Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame - Class of 2019

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Sharon Vaughn is a Florida native whose first notable success as a songwriter came in 1976 when Waylon Jennings recorded her “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys” on Country’s first platinum album, Wanted: The Outlaws. (Willie Nelson’s version – which appeared in the film The Electric Horseman – would top the Country charts in 1980.  In 2021, the song was selected by the Western Writers of America as one of the Top 100 Western Songs of All Time.)

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Sharon’s first hit single was with The Oak Ridge Boys’ 1977 smash “Y’all Come Back Saloon.” Since then, Sharon has written more than a dozen Top 40 Country hits, including “Broken Promise Land” by Mark Chesnutt, “Til A Tear Becomes A Rose” by Keith Whitley & Lorrie Morgan, “I’m Not That Lonely Yet” by Reba McEntire, “Lonely Too Long” by Patty Loveless, “Out Of My Bones” by Randy Travis, “Powerful Thing” by Trisha Yearwood, and “Trip Around The Sun” by Jimmy Buffett & Martina McBride (also #1 Bluegrass in 2024 for Bronwyn Keith-Hynes w/ Dierks Bentley).

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In 2008, Sharon moved to Stockholm, Sweden, where she lived and worked for seven years.  During this time, her song “Release Me” by Swedish Pop artist Agnes reached #1 on Billboard’s U.S Dance chart and became a hit in more than 40 countries.  In 2021, Sharon became the first songwriter to have three songs from three different countries (Estonia, Moldova, and Greece) represented in the Eurovision Song Contest.

 

In addition to numerous hits with artists in Europe and Japan – including Belgium’ Kate Ryan, Greece’s Stefania, Germany’s Stefanie Heinzmann, Japan’s EXILE, Australia’s Delta Goodrem, and Ireland’s Boyzone – Sharon continues to pursue her passion for musical theatre, writing for projects such as The Sweet Potato Queens, Breathe, and Fighting Star.