Huddleston was born in Leland, Mississippi, and would later sing and write songs for Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band during World War II.
There, he co-wrote with Al Rinker an estimated 800 songs, some of which were recorded by Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Sarah Vaughan.
For Robin Hood (1973), he and George Bruns were nominated for an Academy Award for the song "Love," sung by his wife, Nancy Adams.
[3] In 1978, he not only produced and composed songs, but wrote the script for the TV special Lucy Comes to Nashville, starring Lucille Ball.
[1] On December 30, 1965, Huddleston married Nancy Adams, a commercial jingle singer, at the First Baptist Church chapel in Memphis, Tennessee.