Will Jennings
Jennings in 2006
Background information
Born	Wilbur Herschel Jennings (1944-06-27)June 27, 1944 Kilgore, Texas, U.S.
Died	September 6, 2024(2024-09-06) (aged 80) Tyler, Texas, U.S.
Occupations	Lyricist
Spouse	Carole Elizabeth Thurman

Wilbur Herschel Jennings (June 27, 1944 – September 6, 2024) was an American lyricist.^[1][2] He wrote the lyrics for the songs "Up Where We Belong", "Higher Love", "Tears in Heaven", "My Heart Will Go On" and "Valerie".^[3] He was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame and won threeGrammy Awards, twoGolden Globe Awards, and twoAcademy Awards.^[4]

Wilbur Herschel Jennings was born inKilgore, Texas, on June 27, 1944,^[5] the youngest of three siblings. He had two sisters, Joyce and Gloria.^[6][7] He attended school nearTyler, Texas, in theChapel Hill Independent School District. He graduated fromTyler Junior College^[8] and taught English at the college. In 1966, Jennings earned his B.A. fromStephen F. Austin State University inNacogdoches, Texas; he earned a master's degree the following year and taught English there.^[5][9] He taught at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Eau Claire for three years,^[10] then moved toNashville, Tennessee, in 1971^[11] to begin his songwriting career.^[5]

Jennings was described as "the most erudite of lyricists".^[11] He wrote for a variety of artists, includingSteve Winwood,Whitney Houston,Eric Clapton,B.B. King,Joe Sample,Rodney Crowell,Mariah Carey,Jimmy Buffett,Barry Manilow, andRoy Orbison.^[12][13][14] In Nashville he worked with other composers, and his first big hit came when Manilow took his joint composition with Richard Kerr, "Looks Like We Made It", to number 1 in 1977.^[11]

With Steve Winwood, Jennings wrote a series of albums includingArc of a Diver,Talking Back to the Night, andBack in the High Life, an album that contained the hits "Higher Love", "The Finer Things", and "Back in the High Life Again". Winwood won theRecord Of The Year and Outstanding Male Vocal Performance. Both Jennings and Winwood were nominated for theSong of the Year award for "Higher Love."^[15]

With Joe Sample, Jennings wrote "Street Life" (a world-wide hit forthe Crusaders with singerRandy Crawford) and several songs for various albums by the Crusaders for guest vocalists, includingJoe Cocker ("I'm So Glad I'm Standing Here Today"), andBill Withers ("Soul Shadows"). Jennings and Sample also wrote the better part of three albums forB.B. King,Midnight Believer in 1978,Take It Home in 1979, andThere Is Always One More Time in 1991.^[16][17]

Richard Kerr and Jennings wrote "Somewhere in the Night" and "Looks Like We Made It" forBarry Manilow and "I'll Never Love This Way Again" forDionne Warwick.^[18][19][20]Deana Martin recorded one of Jennings's songs, "I Know Who You Are", on her 2016 albumSwing Street.^[21]

Jennings collaborated on many songs for film, the most notable being "Up Where We Belong" forAn Officer and a Gentleman, a song that won the Academy Award in America and the BAFTA (British Academy Award) in theUnited Kingdom and was a number one hit for Joe Cocker andJennifer Warnes. In 1997, Jennings wrote the world-wide number oneCéline Dion hit "My Heart Will Go On" for the filmTitanic with his collaboratorJames Horner.^[22] The song became one of the most successful songs of all time and won theGolden Globe Award and theAcademy Award for Best Song. They also won Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Song Written for a Motion Picture at the 41st Grammy Awards.^[23]Titanic's director, James Cameron, had at first been opposed to having a theme song playing over the closing credits, but Horner, having composed the instrumental motif, felt that it needed words and secretly had Jennings write a lyric. Cameron liked it and included it in the film.^[24]

Among his other collaborations were two albums written with Jimmy Buffett andMichael Utley,Riddles in the Sand andThe Last Mango in Paris. Jennings also wrote several songs for Roy Orbison'sKing of Hearts album.^[25][26]

InNashville, Jennings wrote hits withRodney Crowell, including "Many a Long & Lonesome Highway", "What Kind of Love", and "Please Remember Me", a number one country hit forTim McGraw.^[26] Jennings also wrote "Tears in Heaven" withEric Clapton, which won song of the Year and also won theIvor Novello award for best song from a film.^[27]

Teaming with James Horner andMariah Carey, Jennings wrote the lyrics for the central song inHow the Grinch Stole Christmas!, "Where Are You Christmas?", sung by a character within the film and byFaith Hill at the end of the film. In 2002, Horner and Jennings contributed a song for the Oscar-winning filmA Beautiful Mind.^[23] In 2002,Peter Wolf's new album,Sleepless, appeared with positive reviews. The album featured six songs written by Jennings and Wolf, who collaborated previously onFool's Parade (1999) onMercury Records.^[28]

