Wayne Carson, born in Denver, Colorado on 20 July 1943, became one of Nashville's most prolific songwriters, penning hits recorded by Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley, Eddy Arnold, Conway Twitty and the Box Tops. Raised around country music after his family moved to Missouri, he began performing as a teenager before establishing himself as a professional writer in Nashville from the early 1960s, ultimately shaping the careers of numerous major country and pop artists.

Carson's breakthrough came in 1966 when he dictated a missing third verse to "Somebody Like Me" over the phone to Eddy Arnold, giving him his first No. 1 country hit. The following year, the Box Tops took his song "The Letter" to No. 1 on the Hot 100, later covered by artists including the Beach Boys and Al Green. His biggest success came with "Always on My Mind", co-written in the early 1970s; while Brenda Lee and Elvis Presley had modest hits with it, Willie Nelson's version topped the country chart, reached No. 5 on the Hot 100, and won Song of the Year at both the 1982 Grammy Awards and the CMA Awards.