Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Music legend who penned A Little Less Conversation for Elvis dies aged 78

Mac Davis performs at the Texas Film Awards in Austin, Texas on March 6, 2014. Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP
Mac Davis performs at the Texas Film Awards in Austin, Texas on March 6, 2014. Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP

He was the song-writing legend behind everlasting Elvis Presley hits such as In The Ghetto and A Little Less Conversation.

But Mac Davis, who has died aged 78, was no stranger to the limelight himself.

After penning the wildly popular tunes for The King, Davis scored a number one success with ballad Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me after signing with Columbia Records as a country singer in the 1970s.

It spent three weeks at the top of the US charts. The optimistic Stop and Smell the Roses was another US top 10 hit in 1974, and he also found success with One Hell of a Woman and Rock’n’Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life).

Davis suffered complications following heart surgery and his manager Jim Morey said he died surrounded by his wife and three sons.

Mr Morey said: “He was a music legend but his most important work was that as a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend.”

Mac Davis in The Sting 2. Photo by Universal/Kobal/Shutterstock</p> <p>

Davis began working as a songwriter signed to Nancy Sinatra’s Boots Enterprises.

Despite now being synonymous with Presley, A Little Less Conversation was penned with Aretha Franklin in mind and also pitched to Sammy Davis Jr.

Though it was only a minor hit in 1968, reaching number 69 in the US, it became a global smash in 2002 when remixed by Junkie XL, reaching number one in the UK and numerous other countries.

His other best-known composition for the hip-swivelling singing sensation achieved more immediate success, with In The Ghetto charting at number three in the US and number two in the UK in 1969.

Other Elvis successes included Memories and Don’t Cry Daddy, the latter another US Top 10 hit.

Mac Davis in 1983<br />Photo ® Berliner Studio / BEImages

During that same time, Davis also wrote songs for the likes of Kenny Rogers and Perry Como.

He largely stopped releasing his own music in the mid-80s, but continued as a songwriter, working with artists including Avicii and Weezer.

He also wrote the hook for Bruno Mars’ song Young Girls on an impromptu visit to Mars’s studio.

Davis also had a minor acting career, taking leads in 1981 comedy film Cheaper to Keep Her and the 1983 sequel to The Sting.

He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000 and awarded a star symbol on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 7080 Hollywood Boulevard, for his contribution to the recording industry.

The music industry veteran married Lise Gerard in 1982, following two previous marriages.