Jennings and Joe Sample, the keyboard player for the Crusaders, went back to 1978 and began by writing theMidnight Believer album for B.B. King and then wrote the hit "Street Life" for the Crusaders album of the same name. Jennings and Sample also wrote "One Day I'll Fly Away", originally sung by Crawford, which was featured in the filmMoulin Rouge!, along with another of Jennings's songs, "Up Where We Belong". In the film "One Day I'll Fly Away" was sung byNicole Kidman and, in March 2002, was released as a single in theUK from the second soundtrack album to emerge fromMoulin Rouge.^[29]

Jennings married Carole Elizabeth Thurman on August 14, 1965, inTyler, Texas.^[30][7] Following several years of declining health, Jennings died at his home in Tyler on September 6, 2024, at the age of 80.^[31][32][33]

• WithSteve Winwood:Arc of a Diver,Talking Back to the Night,Back in the High Life,Roll with It,Chronicles,Refugees Of The Heart
• WithJoe Sample, forB.B. King:Midnight Believer,Take It Home,There Is Always One More Time
• With Joe Sample, for various artists:The Crusaders Vocal Album
• With Joe Sample, forRandy Crawford:Now We May Begin
• WithJimmy Buffett:Riddles in the Sand,The Last Mango In Paris
• WithTimothy B. Schmit andBruce Gaitsch:Timothy B.
• With Richard Kerr:Welcome to the Club
• WithRoy Orbison:King of Hearts
• WithPeter Wolf:Fool's Parade,Sleepless, andMidnight Souvenirs

• Steve Winwood:
  • "While You See a Chance" (No. 7 US)
  • "Still in the Game" (No. 47 US)
  • "Higher Love" (No. 1 US, nominated forGrammy Award for Song of the Year 1987)
  • "Back in the High Life Again" (No. 13 US)
  • "The Finer Things" (No. 8 US)
  • "Valerie" (No. 9 US)
  • "Roll with It" (No. 1 US)
  • "Don't You Know What the Night Can Do?" (No. 6 US)
• Eric Clapton:
  • "Tears in Heaven" (No. 2 US, nominated for a Golden Globe award, 1993 Grammy for Song of the Year, 1993 Ivor Novello award from British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors)
• Dionne Warwick:
  • "I'll Never Love This Way Again" (No. 5 US)
  • "No Night So Long" (No. 23 US)
• Randy Crawford/The Crusaders:
  • "Street Life" (No. 36 US)
  • "One Day I'll Fly Away"
• Barry Manilow:
  • "Somewhere in the Night" (No. 9 US)
  • "Looks Like We Made It" (No. 1 US)
• Whitney Houston:
  • "Didn't We Almost Have It All" (No. 1 US)
• Rodney Crowell:
  • "Many a Long and Lonesome Highway" (No. 3 Country)
  • "What Kind Of Love"
• Jimmy Buffett:
  • "Who's The Blonde Stranger?" (No. 37 Country)
  • "If The Phone Doesn't Ring, It's Me" (No. 16 Country)
• Joe Cocker andJennifer Warnes:
  • "Up Where We Belong" (No. 1 US, American Academy Award, British Academy Award, Winner Tokyo Song Festival)
• Celine Dion:
  • "My Heart Will Go On" (No. 1 US, American Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Grammy for Song of the Year)
• Tim McGraw:
  • "Please Remember Me" (No. 1 Country)
• Diana Ross:
  • "If We Hold on Together" (No. 23 Adult Contemporary)

He has received the following major awards:

• Academy Award (1997),Golden Globe Award (1997),Grammy Award for writing the lyrics to "My Heart Will Go On" performed by Céline Dion for the motion pictureTitanic.
• Golden Globe Award (1991) for writing the lyrics for "Tears in Heaven" byEric Clapton for the filmRush and also in 1991 for writing the song "Dreams to Dream" for the motion pictureAn American Tail: Fievel Goes West.
• Academy Award (1983),Golden Globe Award (1983) along withJack Nitzsche andBuffy Sainte-Marie for writing the song "Up Where We Belong" performed byJoe Cocker andJennifer Warnes from the motion pictureAn Officer and a Gentleman.
• BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) award for "Up Where We Belong" with Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie
• Grammy Award (1993): "Tears in Heaven" (shared with Eric Clapton)
• Grammy Award (nomination) (1986): "Higher Love"
• Grammy Award to Dionne Warwick (1979): "I'll Never Love This Way Again" (co-written withRichard Kerr)
• Academy Award (nomination) (1980): for writing the song "People Alone" for the motion pictureThe Competition.

Jennings was inducted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame in 2006 and theNashville Songwriters Hall of Fame seven years later.

• Will Jennings atAllMusic
• Will Jennings discography atDiscogs
• Will Jennings atIMDb

• 1944 births
• 2024 deaths
• 20th-century American songwriters
• American male lyricists
• Best Original Song Academy Award–winning songwriters
• Golden Globe Award–winning musicians
• Grammy Award winners
• People from Kilgore, Texas
• People from Tyler, Texas
• Songwriters from Texas
• Stephen F. Austin State University alumni
• Stephen F. Austin State University faculty
• Tyler Junior College alumni
• University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire faculty

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
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