Pat Alger, an adjunct faculty member in songwriting and a Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee, was recently honored with the Georgia Music Foundation Flamekeeper Award at the Fifth Annual “Georgia on My Mind” concert, hosted by The Peach Pickers at the Ryman. The award was introduced in 2014 and recognizes individuals whose work tirelessly preserves and promotes Georgia’s musical roots and traditions. Alger is pictured above with fellow Flamekeeper Award recipient and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Tony Arata.
Known for such hits as “Unanswered Prayers,” “Thunder Rolls” and “Small Town Saturday Night,” Alger was born in Long Island City, New York, and was raised in his mother’s hometown, LaGrange, Georgia. Alger’s songs have been recorded by a litany of music greats including Dolly Parton, Brenda Lee, The Everly Brothers, Peter, Paul & Mary, Trisha Yearwood. Garth Brooks and James Taylor. He was elected Songwriter of the Year for the Nashville Songwriters Association International in 1991 and ASCAP’s Songwriter of the Year in 1992. In 2010, he was inducted into The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2013, he became a member of the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.
