Songwriter of ‘Arkansas, You Run Deep in Me,’ dies at 82

A prolific country music songwriter who wrote “Arkansas, You Run Deep in Me” died at his home in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday, according to MusicRow.com.

Wayland Holyfield was 82.

“In all, Holyfield has had more than 40 Top 10 songs and 14 No. 1s,” according to a 2016 article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

He wrote “Arkansas, You Run Deep in Me” for the 150th anniversary of Arkansas statehood in 1986. Holyfield played the song at President Bill Clinton’s first inauguration in 1993.

“Wayland is an Arkansas treasure,” said Bud Storey of Fayetteville, who has been friends with him since 1962. “He grew up in this state and continued to love it, as evidenced by our state song which he wrote, Arkansas You Run Deep In Me. His legacy will continue to live through his many songs. He was a great family man and a great friend to so many of us. We will miss him.”

During his five-decade career, Holyfield wrote and co-wrote many songs that were recorded by famous musicians, including Anne Murray, George Strait, Brooks & Dunn, Julio Iglesias, Conway Twitty, the Oak Ridge Boys and the Statler Brothers, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

“His first Top 5 hit (co-written with Bob McDill and Chuck Neese) was ‘Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer,’ recorded by Johnny Russell,” according to the encyclopedia entry. “Two years later, in 1975, his song ‘You’re My Best Friend,’ recorded by Don Williams, reached number one on the charts.

“Other notable songs that Holyfield either wrote or cowrote include “Til the Rivers All Run Dry’ (1977), ‘Some Broken Hearts Never Mend’ (1977), ‘Could I Have This Dance’ (1980), ‘Only Here for a Little While’ (1991), and ‘Meanwhile’ (1999). The Grammy-nominated ‘Could I Have This Dance’ is a popular wedding song.”

He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Arkansas Entertainers Hall of Fame in 1996.

“Whoda thunk it,” Holyfield said about his success in 2016.

Wayland D. Holyfield was born in Mallet Town in Conway County on March 15, 1942, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

He attended grade school in Springfield, which is also in Conway County, and Little Rock. Holyfield graduated from Hall High School in Little Rock in 1960 after attending high school in Mabelvale during the “lost year” of 1958-59, when Little Rock’s high schools were closed.

Holyfield attended Hendrix College in Conway on a basketball scholarship and then the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 1965. After graduating, he worked in sales and advertising.

“During and after college, Holyfield played guitar and sang in groups called the Rebels and the General Store,” according to the encyclopedia entry.

“Holyfield married Nancy Selig of Conway; they had three children. The couple moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1972 so Holyfield could pursue a songwriting career.”

Holyfield served as chairman and vice chairman of the Nashville Songwriters Foundation. He was also active in promoting the rights of songwriters, and he served on the board of directors of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.

According to a 2021 article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, out of all of Holyfield’s songs, his favorite was “Arkansas, You Run Deep in Me.”

“I’m very proud of that song,” Holyfield told the newspaper.

He wrote the song more than 30 years ago at the request of his longtime friend, the late Ron Robinson, who was Holyfield’s roommate at the UA.

Robinson went on to become chairman and CEO of Little Rock marketing firm CJRW. He asked Holyfield to write something to mark Arkansas’ 1986 sesquicentennial celebration for CJRW client Arkansas Power & Light. It later became one of Arkansas’ official state songs and for years was featured as the nightly signoff theme of Arkansas PBS, then called AETN.

Holyfield donated the rights to the song to Arkansas Community Foundation, the Little Rock-based nonprofit that issues grants for charitable programs across the state and helps philanthropists connect with charitable causes.