Born in 1922, Rose Marie McCoy grew up in a tin shack in rural Arkansas. By the 1960s, she had become one of the most prolific songwriters of her generation.

McCoy’s songs have been recorded by Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, Ike & Tina Turner, James Brown, Bette Midler, and Johnny Mathis. Her success was even more remarkable since she worked in an era when blacks and women were largely excluded from the business side of the music industry.