Patricia Karen Bunch (June 22, 1939 – January 30, 2023) was an American country music songwriter. Born in Zanesville Ohio, Patricia Karen Hendershot. After moving to Phoenix Arizona in October of 1963, she met and married her second husband. She started her songwriting career under the name Pat Bunch in 1974 which was her last name from her second marriage. She decided to keep the last name, "Bunch" since that was how everyone one knew her professionally in Nashville even though she remarried to her third husband in 1975. After seeing Kris Kristofferson at a concert in Phoenix, she met him backstage and asked him if she could successfully be in the music business without relocating to Nashville. He told her no, so in the Fall of 1974 she made the move to Nashville. Much of her earlier chart hits resulted from collaborations with fellow songwriters Mary Ann Kennedy and Pam Rose. Bunch also had multiple chart successes co-writing with Doug Johnson. Bunch's co-writing credits include the Grammy Award-nominated song "I'll Still Be Loving You" by Restless Heart. Other songs that she has written include "Wild One" by Faith Hill and "Living in a Moment" by Ty Herndon.
Bunch died at her home in Cross Plains, Tennessee, on January 30, 2023, at the age of 83.
Chart singles The following is a list of Pat Bunch compositions that were chart hits.
Year Single Title Recording Artist Chart Positions Billboard Hot 100 Billboard AC Billboard Country 1979 Ten Thousand and One co-written with Dan Mitchell Connie Smith 88 1984 Me Against the Night co-written with Mary Ann Kennedy & Pam Rose Crystal Gayle 4 1985 The First Word in Memory Is Me co-written with Mary Ann Kennedy & Pam Rose Janie Fricke 7 1985 Somebody Else's Fire co-written with Mary Ann Kennedy & Pam Rose Janie Fricke 4 1987 I'll Still Be Loving You co-written with Mary Ann Kennedy, Todd Cerney & Pam Rose Restless Heart 33 3 1 1987 He's Letting Go co-written with Mary Ann Kennedy & Pam Rose Baillie & the Boys 18 1993 Wild One co-written with Jaime Kyle & Will Rambeaux Faith Hill 1 1994 You Wouldn't Say That to a Stranger co-written with Doug Crider Suzy Bogguss 43 1995 I Want My Goodbye Back co-written with Dave Berg & Doug Johnson Ty Herndon 7 1995 Love Like This co-written with Mary Ann Kennedy & Pam Rose Carlene Carter 70 1995 Safe in the Arms of Love co-written with Mary Ann Kennedy & Pam Rose Martina McBride 4 1995 What If Jesus Comes Back Like That co-written with Doug Johnson Collin Raye 21 1996 Living in a Moment co-written with Doug Johnson Ty Herndon 1 1997 I Have to Surrender co-written with Doug Johnson Ty Herndon 17 1999 Slow Dance More co-written with Doug Johnson Kenny Rogers 67 2000 Santa's Got a Semi co-written with Doug Johnson Keith Harling 60 2000 I Need You All the Time co-written with Jimmy Price & Shane Teeters Blackhawk 40 2001 Even Then co-written with Shane Teeters John Michael Montgomery 59 2005 She Didn't Have Time co-written with Nicole Witt Terri Clark 25 2006 Come On Rain co-written with Doug Johnson Steve Holy 35 2013 Better I Don'tco-written with Chris Janson and Kelly Janson Chris Janson40
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