Biography, Discography, Productions, and Publications
HUGH MOFFATT
The list of artists who have recorded Hugh Moffatt’s songs is international and multi-dimensional. The singers range in styles from Patti Page to Kesha and also include Jerry Lee Lewis, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Merle Haggard, Dolly Parton, Alabama, and Johnny Cash and many others in pop, country, bluegrass, traditional, and gospel from around the world. These recordings include the chart-topping country singles “Just in Case” by Ronnie Milsap, “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You” (w/Pebe Sebert) first by Joe Sun and then by Dolly Parton, and “How Could I Love Her So Much” by Johnny Rodriguez, and the Southern Gospel hit “Roll Away the Stone” by Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters.
As a performing artist, Moffatt has released 12 albums and toured extensively around the world. His albums are LOVING YOU, TROUBADOUR and DANCE ME OUTSIDE (duets with Katy Moffatt) for Rounder Records, THE LIFE OF A MINOR POET for Watermelon Records, LIVE AND ALONE for Brambus Records in Switzerland, THE WOGNUM SESSIONS (The Hugh Moffatt Trio) for Strictly Country Records in the Netherlands, GHOSTS OF THE MUSIC for Brambus, and SONGS FROM THE BACK OF THE CHURCH, ONLY ALONG FOR THE RIDE, NOW AND THEN (duets with Katy Moffatt), and LONG WIDE OPEN ROAD on Sohl Recordings. Sony Australia also released a 17-song compilation from his first two albums under the title, THE WAY LOVE IS.
He is, with composer Michael Ching, the librettist for three original operas. Two are one-acts: “King of the Clouds”, commissioned and premiered by Dayton Opera in 1993, and “Out of the Rain”, commissioned jointly by Opera Delaware, the Kansas City Lyric Opera and Opera Memphis and premiered by Opera Delaware in 1998. These operas have each had multiple productions. Ching and Moffatt’s full-length opera, Corps of Discovery, A Musical Journey, commissioned by the University of Missouri and based on the Lewis & Clark expedition, premiered in May of 2003 in Columbia, Missouri. Opera Memphis produced the professional premier in April of 2004. Fargo Opera and the University of Idaho have also mounted independent productions. In 2010, Opera Memphis performances of Gluck’s classic opera, Orpheus and Euridice, with a new English translation by Moffatt and Ching.
Four of Moffatt’s short plays, “The Truth”, “Leaving Home”, “The Mome Raths”, and “The Alien”, have been produced in Nashville by the Pulp Friction 10-minute Play Festival. “The Mome Raths” was also produced by Topanga Actors Company’s Inaugural 10-Minute Play Festival. His short screenplay, “Reaching Out”, was published in the 2019 edition of the Santa Fe Literary Journal.
Moffatt has an MFA in Writing (dramatic writing) from Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. He has taught songwriting and/or music business courses for Nashville State Community College, Danville (Virginia) Community College, and Middle Tennessee State University. Hugh is the brother of singer-songwriter Katy Moffatt.
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HUGH MOFFATT/DISCOGRAPHY self-recorded
