Born 69 Years Ago in Georgia, the Songwriter Behind Garth Brooks’ Signature Song and Hits by Clay Walker and Patty Loveless

On this day (October 10) in 1957, Tony Arata was born in Savannah, Georgia. While he found minor chart success as a recording artist, he is best known as a songwriter. He penned several songs that became hits in the 1990s. Clay Walker, Patty Loveless, and Lee Roy Parnell found hits with his songs. Garth Brooks also charted with several of Arata’s compositions. Notably, he penned Brooks’ signature No. 1 “The Dance.”

Arata began writing songs while he was in high school. He started playing in regional bands while earning a journalism degree at Georgia Southern University. One evening, a representative from Noble Vision Records heard him perform at an Atlanta Nightclub. They made a connection. Before long, Noble Vision artist Jim Glaser gave Arata his first hit when he took “The Man in the Mirror” to No. 7 on the country chart in 1983.

According to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, he moved to Nashville in 1986. That year, he released his debut album, Changes, on Noble Vision. Later, MCA picked the album up for distribution. He signed a deal with Dennis Morgan’s publishing company. Soon, his songs were being cut by some of the biggest names in country music.

Garth Brooks Promised Tony Arata He’d Record “The Dance”

Garth Brooks was one of the first people Tony Arata met when he moved to Nashville. They met while playing an open mic. “I got to hear him sing. I’m no talent scout, but it’s one of those things where you go, ‘Wow, that’s pretty good. I think that guy’s going somewhere.’ But at the time, he wasn’t going anywhere. He was just one of us. He was just trying to establish himself in this town,” Arata recalled.

They quickly became friends and started playing shows together at the Bluebird Cafe. During one of those early shows, Arata played “The Dance” for the first time. Brooks fell in love with it and said that he’d record it if he ever landed a record deal. “Three years later, he stood on that same Bluebird stage and sang a showcase for Capitol Records and got signed,” Arata said. Then, Brooks called and asked if the song was still available.

“Here’s probably one of the most ironic things about it all is the fact that everybody moves here for one reason and that is to get a song recorded,” Arata said. “The greatest thing that ever happened to me in this town was not having a song recorded for three years and having it turned down by everybody,” he added. “There were huge artists at the time that passed on this song, and I’m so grateful that they did.”

Other Highlights from Arata’s Catalog

“The Dance” was Tony Arata’s biggest hit as a songwriter. However, it was far from the only one he wrote. The list below contains just a few highlights from his catalog.

• “Daydreaming with My Eyes Open”–Clay Walker (No. 1)
• “Here I Am”–Patty Loveless (No. 4)
• “I’m Holding My Own”–Lee Roy Parnell (No. 3)
• “I Hear a Call”–Emmylou Harris
• “Satisfied Mind”–Randy Travis
• “This Is My Prayer for You”–Reba McEntire

Featured Image by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for CRS

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