David Wills

David Wills (born October 23, 1951, in Pulaski, Tennessee ) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Wills released three studio albums and charted more than twenty singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart between 1975 and 1988. Two of his songs, "There's a Song on the Jukebox" and "From Barrooms to Bedrooms," reached the Top 10 in 1975.

Career Wills was a BMI songwriter for Pride Music Group, along with Blake Mevis and Bob Moulds. David was married to Deborah Ann Smith (from Dallas, TX) who owned Alcorn Music, Inc. publishing company.

After releasing a gospel-themed album in 1996, titled Line On Love, Wills retired from the music industry. However, in 2021, Wills was contacted by a group of filmmakers from northeast Georgia who were working on a documentary about a local musician named Doug Moss. Moss had been a staple of the house band at a country music club in Athens, Georgia called the J&J Center, owned by entrepreneur Jerry Farmer. Wills performed there for many years with the house band Power Play and was a friend of Farmer. Wills agreed to an interview, and the group of filmmakers invited him to perform at a concert being held in Franklin Springs, Georgia that featured Glen Templeton as the headliner. Prior to the show, a tribute was held to Farmer for his impact on music in the northeast Georgia area. Wills performed his two signature songs there, as well as some of the songs he had written for others, including "You're The Last Thing I Needed Tonight" by John Schneider. Discussions were soon held by the filmmakers and Wills to produce two new albums, The Singer The Songwriter (released in November 2022) and Just For The Record (released in June 2023). Wills was soon signed to a record label owned by one of the filmmakers, Tugalo Records.

The sessions were held in July 2022 at Sonic Eden Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and were guided by the owner and sound engineer John Albani, a former member of the band Rush. Singles from this two-album project include "Poor Boys", "When A Plan Comes Together", "Before You're Through Hurting Me", and "You Ought To See Her In Love".

David Wills smiles before going on stage at the Catlettsburg Labor Day Celebration in downtown Catlettsburg, Kentucky on Monday, September 4, 2023. He opened for country band Lonestar.

As a songwriter, Wills wrote George Strait's "If You're Thinking You Want a Stranger (There's One Coming Home)" and Garth Brooks' "Wild Horses." "Wild Horses" appeared on three Brooks releases, No Fences, The Garth Brooks Collection, and The Limited Series. The total sales were around 26 million. According to independent research conducted, Wills' co-compositions have sold north of 38 million copies. Other artists who have recorded Wills' works include Anita Pointer, Charley Pride, Keith Whitley, John Michael Montgomery, Michael English, Jack Greene, Toby Keith, Sawyer Brown, Martina McBride, Lacy J. Dalton, Patty Loveless, Doug Bruce, Neal McCoy and Johnny Paycheck. The song that English recorded, "Holding Out Hope To You", won a 1994 Dove Award. Wills' primary songwriting partner and best friend is Bill Shore, who himself has had works recorded by Pride and Strait. thumb David Wills (orange hat) at Sonic Eden studios in April 2025.

In October of 2024, Wills was inducted into the Josie Music Awards' Independent Country Music Hall of Fame. The announcement was made at the Freedom Celebration 24 concert on July 6, 2024. Wills had been one of the opening acts, and the headliner, country music hitmaker T. Graham Brown, made the announcement before performing his set.

Discography

Albums

Singles Year Single Chart Positions Album US Country CAN Country 1975 "There's a Song on the Jukebox" 10 5 Barrooms to Bedrooms "From Barrooms to Bedrooms" 10 7 "The Barmaid" 31 — "She Deserves My Very Best" 35 48 Everybody's Country 1976 "Queen of the Starlight Room" 47 — "Woman" 55 32 singles only "(I'm Just Pouring Out) What She Bottled Up in Me" 66 — 1977 "The Best Part of My Days (Are My Nights with You)" 52 — "Cheatin' Turns Her On" 91 — "Do You Wanna Make Love" 82 — 1978 "You Snap Your Fingers (And I'm Back in Your Hands)" 70 — 1979 "I'm Being Good" 50 — "Endless" 82 — 1980 "She's Hangin' in There (I'm Hangin' Out)" 91 — "The Light of My Life (Has Gone Out Again Tonight)" 65 — 1983 "Those Nights, These Days" 52 — New Beginnings "The Eyes of a Stranger" 19 — 1984 "Miss Understanding" 26 44 "Lady in Waiting" 31 — "Macon Love" 69 — singles only 1988 "Paper Thin Walls" 85 — 2022 "Poor Boys" - — The Singer the Songwriter 2023 "Before You're Through Hurting Me" - —2024"When A Plan Comes Together" - -Just For The Record"You Ought To See Her In Love" - -2025"Honor Bound" - -Way Too Much Fun!"No Anchors" - -"John Deere Blue" - -