Two for the Price of One" on The Nashville Network. The song spent two weeks at the number one spot and was the most successful song of his career, earning a gold record for selling a million copies. As a songwriter, he also received a Song of the Year award for "I'll Be There" from the Country Music Association (CMA) for a writing credit with B. J. Thomas. In 1979, a group of songwriters known as the Carter-Bays Music Group made a long-term agreement with ABC/Dot Records, a small label in Cincinnati, Ohio. Under the agreement, seven songwriters, including Tkacz, split songwriting credits on four albums between them. In turn, the songwriters were given royalties on each album. The Carter-Bays label became more popular when a singer and guitarist known as John Berry joined the group. Berry, who had been singing and performing music since he was seven, gained national fame when he began having success with the group. In 1980, his self-titled debut album was released under the name "Willie T and the Bays" on Carter-Bays. The lead track was "I Just Started Hating," which became a hit for Tkacz. A second song, "We Met in a Small Town," was also released to radio stations, and earned national attention. In March 1980, Willie T. released his next album, "Willie T and the Bays – Live in Japan." Although no hit singles were released from the album, it became the most successful album of his career, earning platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). During this time, ABC/Dot Records was bought by MCA Records. Tkacz switched to MCA in 1980, and his next two albums did not reach the national success of his first album. In 1982, MCA assigned Tkacz and John Fusco to write material for the soundtrack of The American Success Company, a motion picture by Paramount Pictures. The songs were credited to both Fusco and Tkacz. "She's Gonna Win Your Heart" became a number one hit for the group Alison Krauss and Union Station. In 1987, Tkacz wrote and recorded the single "Fool Me Once." It was released on the independent label Moe's Records. Despite good promotion on television and radio stations in the Southwest United States, the single failed to reach number one in the country charts. However, Tkacz's debut album, "Don't Stop Now," achieved gold status for selling over 500,000 copies. In 1988, MCA released another album, the Greatest Hits Collection, which made it to number seven on the Top Country Albums chart and sold nearly a million copies. In October 1997, Tkacz released his eleventh album, "Nashville," which topped the Country charts. It contained Tkacz's own composition, "I'm Coming Home," which had been recorded by Dolly Parton and won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female. This album earned the Academy of Country Music's highest honor, a platinum certification for selling over a million copies. Personal life Willie T is married to a former nurse named Sharon. They have two sons: Matthew and Joshua, who are both professional musicians. Matthew is the lead singer of the popular 1980s rock band Starcastle, while Joshua is a member of the 1990s country pop group The Saddle Row Boys. Willie T and his family live in Nashville, Tennessee. Discography References Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:MCA Records artists Category:Musicians from Detroit Category:Singers from Michigan Category:Songwriters from Michigan Category:Country musicians from Michigan Category:Songwriters from Tennessee Category:Country musicians from Tennessee