ALBUM TITLE LABEL & CATALOGUE # RELEASE DATE
LOVING YOU Rounder/Philo, PH1111 1987
TROUBADOUR Rounder/Philo, PH1127 1989
LIVE AND ALONE Brambus, 199118-2 (Switzerland) 1991
THE WAY LOVE IS Columbia, 48965 2 (Australia) 1991
(partial compilation of LOVING YOU and TROUBADOUR)
DANCE ME OUTSIDE Rounder/Philo, PH1144 1992
(duets with Katy Moffatt)
THE WOGNUM SESSIONS Strictly Country, SCR-32 (Holland) 1992
(Hugh Moffatt Trio)
THE LIFE OF A MINOR POET Watermelon, 1047 1996
GHOSTS OF THE MUSIC Brambus, 199810-2 (Switzerland) 1998
SONGS FROM THE BACK OF Sohl 0001 2006
THE CHURCH
ONLY ALONG FOR THE RIDE Sohl 0002 2013
NOW AND THEN Sohl 0003 2016
(duets with Katy Moffatt)
LONG WIDE OPEN ROAD Sohl 0004 2019
OPERA
(Hugh Moffatt librettist, Michael Ching librettist/composer)
TITLE COMMISSIONING PARTIES PREMIER DATE
KING OF THE CLOUDS Dayton Opera 1993
(one act)
NOTE - This opera has had several subsequent productions
OUT OF THE RAIN OperaDelaware 1998
(one act) The Lyric Opera of Kansas City
Opera Memphis
NOTE - This opera has had several subsequent productions
CORPS OF DISCOVERY Show Me Opera (U of Missouri, Columbia) 2003
(three act)
NOTE - Aso independently produced by Opera Memphis (professional premier), University of Idaho, and Fargo-Moorehead Opera
Orpheus and Euridice (Gluck) Opera Memphis 2010
(new English translation)
PLAYS AND SCREENPLAYS
TITLE PRODUCTION COMPANY PREMIER DATE
THE TRUTH PULP FRICTION 2014
(10-minute play)
LEAVING HOME PULP FRICTION 2015
(10-minute play)
THE MOME RATHS PULP FRICTION 2016
(10-minute play) TOPANGA ACTORS COMPANY 2019
THE ALIEN PULP FRICTION 2016
(10-minute play)
PUBLICATIONS
TITLE PUBLICATION PUBLICATION DATE
REACHING OUT (Screenplay) SANTA FE LITERARY JOURNAL 2019
A PARK BENCH, CHAPTER 1
– THE ALIEN (10-minute play) THE TUSCULUM REVIEW 2024
HUGH MOFFATT/DISCOGRAPHY (Partial List)
songs recorded by others
*released as single
SONG TITLE ARTIST CO-WRITERS RELEASE DATE
JUST IN CASE* Ronnie Milsap 1975
JUST IN CASE Barbara Mandrell 1976
JUST IN CASE Tammy Wynette 1976
THE HARDTIMES Moe Bandy E. Penney/T. Benjamin 1976
HERE'S TO THE HORSES* Mack Vickery R Bourke/G Dobbins 1976
THAT'S ALL I WANTED
TO KNOW* Dottie West Ed Penney 1977
WHILE I'M HERE Randi Gurley Ed Penney 1977
WHY SHOULD I CRY
OVER YOU George Hamilton IV Ed Penney 1977
OLD FLAMES CAN'T HOLD
A CANDLE TO YOU* Joe Sun Pebe Sebert 1978
MAMA RITA* Alan Wayne 1979
LOVE GAME Jerry Lee Lewis 1979
OLD FLAMES CAN'T HOLD
A CANDLE TO YOU* Dolly Parton Pebe Sebert 1980
LOVE AND ONLY LOVE Frizzell & West 1980
LOVE AND ONLY LOVE* Carl Hickman 1980
HERE'S TO THE HORSES* Johnny Russell R Bourke/G Dobbins 1981
HERE'S TO THE HORSES The Rovers R Bourke/G Dobbins 1981
WILD TURKEY* Lacy J. Dalton Pebe Sebert 1981
EVERY NOW AND THEN Terri Gibbs 1981
WHISKEY MADE ME
STUMBLE* Bill Anderson 1981
TAKING A WALK IN
THE SUN Jeannie C. Riley 1981
WASN'T IT GOOD* Patti Page 1981
LOVE AND ONLY LOVE Conway Twitty 1982
SLOW MOVIN' FREIGHT
TRAIN Joe Sun 1982
SLOW MOVIN' FREIGHT
TRAIN John Starling 1982
CAROLINA STAR John Starling 1982
CAROLINA STAR Earl Scruggs & Friends 1982
WORDS AT TWENTY
PACES Alabama 1982
PRAISE THE LORD AND
SEND ME THE MONEY* Bobby Bare 1982
WHEN YOU HELD ME IN
YOUR ARMS Mel McDaniel 1982
