There’s a particular kind of humility that seems like its ingrained in Scottsville's DNA. But also equally a habit of producing some really cool things to be proud of.
For instance, businesses like Dollar General started here; built collectively on the backs of the hardworking people of this town. Or legends like Jim McDaniels or Charles Napier. Or even our beloved toy dog buried at the White Plains Shopping Centre. The story of Norro Wilson is one of those stories.
Every fall in Allen County, you’ve probably seen Norro's name grace banners and ads around town and wondered who is Norro? Or maybe you’ve seen his face on the Wall of Fame on the square or his likeness on T-shirts, or all over your social media. But long before there was NorroFest, Norro Wilson was just a regular kid from Scottsville.
And if you ask Mike Wood, former assistant to Wilson and current owner of our beloved Earl G. Dumplin’s (with the most superb salad bar in town), that part of the story explains quite a bit about the man Norro became. I sat down with Mike this week during the breakfast crowd at Dumplin’s to talk about Norro and his career. “He was so gifted,” Mike told me. “But he never felt above anyone else. I think that was the key to his success.”
Norro Wilson knew a lot of people and ran in a lot of circles. But Norro didn’t need to tell you who he knew, what he’d written or what he’d accomplished. “He never had to show his wealth, his intelligence or his resume,” Mike said. “He let everything speak for itself, and he just enjoyed people.”
Over the years as I have researched Norro Wilson, I’ve learned just how influential he was in the country music industry. Norro became a songwriter, producer and music executive whose career stretched across decades of country music. Dubbed an excellent song plugger, he helped write Charlie Rich’s “The Most Beautiful Girl” and “A Very Special Love Song,” George Jones’ “A Picture of Me (Without You)” and “The Grand Tour.” He worked with artists ranging from Tammy Wynette and Charley Pride to, for this 80's baby’s heart, who literally thrives on 90’s country, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain and Kenny Chesney. Y’all, those are BIG names. Written by a kid from Scottsville.
But when Mike talks about Norro, it's not the accolades, nope not even the Grammy, it's the humble beginnings that shaped his career into a success.
When I asked Mike how he got to know Norro, their relationship started simple enough…They were neighbors.
When Mike’s family moved to Locust Street in the 70s, Norro’s mother and aunt lived next door in the big white house. Norro came home to visit often, he'd pull up a chair on the porch and over time Mike got to know him. At first, Mike didn’t fully understand just how big a deal he was. Then Norro started taking him places. Places like the CMAs, the Grammys, big parties in Nashville. No big deal!
Those adventures eventually led Mike to apply to Belmont. Once he enrolled, Norro offered him an opportunity to come work with him in the afternoons.
Mike recalled leaving Scottsville on a Sunday with a chest of drawers packed in his car. Not long after that, his classes at Belmont were letting out around 1:30 and he was walking into RCA Records saying he was there to work with Norro Wilson.
When the elevator doors opened to the third floor, the artist’s floor, Mike recalls seeing multiple big names immediately. Alabama. Naomi and Wynonna Judd. Just casually in the hallway. People he only knew from television, radio and record covers. They were all there standing in the hall right in front of him! And in the middle of all of it was Norro, his neighbor from Locust Street.
“There wasn’t a Nashville version of Norro and a Scottsville version. He was just Norro” Mike said. “He was just as happy with the president of the United States as he was with somebody that just got signed to a record deal that was scared to death.” He knew how to make people comfortable, and he genuinely liked being around them.
It wasn’t enough for Norro to be the discoverer of buried treasure. For all the hit records and famous names, one of the things Mike remembers most is how willing Norro was to give somebody else a chance. “People were constantly dropping off tapes and songs and one day Norro handed me a box of them.”
“You want to listen through it and see if there’s anything?” Norro asked.
Of course he did! And from that box, Mike found music that eventually made its way to well-known artists, including Reba McEntire. Mike knew that Norro believed in him and didn’t seem concerned that he was young or inexperienced. He trusted him enough to let him listen. “He loved nurturing people and I think that’s why he was so successful with new artists,” Mike said.
Mike remembers Norro talking about how happy he could be for someone getting their first No. 1 or watching somebody come from nothing and finally make it. “I can smile when I see somebody have that first number one,” Norro once told him, “because I’ve done it all multiple times.” “He was always happy for others,” Mike said. That might be one of my favorite things I've learned about him. No matter what, Norro was a cheerleader for those around him.
Working with Norro opened doors for Mike, too, including one opportunity that makes for a pretty great story today. During his Nashville years, Mike got to know a young singer who was playing rooms where sometimes only 10 people showed up. He recalled plenty of cold bars and measly 6” tall stages. One night the singer and his manager took Mike to dinner at Sunset Grille for a proposal of sorts. They thought a record deal was coming, and they wanted Mike and three others to come with them.
The problem was, Mike had finally gotten himself to a place where he could survive in Nashville. He could pay his rent. He could make his car payment. He had a steady enough income to get by. And for a kid from Scottsville surviving in Nashville, walking away from that felt too risky. So about a week later, Mike called the singer back and turned him down.
And this is the part of the story where I was floored. The singer was Garth Brooks! “Out of all the people he approached, I was the only idiot that turned him down,” Mike said, laughing. Garth Brooks didn’t exactly struggle after that either, in fact, his career was unlike anything anyone ever expected. We shared a laugh at the irony of turning down such a name as Garth.
But what I loved about the story was my perspective...literally trying to imagine a Scottsville without Mike Wood! What Scottsville would have missed out on had Mike gone this direction! The service and devotion that Mike has brought to Allen County through Dumplin’s and his overall love for this place and people, would be missing from OUR story. Going with Garth might have meant taking the chance but would have resulted in missing the dance of building a foundational establishment in Scottsville. Too corny? Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
Back in 2021, when we first started dreaming up a music festival for Scottsville, we tossed around names. Norro’s name came up because of what he had accomplished in music. When I heard it, I knew I loved it and that it was perfect for the name of our festival. No doubt this was something Scottsville should identify and align itself with. A creative person with small-town roots who went out and did really big things but never forgot where he came from.
The Allen County-Scottsville Arts Council started NorroFest with that name, and as the festival has grown and changed over the years, .I think telling the story behind it has only become more important. I asked Mike what Norro would think about Scottsville having a festival named after him.
“He would be tickled.” And he thinks Norro would have been there for every minute of it, too. And not tucked away backstage somewhere, out in the middle of everybody, talking.
Honestly, that feels like the whole point. We can dedicate a day in October to celebrating incredible talent, whether it be Norro or the amazing acts taking the stage but really, NorroFest is about bringing people together…in an incredible park on an incredible fall day, with *fingers crossed* beautiful weather.
NorroFest celebrates a songwriter and producer whose work became part of the soundtrack of American country music. But it also celebrates more. A kid from Scottsville grew up, discovered what he was good at and carried it with him into rooms most of us will never see. Man, that's something to be proud of!
So, right now, somewhere in Allen County, there’s a kid growing up here who loves music. Or painting. Photography. Writing. Business. Maybe something nobody around them completely understands yet. They deserve to know somebody grew up on the same streets they’re growing up on, went out into the world, wrote songs millions of people heard, worked alongside some of the biggest names in country music and still came home to Scottsville and pulled up a chair on the front porch. And whether or not you care about the name of a festival or who is playing, it's worth buying a ticket to show pride in Allen County and the stories we're telling. (Shameless plug: visit norrofest.com to purchase your ticket.)
Before Nashville knew Norro Wilson, Scottsville did. And man, how that can influence the next prodigy hanging out on Locust Street.
A civic pride initiative promoting Scottsville and Allen County Kentucky.
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