Tom T. Hall’s writing of “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died” and all his other great story songs, reflected Tom’s own introspective view of life. He wrote about things he knew and wrote them from a viewpoint that was uniquely his. In his mind, these stories were important slices of his life. He wanted them to be poetic and informative, as well as entertaining. He wanted his words to paint pictures, but being commercial was the last thing on his mind. On September 18, 1971, twenty-three years after Tom’s mentor and idol had passed away, “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died” topped Billboard’s country singles chart for two weeks. It not only gave Hall his biggest hit and his personally highest artistic achievement, but also provided him with some undesired commercial success too, which Tom discovered could be lived with easily.
Lonnie Easterly, the man immortalized as “Clayton Delaney” probably died of tuberculosis, his death slow and painful and he passed away without ever fulfilling his dreams. Yet, his legacy lived on in another young man whom he inspired. Tom T. Hall took the most important lesson Easterly taught him to heart, and became an influential songwriter and performer because he sought his own way of expressing his music. In a sense, both Tom and Lonnie made it to the warm spotlight at the same time. That seems appropriate, because Hall always said that it was “Clayton Delaney” who had bought his ticket for the big show.