Stevenson should have been a star.

B.W. Stevenson should have been a star. That's what I think of every time one of his songs come on the radio, or on one of my Amazon Music playlists He could write, he could sing. Stevenson had a beautiful, distinctive baritone, well-suited for rock, pop or country. Now, I know what many of you are asking: "Who is B.W. Stevenson?" Louis Charles Stevenson (the B.W came from his nickname "Buck Wheat") would have been 76 years old on Sunday. Sadly, the Dallas Texas native died young, when he was just 38. Stevenson is best known for writing and recording songs that were done later by other people, and to more acclaim. In 1973, Stevenson turned a Daniel Moore-penned tune, "Shambala" into a minor hit. But around the same time, Three Dog Night's version of the song went to No. 1 and was a worldwide smash. Stevenson's biggest radio song came later in 1973. That was when Moore and Stevenson co-wrote the song "My Maria," and that was a top 10 hit on the adult contemporary charts. It still gets airplay and remains, to this day, Stevenson's biggest hit. Then, some 23 years later, Brooks & Dunn got a hold of it. In the 1990s, Brooks & Dunn were a country duo with a Midas touch. Just about every single they recorded was a hit. Brooks & Dunn's version of the song became one of the biggest hits of their careers. It went to No. 1 on the country charts, and won a Grammy. It was such a success for Brooks and Dunn – and such an enduring one -–that many people don't even realize the song was a remake. That was the case with me. I remember being at Cedar Point and hearing Ronnie Dunn's soaring tenor during the chorus. The song has been with me ever since. But I have to admit, I prefer Stevenson's version. He had a real charm and sincerity to his records, and a bit of spirituality. In addition to his country/rock/pop work, he also recorded Christian music. The thing is, when it comes to Stevenson and reading about his career, it feels like a series of near-misses. It was Stevenson who was selected to be the performer on pilot for the TV show "Austin City Limits" in October of 1974. However, the recording was deemed unusable. The next night, another artist performed -- Willie Nelson -- and that ended up being the pilot for the show. "Austin City Limits" has run for five decades and is still going strong. In 2004, I was able to pick up a copy of "The Very Best of BW Stevenson." The album title has always amused me. It reads like a greatest hits record, but it seems more honest than that. Stevenson didn't have many hits. But what he did have was a catalogue of great recordings, and they were preserved on that album. I was a rookie reporter working in Hardin County at the time, and I have memories of driving from Kenton to Ridgeway to Bellefontaine to cover games. And Stevenson was my soundtrack for those trips, and thus, the background music for that period of my life. I would encourage anyone who loves country rock to seek some of his songs out. "Roll On," is a rocker, "Look for The Light" is a beautiful spiritual journey. "A Song for Katy" showed how tender Stevenson's voice and music could be on a pensive love song. And yet, there's one song that always haunts me. I have no idea if Stevenson had an inkling he would never become a big star, that he would die young, or that his career would be relatively short. But when I hear the 90 second song "Pass this Way," from 1973, I can't help but wonder. It's just Stevenson and a sad guitar, with a single verse. "Well I'm thinking it's wrong, to sing you a song," he sings, "when your dreams have all gone away." He adds a few words before one final line, almost as a dismissal. "See you if I pass this way." Hopefully, more people will seek his music out. He should have been a star. Zach Baker the sports editor for The Courier.