On 20 August 2021, country songwriter Tom T. Hall died by suicide at his home in Franklin, Tennessee, aged 85. Known as "The Storyteller," Hall was celebrated for reviving the narrative tradition in country music, crafting songs that read like short novels with vivid plots and characters, and his death marked the loss of one of the genre's most influential figures.

Hall began writing stories and poems before turning to songwriting, honing his craft while serving in the Army in the 1950s and later studying journalism at Roanoke College under the G.I. Bill. He signed a publishing deal with Newkeys Music after being discovered while working as a radio DJ, scoring his first top 10 hit with "DJ for a Day" in 1963. His biggest success came with "Harper Valley PTA," which took Jeannie C. Riley to the top of both the country and pop charts in 1968 and inspired a film and TV series; Hall went on to notch numerous chart-toppers of his own through the 1970s, including "Watermelon Wine" and "Faster Horses," while also writing hits recorded by artists such as Alan Jackson, George Jones and Bobby Bare.