Category: Songwriter Quotes

Justin Moore likes his country music ‘traditional’

“We’ve bent, but we haven’t broken”

By Preshias Harris

Justin Moore

Justin Moore recently celebrated his latest No. 1 hit, “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home” with the song’s co-writers.  He also talked about his current single, “Why We Drink.”

(See my interview with Justin at the No. 1 party, previously posted here.)

Every type of music is constantly changing – pop, R&B, jazz, even classical – and that is true about country music, too. Just compare Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart’” (1952) with Luke Bryan’s “Knockin’ Boots” (2019)!  Over the years there have been sub-genres such as countrypolitan, the Bakersfield sound, outlaw country, honky tonk, bro-country and more.

‘Classic’ 90s Country

Today, the country music of the 1990s is what many fans consider ‘classic’ country. Justin Moore was born in 1984, so the music he listened to in his teens and early twenties was, of course, 90s country. That was the music influenced his own music when he moved to Nashville in 2002. With help from producer and songwriter Jeremy Stover, Justin met Scott Borchetta of Big Machine Label Group. Borchetta signed Justin to Valory Music, a new label that was part of BMLG.

Continue reading “Justin Moore likes his country music ‘traditional’”

Four singer-songwriters talk about their journey to Nashville

Years of hard work builds on talent

By Preshias Harris

Nashville attracts songwriters like bees to a sunflower.  For many, it takes a giant leap of faith to leave home, family and friends – and often a good job – to move to Nashville with the hope of becoming a songwriter.

“I was here about eleven or twelve years before I had a song that was doing well at radio.” – Ashley Gorley

Recently, Chris Lane took a day off from touring to celebrate his second No. 1 song, “I Don’t Know About You” (on Big Loud Records) and talk about his new single, “Big, Big Plans,” that he wrote with Jacob Durrett and Ernest K. Smith.

During the roundtable media meeting before the presentation of the awards for “I Don’t Know About You,” Chris and that song’s writers – Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Hunter Phelps and Jameson Rodgers – opened up about coming to Nashville and how their songwriting careers developed.

“I wrote 12 terrible songs!”

Chris Lane

“For me, I never knew that I wanted to do anything with music,” Chris admitted.  “I was always involved with sports growing up. I felt that was what I was great at.” An outstanding athlete, he played baseball at the University of North Carolina and had plans to pursue a career as a professional baseball player.  However, sports-related injuries made that dream impossible and he turned to music.              

 “When I graduated college, I was learning how to play the guitar and trying to figure out how to sing and play at the same time,” he continued.  “I started a cover band and I guess I became extremely passionate over the touring side of things and being an artist.  I don’t think at that time I was thinking, ‘Oh man, I’m gonna be a country artist one day that will have a song on the radio,’ or any of that kind of stuff. Songwriting was kind of an afterthought. I would go out and play all my favorite artists’ [songs], Kenny Chesney Keith Urban, Aldean, Eric Church.  I mean I would just cover their songs every night and play for four hours.”

“To be able to sing a song… that connects with the crowd, that’s super special.” – Chris Lane

Continue reading “Four singer-songwriters talk about their journey to Nashville”

“No idea how songwriting works”

“I used to think I knew what I was doing 40 years ago, but now I have no idea how songwriting works.” – John Prine

So, take heart, aspiring songwriters!  John Prine – one of America’s most respected singer/songwriters has confessed his lack of understanding.  Now you have permission to ‘fess up. You can honestly (sort of) say that you know as much about songwriting as John Prine does.

John Prine. Photo credit: Danny Lynch

That quote was taken from an interview in the May 2018 edition of  American Songwriter.  And so was this one:

“I was waiting and waiting until the song knocked on my door, but I had to put some sort of effort into it, finally.  You’ve got to get in there at some point and pull the tooth out.” – John Prine

Songwriting, like any other endeavor, takes a combination of dedication, focus and perseverance.  Sitting around waiting for inspiration to strike you isn’t going to cut it.

Keep your hook book handy

Sure, sometimes an idea does suddenly pop up, seemingly from out of nowhere.  That’s why you have a hook book, to keep all the words and phrases that come to you when you least expect them.  Maybe it’s something you saw on the TV news or a snatch of overheard conversation at Starbucks.

But it’s in the writers’ room when you and your co-writers take those vague ideas, words and phrases and work at turning them into songs. It’s one percent inspiration and ninety-one percent perspiration. Get in there and pull the tooth out.

