Three-time Grammy nominee Tayla Parx talks about her artist career and her role as a behind-the-scenes songwriter who has crafted huge hits for Ariana Grande, Panic! At the Disco, Dan + Shay, and many others. 

PART ONE:
Is Dave Grohl this generation's Phil Collins? 

PART TWO:
Our in-depth interview with Tayla Parx

ABOUT TAYLA PARX:
Three-time Grammy nominee Tayla Parx is both a highly regarded artist and a successful behind-the-scenes songwriter. In 2019 she won Billboard’s “Hitmaker” award, recognizing her as the first female songwriter since 2014 to have three simultaneous Top 10 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Her hits for other artists include Panic! At the Disco’s “High Hopes,” “Love Lies” by Khalid and Normani, Dan + Shay’s country chart topper “Glad You Exist,” and the Ariana Grande hits “thank u next,” “7 rings,” and “34+35.” She has contributed to songs by Danity Kane, Fifth Harmony, Jennifer Lopez, Keyshia Cole, Mariah Carey, Jason Derulo, Chris Brown, Pentatonix, JoJo, Alicia Keys, Meghan Trainor, Demi Lovato, Fergie, Big Boi, Christinia Aguilera, Janelle Monae, Anderson .Paak, Kesha, Megan Thee Stallion, John Legend, Dua Lipa, and many others. Her songs have amassed over 15 billion streams on Spotify and have appeared on Billboard’s pop, hip hop, R&B, Latin, and country charts, where she became the fourth Black woman in history to write a #1 country song.

Born in Dallas, Parx’s family relocated to Los Angeles where she studied at Debbie Allen’s Dance Academy. Impressed with her talent, Allen encouraged Tayla to pursue acting. Her breakthrough role came with her portrayal of Little Inez Stubbs in the 2007 remake of Hairspray, and she went on to appear on several Nickelodeon shows before signing her first songwriting deal at the age of 19. As a solo artist Tayla has released three full-length albums, an EP, and a mixtape. Her most recent album is called Many Moons, Many Suns. 

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Two-time Grammy nominated duo The Secret Sisters (Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle) join us to chat about their development as songwriters and reaching new creative heights with their latest album. 

PART ONE:
Scott and Paul chat about Scott's recent trip to see Norah Jones and Lake Street Dive perform at Red Rocks and discuss the ways concerts have changed in recent years. Plus, they take an opportunity to gripe about the changes coming to Southwest Airlines. What does that have to do with anything? Nothing, but I guess they're the ones with the microphones! 

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle of The Secret Sisters

ABOUT THE SECRET SISTERS:
Two-time Grammy nominees Laura Rogers and Lydia Rogers Slagle, known as The Secret Sisters, are Alabama-born siblings who released their self-titled debut album on Universal Republic Records in 2010. Produced by Dave Cobb, the album featured primarily traditional songs and country music covers alongside two originals. The follow-up, Put Your Needle Down, was produced by T-Bone Burnett and found the sisters contributing more original material, including collaborations with Brandi Carlile and Dan Wilson. Both albums reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s folk chart. Their next two releases—You Don’t Own Me Anymore and Saturn Return—were co-produced by Brandi Carlile, and each earned a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album. Their fifth, and most recent, studio album is called Mind, Man, Medicine and finds the sisters co-producing for the first time, alongside Ben Tanner and John Paul White, who is best known as half of the duo The Civil Wars. The album was recorded in their hometown of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, primarily at the legendary FAME Studios. 

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Ninety-eight-year-old Songwriters Hall of Famer Alan Bergman chats with us about a wide-ranging career that started with Johnny Mercer and continues to today. 

PART ONE
Paul and Scott talk about the Abba Voyage virtual concert and scare themselves with the possibilities of digital technology. 

