Harlan Perry Howard (September 8, 1927 – March 3, 2002) was a prolific American songwriter, principally in the field of country music. In a career spanning six decades Harlan Howard wrote a large number of popular and enduring songs, recorded by a variety of different artists. Howard was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997.
Howard was born in 1927 in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up on a farm. As a child he listened to the Grand Ole Opry radio show. In later years Howard recalled the personal formative influence of country music:
I was captured by the songs as much as the singer. They grabbed my heart. The reality of country music moved me. Even when I was a kid, I liked the sad songs… songs that talked about true life. I recognised this music as a simple plea. It beckoned me. [1]
"Heartaches by the Number" is a popular and country song written by Harlan Howard and published in 1959.
The biggest hit version was recorded by Guy Mitchell on August 24, 1959. It reached the number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for the weeks of December 14 and December 21 in 1959. The recording was released by Columbia Records as.