Pat Alger, born 79 years ago today (23 September 1947) in Long Island City, Queens, was a folk singer who became one of Nashville's most successful songwriters, penning major hits for country music stars including Garth Brooks, Kathy Mattea and Trisha Yearwood. His songwriting legacy from the 1980s and 1990s established him as a significant figure in country music, and he was later inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

After studying graphic design and architecture at Georgia Tech and Georgia State University, Alger performed in regional folk scenes, moving through Woodstock and Manhattan before settling in Nashville in summer 1981 to work as a songwriter and graphic designer. He achieved rapid success, starting with a top 10 Canadian country hit by John Allen Cameron titled "Overnight Success", followed by his first number-one hit in 1987 when Kathy Mattea's "Goin' Gone" topped the Billboard country chart. Alger also toured with the Everly Brothers for two years after they recorded one of his songs in 1984, and later collaborated extensively with an emerging Garth Brooks as the decade ended.