Max Duane Barnes (July 24, 1935 – January 11, 2004) was an American country singer and songwriter born in Hard Scratch, Iowa, United States. In 1973, Barnes moved with his family from Omaha, Nebraska to Nashville, Tennessee, where he died at age 68.

Career

Barnes gained success as a recording artist in the 1970s for Ovation Records, Polydor, and Country Roads Records. Over the course of his career, Barnes recorded more than 400 songs. He composed some of the most popular country songs of the 1980s and 1990s. His works have sold over 50 million records worldwide. Notable cuts include:

Personal life

Prior to gaining fame as a singer and songwriter, he was a semi-truck driver. He was the father of three children, Genevieve Barnes Kephart, DeWayne Patrick Barnes and his youngest son, the award-winning singer-songwriter Max T. Barnes.

Death

Max D. Barnes died on January 11, 2004, at the age of 67, due to complications of pneumonia.

Awards

Barnes is a two-time Country Music Association Awards Song of the Year winner, in 1988 for "Chiseled in Stone," co-written with Vern Gosdin, and in 1992 for "Look at Us," co-written with Vince Gill. He was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1989 for "Chiseled in Stone". He won the BMI Songwriter Award 18 times. In 1992, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Association's International Hall of Fame. He received the following awards: