by Rebecca Sanders
Before Celine Dion powerfully sang the romantic theme song from the motion picture Titanic, East Texan native Will Jennings had penned the dramatic lyrics for “My Heart Will Go On.” The song earned Jennings his second Academy Award for Best Original Song, having won the Oscar fifteen years prior for “Up Where We Belong” from the movie An Officer and a Gentleman. Jennings would go on to write more than 500 songs which would be performed around the world by some of the most talented artists of our time.
Born in Kilgore in 1944, Jennings is the youngest of three siblings and the only son. His sisters Gloria Townsend and Joyce Hudnall credit their mother with Will’s success. “She loved him so dearly,” said Hudnall. “Our mom was always providing him with opportunities. She was the most encouraging and dearest mother and could spot his gifts; she was his advocate.”
“He was an avid reader,” Hudnall continued. “My mother took him to the library three times a week, and he came out with his bag loaded with books. He read as many books as she could funnel to him. He had a longing to understand things.”
Jennings’ desire to continue his education led him to Tyler Junior College, which, according to Hudnall, played an important role in his journey to success. “They offered him an arena of exploration so he could try his hand at all he had in his head. That was very vital and important and pivotal to the next step. TJC: there’s something about it that stimulates the creative dream in human beings. Kids go there and it’s like being rescued from drowning. They are lifted up to another level. He was given an opportunity to express all that he had to explore, learn, and succeed.”
After attending the University of Texas in Austin, Jennings transferred to Stephen F. Austin State University where he completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He then returned to TJC to serve as an English professor, and later taught at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Jennings’ desire to be a full-time songwriter took him to Nashville and Los Angeles where he wrote and collaborated on songs that would be performed by numerous award-winning artists.
One such collaboration was with Eric Clapton, on the well-known “Tears in Heaven,” a tribute to Clapton’s four-year-old son, who died in 1991. Monica Mancini, daughter of composer Henry Mancini, knew that Clapton was struggling with the song and suggested he work with Jennings. “Interesting interludes like that prompted his being noticed and succeeding,” said Hudnall.
In addition to Clapton and Dion, other artists who have performed the works of Jennings include Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, B.B. King, Rodney Crowell, Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Buffet, Barry Manilow, Roy Orbison, Steve Winwood, Dionne Warwick, Joe Cocker, Jennifer Warnes, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and more.
In 2019, TJC honored Jennings with its “Legends of TJC” award and announced the naming of the Carole and Will Jennings Lobby in the Rogers Palmer Performing Arts Center on the College’s central campus. The couple met during the time they attended TJC and have been married since 1965.
Jennings will again be honored when the East Texas Symphony Orchestra presents “The Music of Will Jennings” on Saturday, June 22. The musical celebration, under the direction of Conductor Richard Lee, will be held at TJC’s Rogers Palmer Performing Arts Center. Tickets may be purchased at ETSO.org. The event will also feature Jennings’ long-time friend and Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Rodney Crowell as well as Julianne Casey, a TJC alumna who now resides in New York.
ETSO Executive Director Robin Hampton said, “What’s exciting for us is that the pieces that Richard will be conducting, we’re having arranged for symphony. Some of the pieces have never been performed by a symphony. We want to be relevant in our community, and this speaks to our community.”
Although she would share no further details, Hampton alluded to a special musical surprise that is certain to delight those in attendance.
Crowell explained that he and Jennings met in Nashville and had a brief conversation about their similar ties to East Texas. Later, a mutual friend suggested they get together and write songs. “Most of the time Will was a lyricist,” Crowell said. “Will also wrote many lovely melodies. Ninety percent of the time, I wrote lyrics to his melodies.” Songs co-written by the duo include “Many a Long and Lonesome Highway,” “Please Remember Me,” “Fever on the Bayou,” and more.
“On another level,” Crowell said, “Will was just such a rich character—so smart, so intelligent and so well-read. Conversations with him were pure poetry.”
Hudnall also commented on her brother’s intellect and insightfulness. “[Will] was a wordsmith,” Hudnall continued. “He spoke four languages—English, Spanish, German and French. He wrote and read them. At one point in his career, he helped translate a French musical to English lyrics.”
In addition to the two Oscars, Jennings’ awards include three Grammys, three Golden Globes, a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts), and many more. He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Even with the numerous awards and celebrity that Jennings achieved, he remained humble. “He didn’t want fame or fortune. He wanted to make a living,” Hudnall stated. “He wanted to have relevance and integrity, values. He didn’t care if he got paid at all. He wanted to do what he wanted to do.”
Will and Carole Jennings currently reside in Tyler where they privately spend their time with family and friends. As for his relevance, Jennings’ highly acclaimed and beloved body of works will continue to delight audiences both now and for many years to come.