The Year That Clayton Delaney Died

"The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Tom T. Hall.

"The Year That Clayton Delaney Died"
Single by Tom T. Hall
from the album In Search of a Song
B-side	"Second Handed Flowers"
Released	July 5, 1971
Recorded	March 26, 1971 Mercury Custom Recording Studio, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Country
Length	2:42
Label	Mercury 73221
Songwriter(s)	Tom T. Hall
Producer(s)	Jerry Kennedy
Tom T. Hall singles chronology
"Ode to Half a Pound of Ground Round" (1971) "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" (1971) "Me and Jesus" (1972)

Background

The song is based on Hall's childhood neighbor and boyhood hero, Lonnie Easterly.[1]

Chart performance

It was released in July 1971 as the only single from the album, In Search of a Song. "The Year That Clayton Delaney Died" was Hall's second number one on the country chart. The single stayed at number one for two weeks and spent a total of eighteen weeks on the country charts.[2]

Weekly charts Chart (1971) Peak position U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] 42 Canadian RPM Country Tracks 6 Canadian RPM Top Singles 42

Year-end charts Chart (1971) Rank U.S. Country (Billboard)[4] 4

References

1. "In the Words of Tom T. Hall ..." CMT News. Retrieved 2017-09-27.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 149.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn’s Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 366.
4. Billboard, December 25, 1971.