Baptist and Reflector
Hugh X. Lewis
NASHVILLE — Hugh X. Lewis, who wrote poems under the headings “Ain’t It the Truth” and “A Way with Words” for the Baptist and Reflector since 2006, died Dec. 29 at the age of 90.
In 2006, the Tennessee Senate and House of Representatives passed a resolution designating Lewis as the state’s poet laureate of Christian country music. He was the first person to hold that designation.
A native of Kentucky, Lewis wrote more than 250 country songs recorded by legends such as Charley Pride, Lynn Anderson, Jim Ed Brown, Del Reeves, Kitty Wells and more. He penned the words to Stonewall Jackson’s “B.J. the D.J” which soared to number one on country charts in 1963.
Lewis retired from the country music business in 1984 and began a new career writing poems and focusing on Christian country music. The B&R began publishing his poems in 2006 and he became sought after as a speaker/entertainer for senior adult groups across the state.
“Hugh X. loved the Lord and he loved entertaining people,” said Lonnie Wilkey, editor of the Baptist and Reflector. He also loved the paper and promoted the B&R at senior adult events throughout the state, he added.
“Hugh X. was an ambassador not only for Christ but also for the Baptist and Reflector,” said Wilkey. “He will be missed.”
Lewis was a member of Shiloh Baptist Church, Mount Juliet. He is survived by his wife, Ann, and a daughter, Saundra Taylor.