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with Alan Bergman

ABOUT ALAN BERGMAN
Alan Bergman and his late wife Marilyn joined forces professionally in the 1950s to create one of the most successful songwriting teams of all time. Though both musicians, the pair are best known as lyricists, and they found particular success writing for the silver screen. The Bergmans earned eleven Grammy nominations, including four nominations for Song of Year. They won the Song of the Year honor for “The Way We Were” from the Barbra Streisand film of the same name. They received fifteen Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song, winning twice for “The Windmills of Your Mind” and “The Way We Were,” and earning a record-setting three nominations in a single year in 1982. The following year they won their third Oscar, for Best Original Song Score, for the Yentl soundtrack, which included Best Original Song nominees “Papa, Can You Hear Me” and “The Way He Makes Me Feel.” Other highlights from the Bergman catalog include “Nice ‘n Easy” performed by Frank Sinatra, “The Summer Knows,” recorded by Sarah Vaughn, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” which they wrote with Neil Diamond, “Someone in the Dark,” which Michael Jackson recorded for the E.T. soundtrack, and “I Knew I Loved You,” which was recorded by Celine Dion. Additionally, the four-time Emmy award winners were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and were recipients of the National Music Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award. The Bergmans held a number of executive positions in various organizations, including serving on the executive committee of the Music Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and as board members of the National Academy of Songwriters. From 1994-2009 Marilyn served as the president of ASCAP. Their songs have been recorded by Fred Astaire, Johnny Mathis, Sergio Mendes, Ray Charles, Bing Crosby, Stan Getz, Dusty Springfield, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, Glen Campbell, Sting, Natalie Cole, Tony Bennett, Norah Jones, and countless others. We’re thrilled to share this conversation with the now 98-year-old Alan Bergman, recorded at his home back in August. 

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PART ONE
Scott and Paul dive deep on Rolling Stone's controversial revision of its "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list and discuss how valuation of music changes with the progression of each decade.

PART TWO
Our in-depth career spanning conversation with Will Hoge

ABOUT WILL HOGE
As a songwriter Will Hoge is perhaps best known for “Even if it Breaks Your Heart,” a #1 country hit for Eli Young Band that earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song as well as both CMA and ACM nominations for Song of the Year. Originally recorded on Hoge’s own album The Wreckage, it is one of many acclaimed compositions from the pen of the outspoken singer-songwriter who celebrates both his southern heritage and progressive social views. In addition to performing “You Make Me Happy,” the theme song to the CBS sitcom Still Standing, Hoge has released more than a dozen albums. Though his music ranges from rock to folk to Americana, his single “Strong” earned mainstream country radio airplay and was featured in a national Chevy truck commercial. He has collaborated with writers such as Brett Beavers, Tommy Lee James, Hillary Lindsay, Gordie Sampson, Chris Stapleton, Hayes Carrl, Brendan Benson, and Wade Bowen. Other artists who’ve recorded his songs include the group Trigger Hippy and Lady A, formerly known as Lady Antebellum.  

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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PART ONE: Scott and Paul chat about watching Cobra Kai, 80s nostalgia, and why bands are re-recording their classic hits for movies. They discuss why Brandy is the first guest to appear on Songcraft twice, and return to 80s movie sequel nostalgia yet again whereupon Paul floats his theory that Rocky III and Rocky IV are the Rubber Soul and Revolver of movies. Somewhere in there's it's decided that Brandy Clark is the Empire Strikes Back of Songcraft. 

PART TWO: Our in-depth conversation with six-time Grammy nominee Brandy Clark

ABOUT BRANDY CLARK

Brandy Clark has made a successful career writing songs for other artists, including The Band Perry’s #1 hit “Better Dig Two,” and Miranda Lambert’s “Mama’s Broken Heart,” which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song and CMA and ACM nominations for Song of the Year. Other highlights from her catalog include Kasey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow,” which won CMA Song of the Year, as well as cuts by artists such as Reba McEntire, George Strait, Jennifer Nettles, Darius Rucker, Keith Urban, LeAnn Rimes, Lindsay Ell, Toby Keith, and Sheryl Crow. 

As a critically-acclaimed singer-songwriter, her debut album, 12 Stories, earned her Grammy nominations in the categories of Best Country Album and Best New Artist, regardless of genre. The single “Hold My Hand” was nominated for Best Country Song. Her second album, the Grammy-nominated Big Day in a Small Town, was named one of the best albums of the year by Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and American Songwriter, while the single “Love Can Go to Hell” earned Brandy yet another nomination for Best Country Solo Performance. Her most recent album, Your Life is a Record, was released earlier this year, with The New Yorker review noting that “no one is writing better country songs than Brandy Clark is.”   

