North Florida Music Hall of Fame

A native of Dekalb County, Ala., Pierce Pettis started off as a staff songwriter at Muscle Shoals Sound in Sheffield, Ala, and later became a staff writer for Polygram in Nashville. His big break came in 1979 when Joan Baez recorded his “Song at the End of the Movie.” After releasing an album independently in 1987, Pettis landed a deal with High Street Records, a division of Windham Hill Records, in 1991. Pettis signed with Nashville-based Compass Records in 1996. His songs have been covered by numerous artists, but Pettis really hit pay dirt when his song “You Move Me” was released by Garth Brooks on his No 1 album “Sevens” in 1997. Pettis lived in Tallahassee. He now divides his time between Atlanta and Nashville.