Dennis Linde

Dennis Linde (b. March 18 1943, Abilene, Texas - d. December 22 2006, Nashville, Tennessee) was an American songwriter.

Although he is best known for writing the 1972 Elvis Presley hit, "Burning Love", Dennis Linde has written numerous hit songs for mainly country music singers, beginning with hits for Roger Miller and Roy Drusky in 1970. In 2000, his song for the Dixie Chicks, "Goodbye Earl", stirred some controversy for its apparently humorous take on spousal abuse. Linde has also written tunes recorded by Tanya Tucker, Gary Morris, Don Williams, the Judds and Garth Brooks.

He was known as one of the more reclusive figures on the Nashville scene, rarely attending industry events. Nashville manager Scott Siman described him as a "mystery man," explaining, "If you ever saw Dennis Linde it was amazing, because you didn't get that opportunity very often."

In 2001, Linde was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Linde died of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on December 22, 2006. He was 63.

His daughter, Lisa Linde, is married to actor James Marsden.

Solo Albums

• 1970 - Linde Manor
• 1971 - Surface Noise (unreleased)
• 1973 - Dennis Linde
• 1974 - Trapped in the Suburbs
• 1977 - Under the Eye

Some noteworthy country songs written or co-written by Dennis include:

• The Tom Green County Fair (#36, Roger Miller, 1970)
• Long Long Texas Road (#5, Roy Drusky, 1970)
• The Love She Found in Me (#5, Gary Morris, 1983)
• Had a Dream (From the Heart) (#17, The Judds, 1983; debut single for the Judds)
• Walkin' a Broken Heart (#2, Don Williams, 1985)
• Then It's Love (#5, Don Williams, 1986)
• I'm Gonna Get You (#1, Eddy Raven, 1988; Dennis' first #1 as a songwriter)
• My Baby's Gone (#11; Sawyer Brown, 1988)
• In a Letter to You (#1, Eddy Raven, 1989)
• Callin' Baton Rouge (#37, New Grass Revival, 1989 / #2, Garth Brooks, 1994)
• Bubba Shot the Jukebox (#4, Mark Chesnutt, 1992)
• It Sure is Monday (#1, Mark Chesnutt, 1993)
• Queen Of My Double-Wide Trailer (#7, Sammy Kershaw, 1993)
• Janie Baker's Love Slave (#15, Shenandoah, 1993)
• John Deere Green (#5, Joe Diffie, 1994)
• Night Is Fallin' in My Heart (#9, Diamond Rio, 1995)
• Heaven Bound (I'm Ready) (#26, Shenandoah, 1995)
• Goodbye Earl (#13, Dixie Chicks, 2000)
• The Talkin' Song Repair Blues (#18, Alan Jackson, 2005)