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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PART ONE
Scott and Paul chat about the loss of Justin Townes Earle, talk about how to get a good demo of an original song, and reflect on the unique cultural movement that emerged from Stax Records.

PART TWO
An in-depth conversation with Eddie Floyd

ABOUT EDDIE FLOYD
Eddie Floyd first found success on the Billboard charts as a songwriter for Carla Thomas, Solomon Burke, and Wilson Pickett, who had hits with "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)" and "Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won’t Do)." He went on to top the charts as both writer and artist, recording soul classics “Knock On Wood,” “Raise Your Hand,” “Big Bird,” “I’ve Never Found a Girl,” and “California Girl.” Other artists continued to hit the charts with his songs, including Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, William Bell, Rufus Thomas, Esther Phillips, and Amii Stewart, who reached #1 on the pop charts with her disco version of “Knock On Wood” in 1979. 

From his early life as a doo-wop singer with The Falcons to his successful career with Stax Records, to his stints as the lead singer of both The Blues Brothers Band and Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, Floyd has always considered himself, first and foremost, a songwriter. His catalog has been covered by Mavis Staples, Janis Joplin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Tom Jones, Ike & Tina Turner, Albert King, Seal, James Taylor, Al Green, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, and others. He has been inducted into both the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, and has recently released his autobiography Knock! Knock! Knock! On Wood: My Life in Soul.
 

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ABOUT MAC POWELL

Mac Powell is best known as the lead singer of the contemporary Christian band Third Day, which sold more than 12 million albums in the US, earned two dozen Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, and won four of the eleven Grammy awards for which they were nominated. Powell was a writer on most of Third Day’s singles, nearly 20 of which hit #1 on Billboard’s Christian charts. These include “Nothing At All,” which was also a Top 40 hit on the rock charts; “Alien,” “Sky Falls Down,” “40 Days,” and the gold-certified single “Cry Out to Jesus”—all of which won Dove Awards for rock song of the year; as well as the church standard “Your Love Oh Lord,” “Sing a Song,” “Mountain of God,” “Revelation,” “Born Again,” I Need a Miracle, the gold-certified “Soul on Fire,” and “Call My Name,” which was subsequently covered by Keith Urban. In addition to his work with Third Day, Powell has released four albums, either solo or with his group Mac Powell and the Family Reunion. He is an inductee into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame alongside fellow Songcraft guests including Mac Davis, Bill Anderson, William Bell, and Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls. 

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Singer, songwriter, musician, producer, and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Linda Perry first made her mark as an artist, serving as lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the group 4 Non Blondes, which is best known for the Top 15 pop hit “What’s Up?” Following a couple of solo albums, Linda emerged as a powerhouse songwriter and producer thanks to her work on P!nk’s multiplatinum Misundaztood album. The debut single, “Get The Party Started,” which Linda wrote solo, was a global smash. She followed it up with another solo-written composition, “Beautiful,” which became a chart-topping ballad for Christina Aguilera that earned a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year. 

Subsequent chart success came with Gwen Stefani’s debut solo single “What You Waiting For,” Alicia Keys’s “Superwoman,” Ariana Grande’s debut single “Put Your Hearts Up,” Miley Cyrus’s “Hands of Love,” and additional singles for Aguilera, including the Top 10 hits “Hurt” and “Keeps Gettin’ Better.” Recently, Linda collaborated with Dolly Parton on the soundtrack of the film Dumplin’, including the song “Girl in the Movies,” which was nominated for both a Golden Globe and a Grammy award. 

Linda is a four-time Grammy nominee, including a 2019 nomination for Producer of the Year, making her the only solo female producer to ever earn a nomination for their work producing other artists. The long list of artists Linda has produced, collaborated with, or had her songs covered by include Adele, Courtney Love, Cheap Trick, Faith Hill, Britney Spears, KT Tunstall, Weezer, Pat Benetar, Solange, L.P., Joan Jett, The Chicks, Vanessa Carlton, Celine Dion, Elvis Costello, and Lady Gaga. In addition to her prolific songwriting and production activities, Perry is a multi-faceted music industry entrepreneur, having worked as a music publisher, manager, or mentor with artists such as James Blunt, Dorothy, and Natasha Bedingfield. 

