's You Again" | 5 | 9 | The Will to Love | |
| 1990 | "If a Man Could Live on Love Alone" | 70 | — | |
| "I'm Your Man" | 69 | 77 | A Healin' Fire | |
| "The Dotted Line" | — | 80 | ||
| 1991 | "I Get the Picture" | 73 | — | Naturally |
| 1992 | "Naturally" | 71 | 84 | |
| 1993 | "Losing You Is New to Me" | — | 78 | Homegrown Love |
| "Grandma's Garden" | — | 84 | ||
| 1995 | "Christmas Carol"[a] | 68 | — | Following Yonder Star |
| 1997 | "Mary Go 'Round" | 58 | — | Until I Found You |
| "Answer to My Prayer" | 66 | — | ||
| 2023 | "Knots"[31] | — | — | Road to California |
| 2025 | "I Want It All"[29] | — | — | Dragonfly |
| 2026 | "Say Yes"[29] | — | — | |
| "Stronger Where You're Broken" (featuring Mae Estes)[28] | — | — | ||
| "Me & God and a Fishing Pole"[32] | — | — | ||
| "Play On"[29] | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
As a featured artist
[edit]| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [7] |
US Bubbling [7] | |||
| 2008 | "Every Other Weekend" (Reba McEntire with Skip Ewing)[b] |
15 | 4 | Reba: Duets |
Music videos
[edit]| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Your Memory Wins Again" | Jim May |
| "I Don't Have Far to Fall" | ||
| 1990 | "If a Man Could Live on Love Alone" | John Lloyd Miller |
| 1993 | "Losing You is New to Me" | |
| 1997 | "Mary Go 'Round" | |
| "Answer to My Prayer"[33] | Chuck Shanlever |
Awards and nominations
[edit]Ewing's songwriting honors include 14 BMI citations, a share of the 2000 BMI Country Songwriter of the Year award, and a Country Music Association Triple Play Award.[14][2] "Something That We Do" was the 1997 NSAI Song of the Year, and the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame nominated Ewing for induction in 2018.[6] He was also nominated for the Tony Award for Best Original Score as one of the songwriters of the 2003 musical Urban Cowboy.[34]
Notes
[edit]- ↑ "Christmas Carol" also peaked on Hot Country Songs at number 60 in 1998 and number 44 in 2000.[7]
- ↑ The radio edit of "Every Other Weekend" featured Skip Ewing as a duet partner, while the version on McEntire's Reba: Duets album features Kenny Chesney. The song was only credited to Ewing for one week, at which point it had reached No. 57 on Hot Country Songs.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Skip Ewing". Grand Ole Opry. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Skates, Sarah (May 23, 2011). "Sony/ATV Inks Skip Ewing". MusicRow. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 Morrison, Don (August 9, 1989). "Skip Ewing loves the life of singing and writing songs". The Aegis. p. A-5. Retrieved July 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 4 Oermann, Robert K. (May 24, 1997). "Someone else's star won't do: Hit songwriter Skip Ewing looking for his own spotlight as a singer". The Tennessean. pp. 1D, 4D. Retrieved July 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Gattis, Kelley (January 1989). "Horizon: Skip Ewing" (PDF). CMA Close Up. Vol. XXIV, no. 1. Country Music Association. pp. 6–7. ISSN 0896-372X. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "2018 Nominees for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Announced". Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ↑ "Album Reviews: Skip Ewing — The Coast of Colorado" (PDF). Cash Box. April 30, 1988. p. 23. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Album Reviews: Skip Ewing — A Healin' Fire" (PDF). RPM. November 10, 1990. p. 16. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Millard, Bob (November–December 1990). "Record Reviews: Skip Ewing — A Healin' Fire" (PDF). Country Music. pp. 57–58. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Cackett, Alan (August 1997). "Skip Ewing – The Nashville Cats". Country Music International. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Price, Deborah Evans (March 8, 1997). "Skip Ewing Sings His Lyrics Again: Songwriter Signs With Word Nashville" (PDF). Billboard. pp. 24, 27. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Heffley, Lynne (July 17, 2003). "Skip Ewing, Indian Elephant Tea". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 Price, Deborah Evans (October 14, 2000). "BMI Announces Song Awards: Winners Are 'Amazed,' 'Powerful,' 'Unbelievable'" (PDF). Billboard. pp. 39, 42. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Gill, Tritt lead nominees for CMA Awards". United Press International. August 14, 1992. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Chua, Jeremy (October 19, 2022). "Story Behind the Song: How Collin Raye's Heartfelt 'Love Me' Became a Timeless Hit". The Boot. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 Watts, Cindy (April 6, 2008). "'Every Other Weekend' pulls heartstrings at every step". The Tennessean. p. 23. Retrieved July 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 Garrett, Craig (November 12, 2024). "Skip Ewing Opens Up About Life Changing Head-On Collision And Lainey Wilson/Ernest Recording His Music". Wide Open Country. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2012). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2012 (8th ed.). Record Research.
- ↑ "Ewing Is Also Making His Mark as a Songwriter" (PDF). Billboard. December 17, 1988. p. 30. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Sawyer, Bobbie Jean (December 1, 2020). "'It Wasn't His Child': The Story Behind Country's Christmas Classic". Wide Open Country. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Country Airplay" (PDF). Billboard Country Update. October 10, 2025. p. 7. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Despres, Tricia (October 27, 2020). "Skip Ewing Embarks on an Exploration of Love and Devotion on 'Wyoming'". American Songwriter. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Reuter, Annie (April 19, 2024). "Hit Songwriter Skip Ewing Paints a Scenic Picture with 'Road to California'". American Songwriter. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Wyoming by Skip Ewing". Apple Music. September 25, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Christmas by Skip Ewing". Apple Music. November 12, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Dowling, Marcus K. (May 20, 2024). "Singer-songwriter Skip Ewing on new album, influence on younger artists". The Tennessean. pp. 2A, 9A. Retrieved July 22, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "Nashville notes: Skip Ewing's Mae Estes duet + Eric Paslay's ballet gig". Everett Post. ABC News. March 5, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Skip Ewing". Apple Music. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Cantrell, LB (April 27, 2009). "Skip Ewing Announces Horse & Writer 'Invitational'". MusicRow. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Skip Ewing Releases "Knots", Friday, June 16". June 19, 2023.
- ↑ "Country Aircheck Weekly" (PDF). Country Aircheck. May 4, 2026. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
- ↑ "CMT : Videos : Skip Ewing : Answer To My Prayer". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
- ↑ "Skip Ewing". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
External links
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