By Kathleene Runnels
Growing up in a close-knit family in South San Antonio, Franklin Runnels had only two first cousins, John and Charles Schweers, sons of Aunt Doris, his mother’s sister. Every Sunday-after-church dinner included the grandparents, the Runnels, and the Schweers families. The two Schweers boys grew up to follow quite different dreams: Charles became a coach; John pursued a more unique career.
In their childhood, both boys were given violin lessons and were admonished to continue to study into their teenage years. While Charles fell in love with football, John picked up a guitar, even though his mother had said, “My boys will never play a guitar,” as though that would be a disgrace to the family.
John was 15 when he began to apply his violin training to learning the guitar, and his talent blossomed. While attending college at Sul Ross, he performed in a rock group that toured throughout Southwest Texas. Next, he moved to California and began developing his songwriting skills while playing in various bands.
Fortuitously, in 1972 and at the age of 26, John moved to Nashville without any money but with a pocket full of hopes. Soon he began to catch the notice of such notables as Tom T. Hall, Charlie Pride, Ronnie Milsap, and many other super stars in the music world.
Ultimately, John Schweers became one of the finest country music writers of his generation, responsible for such iconic songs as Charley Pride’s “Amazing Love,” Ronnie Milsap’s “Daydreams About Night Things,” Dave & Sugar’s “Golden Tears” and Trace Adkins’ “I Left Something Turned on at Home.”
The first No. 1 hit penned by John Schweers was Pride’s “Don’t Fight the Feelings of Love” in 1973. Pride’s follow-up single was “Amazing Love,” which also topped the country hit parade. In 1975, Nick Nixon charted with the Schweers song “She’s Just an Old Love Turned Memory.” Pride recorded it two years later and turned it into another No. 1 hit. Ultimately, Charlie Pride recorded more than 20 of Schweer’s songs.
Ronnie Milsap had a No. 1 hit with Schweers’ “Daydreams About Night Things” in 1975. The superstar repeated the chart-topping feat with the Schweers’ songs “What Goes On When the Sun Goes Down” (1976) and “Let My Love Be Your Pillow” (1977). Milsap recorded 15 John Schweers compositions.
The songwriter’s other No. 1 hit during the 1970s was “Golden Tears” by Dave & Sugar in 1979. During the decade, his songs were also recorded by Eddy Arnold, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, David Wills, Johnny Russell, Mel Street, Susan Raye, Jim Ed Brown and Jeanne Pruett, among others. Sixteen of his songs made the country popularity charts in the ‘70s.
In 1978, on Nashville’s Master Songwriters Sing Their Hits, Schweers performed his versions of “Daydreams About Night Things,” “She’s Just an Old Love Turned Memory” and “Early Fall,” all of which he wrote solo.
During the 1980s, Schweers wrote such top 10 hits as Steve Wariner’s “Your Memory” (1981), Janie Fricke’s “Do Me With Love” (1982) and Mandrell’s “No One Mends a Broken Heart Like You” (1986).
Others who recorded Schweers’ songs during the 1980s were Louise Mandrell and Tom T. Hall, The Oak Ridge Boys, Tanya Tucker…and many more.
John Schweers continued to create hits in the 1990s. Two of his biggest were “Born Country,” sung by Alabama in 1992 and “I Left Something Turned on at Home,” sung by Trace Adkins in 1997. His songs were also recorded in the ‘90s by George Jones, Mel McDaniel, Roy Clark, Travis Tritt, Johnny Rodriguez, to name some. And into the 2000s, John Schweers’ songs have been sung by Mark Wiils, George Strait, The Mississippi Mass Choir, Marty Raybon, Con Hunley, Don Everly, Brother Slade, Buck Owens and Joe Nichols, among others.
Songs that Schweers wrote from 25-50 years ago continue to receive airplay to this day. It is also noteworthy that of his 12 Top 10 hits, only three were co-written, an amazing feat in an environment of mostly co-writers.
Here’s a fun fact. In the late 80s when John had come home for a visit at the family cabin at Alto Frio, on an excursion into Leakey there was a band performing on the square, and he overheard them playing his song, “Don’t Fight the Feeling.“ He walked up to the band members and introduced himself as the writer of that song! They were elated.
John’s mother was wrong. Needless to say, the family is proud of this amazing kid who grew up on San Antonio’s south side and who used to pester his older cousin Franklin and me, the girlfriend at the time.
John Schweers passed away in Franklin, TN, in May of this year, 2025.