John Prine’s ‘Tree of Forgiveness’

As for the amazing Mr. Prine, earlier this year he released his first album of new songs in thirteen years. Titled ‘Tree of Forgiveness,’ it was produced by Dave Cobb and released on Prine’s own label, Oh Boy Records.

Read more about John Prine, his music and his upcoming tour dates (most of which sell out fast) at his website.

 Preshias Harris  is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at   www.collegeofsongology.com  Follow her blog at  www.nashvillemusicline.com

 

Tin Pan South: stories behind the songs

Tuesday, April 2nd at Douglas Corner

Veteran songwriters Jeff Prince, Rafe Van Hoy, Dave Gibson and Earl Bud Lee were playing and sharing memories of the way the wheels turned on Music Row.

(L to R) Rafe Van Hoy, Jeff Prince, Earl Bud Lee, Dave Gibson. Photo Credit: Catrina Engelby

Jeff Prince – “Me and Jimmy Melton wrote ‘Django and Jimmie’ as a tribute to Willie Nelson’s music hero, Django. (Jean “Django” Reinhardt was a Belgian-born Romani French jazz guitarist and composer, regarded as one of the greatest musicians of the twentieth century.) Jimmie Rogers is known as the Father of Country and is Merle Haggard’s hero. So it was a perfect fit for them as a duo. When we wrote the silly song, we had no idea they [Willie and Merle] would be recording a duet album [titled ‘Django and Jimmie’].  Somebody heard the song and got it to their producer Buddy Cannon. It was the crappy work tape. When we heard the song, it was amazing.”

Rafe Van Hoy – “Bobby Braddock called me in to write, because Curley Putman didn’t show up. I was 20 and just wanted to write. So, Bobby and I wrote it in the morning, cut a demo in the afternoon, and George and Tammy recorded it the next week. The song was ‘Golden Wedding Ring.’”

Some of my favorite songs from the hands of Rafe are ‘Lady Lay Down,’ a song co-written with Don Cook, and recorded by John Conlee, oh yes, and ‘What’s Forever For,’ a solo write by Rafe and first recorded by England Dan and John Foley. – PH

Dave Gibson – “Greg Crow, Bill Gentry and I wrote ‘Corner of Lonely And Gone.’ It just was a great write. It went and made its way to the record and as a single.” Of course they knew they had a hit as it made it’s way up to the top of the charts in 1999. NOTE: It is one of my FAVORITE Montgomery Gentry songs! – PH

Earl Bud Lee- “Roger Cook, Eddie Kilgallon and I wrote it on Monday, demoed on a Tuesday, and it got cut the next week and ended up as the title track to George Strait’s ‘One Night At A Time.’ NOTE: This was in 1996, I thought Earl Bud couldn’t upstage his hit “Friends In Low Places” that Garth did in 1990. Then he comes along with one of my Blake Shelton’s favorite song “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking” co-written, by John Wiggins. – PH

Songwriters: ‘hard work’ is the key

Hall of Famer Gary Burr’s advice to rising songwriters

 “You have to go to work every day. You just have to go to work.  I went to the office every morning, I went to the office every afternoon.  If I had something good, it wasn’t going to be good enough ‘til I went over it with a fine-tooth comb several times.  You just work hard.  The ones [songwriters] who are making it today are just working really, really hard.”

Gary Burr. Photo: Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame

Those words came from Gary Burr, a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame during an interview on the Public Television show, The Songwriters, produced the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in conjunction with Middle Tennessee State University. MTSU professor Robert Gordon Jr. directs the episodes, which are filmed by students from the school’s College of Media and Entertainment. Ken Paulson, Dean of MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, hosts the new show and interviewed Burr during a recently televised episode.

Songs for Garth, Ringo, Skynyrd and more

Gary Burr backstage with Ringo Starr. Photo: Mark Mirando

Burr has been honored with Songwriter of the Year Awards from Billboard Magazine and ASCAP in addition to the Hall of Fame recognition. In a 40+ year career, he has written or co-written literally hundreds of songs that have been cut by major artists including Garth Brooks, Collin Raye, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, Tim McGraw, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ringo Starr and more. Many of those cuts are also Number One hits. Take a look at the Discography at his website.

In his interview with Paulson, he emphasized that there’s no ‘trick’ to songwriting. As with any other creative enterprise, it takes a commitment to working at it every day, just like a ‘regular’ job because it is your job.  You can’t wait for inspiration, said Burr. You simply sit down, either alone or with your co-writer and start work.  That’s where hits are born.

‘The Songwriters’ currently airs in Nashville on WNPT Channel 8 on Saturday evenings. Check local TV schedules for air dates and times in other areas.