Sharon Vaughn. Photo: Jessika Jarl
Mojo Music & Media, the global independent publishing and marketing company, has acquired the catalog of songwriter Sharon Vaughn.
The deal spans 25 years of Vaughn’s work and includes 28 charting singles released between 1977-2004, including standards such as Willie Nelson’s “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys,” Waylon Jennings’ “Broken Promise Land” and The Oak Ridge Boys’ breakout single “Y’All Come Back Saloon.” Also included are the top 10 hits “I’m Not That Lonely Yet” (Reba McEntire), “Lonely Too Long” (Patty Loveless),“Out Of My Bones” (Randy Travis), and “Powerful Thing” (Trisha Yearwood).
Vaughn was in her early 20’s when she first came to Nashville from Orlando, beginning her career as a background singer and eventually charting two singles as an artist. After a stint as an on-air TV personality, she pivoted to songwriting and landed her first major cut with “Y’all Come Back Saloon,” the first single and title track from the Oak Ridge Boys’ 1977 debut album.
Around the same time, Jennings cut “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys” on the 1976 release Wanted! The Outlaws, a collaboration with Nelson, Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser, which became country’s first Platinum album. Nelson’s version, recorded for the soundtrack of the Robert Redford-starring Electric Horseman, topped the country chart in 1980.
Vaughn’s hit streak continued through the 80’s and into the 90’s, and she moved to Sweden in 2008. While there, she immersed herself with songwriters and producers across Europe and Asia and landed more than 100 cuts, including four chart-topping singles in Japan and a No. 1 dance record in the U.S. She also co-wrote The Sweet Potato Queens musical with composer Rupert Holmes and Melissa Manchester. Her post-2008 catalog is represented by BMG Scandinavia.
“Sharon came to Nashville with $50 and a dream and won over Music Row’s biggest names through sheer will, drive and talent,” says Mark Fried, Mojo’s Co-Founder and CEO. “She’s inspired a generation of women to pursue songwriting, no matter the challenges, always emphasizing the importance of art, craft and storytelling. We’re honored she’s chosen us to caretake and promote her truly iconic body of work.”
“It is gratifying to know that the works I created over the past decades have found a good home,” adds Vaughn. “I feel Mojo will respect and enrich my catalogues and through their efforts my songs will realize their potential.”
She has won numerous ASCAP awards, was inducted into the NSAI Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2005, and joined the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2019.
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