OLD FLAMES CAN’T HOLD
A CANDLE TO YOU Foster and Allen 1982
HOW COULD I LOVE HER
SO MUCH* Johnny Rodriguez 1983
TILL THE FIRE'S
BURNED OUT Nitty Gritty Dirt Band 1984
ROSE OF MY HEART* Johnny Rodriguez 1984
STILL ONE BROKEN HEART David Frizzell 1984
ROSE OF MY HEART The Whitstein Brothers 1985
OLD FLAMES CAN'T HOLD
A CANDLE TO YOU Merle Haggard Pebe Sebert 1985
WHEN YOU HELD ME
IN YOUR ARMS* Rex Allen, Jr. 1985
ROSE OF MY HEART Nicolette Larsen 1986
LAST NIGHT I DREAMED
OF LOVING YOU Nashville Bluegrass Band 1986
LOVING YOU The McCarters 1987
PAPACITA Katy Moffatt 1987
I KNOW THE
DIFFERENCE NOW Katy Moffatt 1987
HARD TIMES ON EASY
STREET Katy Moffatt 1987
PAPACITA The McCarters 1988
ROSE OF MY HEART Foster and Allen 1988
TILL THE MORNING COMES Steinar Albrightsen Jonas Fjeld 1990
ROLL AWAY THE STONE* Wendy Bagwell and the Sunliters 1992
LAST NIGHT I DREAMED
OF LOVING YOU Kathy Mattea 1992
STILL ONE BROKEN HEART Steinar Albrightsen 1992
CAROLINA STAR Foster and Allen 1994
SLOW MOVING FREIGHT
TRAIN Katy Moffatt 1997
JACK AND LUCY Bill Grant and Delia Bell 1997
SWEET DESIRE Steinar Albrightsen 1998
ROSE OF MY HEART IIIrd Tyme Out 1999
WHISKEY, MONEY AND TIME Katy Moffatt 1999
THE GHOST LIGHT OF MARFA Katy Moffatt 2001
JACK AND LUCY Jeannie Kendell 2003
OLD FLAMES CAN'T HOLD
A CANDLE TO YOU Ronnie Bowman Pebe Sebert 2005
ROSE OF MY HEART McReynolds and Whitstein 2006
ROSE OF MY HEART Johnny Cash 2006
HOW COULD I LOVE HER
SO MUCH Alan West 2008
FALL RIVER Jonas Fjeld/Chatham Jonas Fjeld 2009
County Line
THE DANCER West & Black Michael Hearne 2009
NEW MOON NIGHT West & Black Mark Luna 2009
HOW COULD I LOVE HER
SO MUCH Nathan Carter 2010
LAST NIGHT I DREAMED
OF LOVING YOU Milk Drive 2011
THE DANCER Nathan Carter Michael Hearne 2011
FROZEN NORTH Jonas Fjeld Jonas Fjeld 2012
OLD FLAMES CAN’T HOLD
A CANDLE TO YOU Kesha Pebe Sebert 2012
WHISKEY UP Alan West 2013
THE WAY LOVE IS Alan West 2014
GIVE US STRENGTH Jimmy Gaudreau and Elle Mears 2017
OLD FLAMES CAN’T HOLD
A CANDLE TO YOU Kesha, ft. Dolly Parton Pebe Sebert 2017
I KNOW Katy Moffatt 2018
FROZEN NORTH* Judy Collins/Jonas Fjeld Jonas Fjeld 2019
OLD FLAMES CAN’T HOLD
A CANDLE TO YOU* Jeanie Seely/Waylon Payne Pebe Sebert 2020
FOREVER (THE WHISTLE
SONG)* Daniel Wesley Africa D. Wesley, J. Peppard 2022
DUST IN MY WALLET* Jonas Fjeld Jonas Fjeld 2022
I CAN DANCE Jonas Fjeld Jonas Fjeld 2022
LITTLE BIRD Jonas Fjeld Jonas Fjeld 2022
A PLACE FOR WARM Jonas Fjeld Jonas Fjeld 2022
DISTANT DRUMS Jonas Fjeld Jonas Fjeld 2022
TO THE BONE Jonas Fjeld Jonas Fjeld 2022
SIMPLE LOVE Jonas Fjeld Jonas Fjeld 2022
ELECTRIC LUNG Jonas Fjeld Jonas Fjeld 2022
SANSA'S WEDDING SONG Jonas Fjeld Jonas Fjeld 2022
HOW COULD I LOVE HER
SO MUCH Wildfire 2022
HOW COULD I LOVE HER
SO MUCH East Nash Grass 2023
HOW COULD I LOVE HER
SO MUCH* Larry Cordle 2024
TILL THE MORNING COMES* Jonas Fjeld/Hugh Moffatt Jonas Fjeld 2024
LIKE I LOVE YOU* Daniel Wesley Africa D. Wesley, J. Peppard 2024
OLD FLAMES CAN’T HOLD
A CANDLE TO YOU* Ottar Johansen, ft. Hugh Pebe Sebert 2025
SOMEWHERE AMONG
THE BRIARS* Colin and Kathleen Ray John Scott Sherrill 2025
BACKSTOP* Adam Sweet Adam Sweet 2026
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