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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PART 1
Co-hosts Scott B. Bomar and Paul Duncan chat about how they’re continuing to adapt their Songcraft recording sessions for the world of COVID-19 before getting into a discussion about whether they’d take a time machine to Abbey Road Studios in London, Stax Studios in Memphis, Motown in Detroit, or FAME in Muscle Shoals

PART 2 - 12:35 mark
The in-depth interview with David Porter: Named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time,” Porter is best known for his songwriting partnership with Isaac Hayes that helped define the sound of Memphis’s legendary Stax Records. As the first African American staff songwriter at Stax, Porter, along with his partner, wrote and produced songs such as “B-A-B-Y” for Carla Thomas, “Your Good Thing (Is About to End)”—an R&B hit for Mable John that later became a pop and R&B smash for Lou Rawls, and his own recording of “Can’t See You When I Want To.” Hayes and Porter are best known, however, for their work with Sam & Dave, including such classic hits as “You Don’t Know Like I Know,” “You Got Me Hummin’,” “Hold On! I’m Comin’” (which later became a country hit for Waylon Jennings and Jerry Reed), “Soul Man” (which became a hit a second time thanks to the Blues Brothers), “I Thank You” (which was later covered by ZZ Top), and “When Something is Wrong with My Baby” (which was reimagined as a memorable duet between Otis Redding and Carla Thomas, a country hit for Sonny James, and an adult contemporary hit for Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville). The list of artists who’ve covered Porter’s songs includes Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, William Bell, Melissa Ethridge, Bonnie Raitt, Garth Brooks, Etta James, Celine Dion, Wilson Pickett, George Benson, Dusty Springfield, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Staple Singers, Solomon Burke, James Brown, Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Tina Turner, Jackie Wilson, and more. His songs have been used as samples in countless recordings by artists such as Jay-Z, Eminem, Wu-Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G., Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, and others. A highly celebrated giant among celebrated songwriters, Porter was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. 
 

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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The Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Famer discusses getting clean and sober with the help of Stevie Ray Vaughan; why he hated his first album; the Flannery O'Connor quote that guides his songwriting life; his collaborations with Eric Church; and the little trick he played on Ringo Starr.

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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In this mini-episode / announcement, Scott and Paul talk about what's changing at Songcraft...and what's staying the same.

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Songcraft chats with Brett James, a two-time ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year who has earned 25 #1 hits with songs such as “Who I Am” by Jessica Andrews, “Bottoms Up” by Brantley Gilbert, “I Hold On” by Dierks Bentley, and Carrie Underwood's “Jesus Take the Wheel,” which was nominated for ACM and CMA Song of the Year awards and won a Grammy for Best Country Song. In addition to his remarkable career as a behind-the-scenes Nashville songwriter, Brett has a recently-released artist EP called I Am Now.

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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Grammy winner and two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee (as a member of both The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash) chats about his remarkable career, including producing the debut album for then-girlfriend Joni Mitchell, the song he wrote as a message to George Harrison, his magical connection with Jerry Garcia, the song Jackson Browne forced him to finish, the writing partner with whom he has the best chemistry, and why he's blown away by Marc Cohn, Shawn Colvin, Sarah Jarosz, and Jason Isbell.

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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SUMMARY:
Norah Jones joins us to chat about her new album Visions and the evolution of her songwriting since she took the world by storm in 2002. Afterward, stick around for a very special conversation with Tish Melton. The 18-year-old songwriter discusses her new Brandi-Carlile produced EP and more. 

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott reflect on Norah Jones's unique place in the musical world, the central role of patience in the delivery of a great song, the Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs Grammy performance, Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, and the beauty of cross-generational musical collaboration.

PART TWO:
Our career-spanning in-depth interview with Norah Jones.

PART THREE:
Spotlight profile on Tish Melton, a talented young singer-songwriter who recorded her Brandi Carlile-produced EP at the age of 17. The high school senior has just released it to the world and gives us a little insight into early steps on what we know will be a long musical journey.

