February 2, 2001 – Hal Blair died at his home in Biggs, California at age 85.

Blair moved to Los Angeles in the 1940s as a musician and songwriter in the Rhythm Rangers and was soon providing material for Hollywood’s singing-cowboy movies of the era. In the 1950s, Hal teamed up with his most noteworthy collaborator, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Don Robertson.
One of the leading lights of the country songwriting community on the West Coast, Blair contributed songs for Jim reeves, Faron Young, Jimmy Wakely, Hank Locklin, Janie Fricke, and Della Reese. He also penned songs for virtually every Elvis Presley film from 1961 to 1967, including “No More” (from 1962’s “Blue Hawaii”), “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here” (from 1963’s “Fun In Acapulco”) and “What Now, What Next, Where To?” (from 1967’s “Double Trouble”). Blair also wrote “I Was The One” for Presley, “Ninety Miles An Hour Down A Dead End Street” For Hank Snow, and “Ringo” for Lorne Greene. Contrary to popular belief, Hal wrote the lyric totally oblivious to the fact that the Beatles were in the midst of invading America at the time. Robertson, provided the musical setting to the mostly spoken lyric.

In addition to songs for films, Blair and Robertson created material for TV shows such as “The Big Valley”. Among his classics is “One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart),” which has been recorded more than 70 times.
Throughout his later years, Hal enjoyed spending time with his wife, Joanie, writing lyrics, fishing and hand crafting custom, precision fly casting fishing rods which he sold for premium prices under the trade name Blair House. Blair was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame on November 2, 2003.

SOURCES

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0086255/bio
http://www.musicvf.com/songs.php?page=artist…
http://home.earthlink.net/~deankay/HalBlair.html
http://www.cmt.com/news/1474809/songwriter-hal-blair-dies/