Hal Willis, the Canadian-born country singer known as "Mr. Lumberjack," died in Nashville on 4 September 2015 at the age of 79. Born Leonald Gauthier and raised in Quebec's logging industry, he built a career that took him from local clubs to touring with Elvis Presley, before finding lasting fame with his signature hit "The Lumberjack" and as a songwriter for artists including Patsy Cline and Flatt & Scruggs.

Willis and his wife Ginger began performing as a duo after he joined her group, the Melody Rangers, and later moved to Nashville on the advice of country star Webb Pierce. Fellow Canadian Hank Snow helped establish them in Music City and invited them onto a 1956 tour with Elvis Presley, leading to regular Grand Ole Opry appearances. In 1964, Willis released "The Lumberjack," which topped the Canadian country chart, reached No. 5 in the US and sold over a million copies; as songwriters, he and Ginger also penned hits recorded by Ernest Tubb, Jim Reeves and, most notably, Flatt and Scruggs' top-20 hit "Just Ain't" in 1962.