Curly Putman

Curly Putman
Birth name	Claude Putman, Jr.
Born	(1930-11-20) November 20, 1930 Princeton, Jackson County, Alabama, United States
Genres	Country music
Occupation	Songwriter
Website	curlyputman.com

Claude "Curly" Putman, Jr. (born November 20, 1930 in Princeton, Jackson County, Alabama) is an American songwriter, based in Nashville. His biggest success was "Green, Green Grass of Home" (1964, sung by Porter Wagoner), which was covered by Roger Miller, Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers, Don Williams, Johnny Darrell, Gram Parsons, Joan Baez, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Grateful Dead, Johnny Cash, Roberto Leal, Merle Haggard, Bobby Bare, Joe Tex, Nana Mouskouri, and Tom Jones. The Paul McCartney & Wings hit "Junior's Farm" was inspired by their short stay at Putman's farm in rural Wilson County, Tennessee in 1974.

Biography

Putman was the son of a sawmill worker, and was raised on Putman Mountain in Alabama. He joined the Navy and spent four years on the aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge. Married Bernice Soon in 1956. Tried several jobs in different places in the late 1950s and early 60s, inspiring his later hit "My Elusive Dreams". Wrote his first big hit, "Green, Green Grass of Home," when working in Nashville plugging songs for Tree Records.

Selective list of Putman hit songs

• "Green, Green Grass of Home" (Putman)
• "My Elusive Dreams" (Putman/Billy Sherrill)
• "Dumb Blonde" (Putman)
• "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" (Putman/Bobby Braddock)
• "He Stopped Loving Her Today" (Putman/Bobby Braddock)
• "Let's Keep It That Way" (Putman/Rafe Vanhoy)
• "I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again" (Putman/Rafe Vanhoy/Don Cook)
• "Blood Red and Going Down" (Putman)
• "Do You Wanna Go To Heaven" (Putman/Bucky Jones)
• "Smooth Sailing" (Putman/Sonny Throckmorton)
• "Set Me Free" (Putman/Marvin Walters)
• "It's a Cheating Situation" (Putman/Sonny Throckmorton)
• "It Don't Feel Like Sinnin' To Me" (Putman/Mike Kosser)
• "Couldn't Love Have Picked A Better Place To Die" (Curly Putman/Bucky Jones)

Discography

Albums

• 1967: Lonesome Country of Curly Putman (ABC)
• 1969: World of Country Music (ABC)

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions
		US Country	US Bubbling
1960	"The Prison Song"	23	—
1967	"My Elusive Dreams"	41	34
	"Set Me Free"	67	—

External links

• Curly Putman official website[dead link]
• LP Discography web site[dead link]
• Alabama Music Hall of Fame
• Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Country Songwriter Curly Putman by the Country Music Hall of Fame
• Green Green Grass of Curly Putnam's Home