ABOUT NORAH JONES
Norah Jones catapulted onto the music scene at the age of 22 with the release of her now classic debut album, Come Away with Me. She took home five Grammy awards in 2003 alone, including Best New Artist, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year, while Come Away with Me went on to be certified twelve times platinum. The follow up album, Feels Like Home, became another international chart topper, establishing Norah as a consistent genre-bending musical force. In total, she has released nine solo studio albums for the legendary Blue Note Records; multiple projects with side bands such as The Little Willies, El Madmo, and Puss n Boots; collaborative albums with Danger Mouse, Willie Nelson, and Billie Joe Armstrong; and duets or guest appearances with a diverse list of artists that includes Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, OutKast, Ryan Adams, Foo Fighters, Talib Kweli, Jerry Lee Lewis, Herbie Hancock, Tony Bennett, Keith Richards, Mavis Staples, Emmylou Harris, Logic, and Wilco. Over the course of her career Norah has been nominated for 19 Grammy awards, winning nine of them, and has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. Her latest album, Visions, was produced by Leon Michels, and was just released on March 8th.      

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The guys pay tribute to Little Richard before welcoming Minnesota native Caitlyn Smith, who found her way to Nashville as a songwriter before signing with Monument Records and earning a nod as one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s “10 New Artists You Need to Know.” Her second album, Supernova, was recently released to critical acclaim. Caitlyn’s list of hit songs that have been recorded by other artists includes “Wasting All These Tears,” a Top 5 single for Cassadee Pope, “You Can’t Make Old Friends” by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, and “Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” a multi-platinum hit for Meghan Trainor featuring John Legend. Smith, along with co-writers Kate York and Mary Steenburgen, won a Critics’ Choice Award for the song “Glasgow (No Place Like Home)” from the film Wild Rose. Other artists who’ve recorded Caitlyn’s songs include Lori McKenna, Lucy Hale, Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Rascal Flatts, Laura Bell Bundy, Chris Isaak, Lindsay Ell, Lady Antebellum, and Trisha Yearwood. 

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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The exceedingly generous and gentlemanly Peter Frampton talks about David Bowie giving him his very first job; Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones getting him into a recording studio for the first time; stumbling into session work thanks to George Harrison; writing two massive hits in the same day; how the loneliness of stratospheric success impacted his songwriting; and the inside stories of classics such as "Baby, I Love Your Way," "Show Me the Way," "Do You Feel Like We Do," "I'm in You," and many more.   

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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In this very special bonus episode, Scott and Paul pay tribute to ten of the songwriters and composers whose lives were claimed by the COVID-19 virus from mid-March to mid-April, 2020, including: Manu Dibango ("Soul Makossa"), Joe Diffie ("New Way to Light Up an Old Flame," "My Give a Damn's Busted"), Alan Merrill ("I Love Rock 'n' Roll"), Ellis Marsalis ("Dear Dolores"), Adam Schlesinger ("That Thing You Do," "Stacy's Mom"), and John Prine ("Angel From Montgomery," "Love is on a Roll"). Plus, they take a moment to remember Bill Withers, a previous Songcraft guest, who died from heart complications on March 30th.

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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Scott and Paul catch up with Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jessi Alexander, who has a fantastic new album called Decatur County Red. The two-time Best Country Song Grammy nominee has also achieved success as a writer for other artists, including the multi-platinum single "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus, CMA and ACM Song of the Year "I Drive Your Truck,' and the Blake Shelton hits "Drink On It," "Mine Would Be You," and "Turnin' Me On." In this refreshingly honest interview, Jessi talks about everything from professional disappointment to how she keeps new ideas flowing.     

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons has two Grammy nominations, sixteen Top 10 singles, over 50 million albums sold, and a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Scott and Paul catch up with him to discuss his legendary classic rock catalog, including "La Grange," "Tush," "Cheap Sunglasses," "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man," "Legs," and many more.

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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An in-depth conversation with the two-time Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer who was a co-founder of both The Moody Blues and Paul McCartney & Wings. 

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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Three-time Grammy winner and ten-time nominee Shawn Colvin joins Scott and Paul to chat about her remarkable three-decade career as a pioneering folk-pop singer-songwriter. 

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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The Grammy Song of the Year nominee and ASCAP Song of the Year winner joins us to chat about her wide-ranging career and multi-genre songwriting success. About Wendy Waldman From recording artist to musician to backing vocalist to record producer to multi-platinum songwriter for other performers, Wendy Waldman has a diverse music industry resume. Though her father was a film and television composer who wrote the Perry Mason theme and worked on classics such as The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, Wendy was drawn to the blues and folk music at a young age. Her first serious group was Bryndle, featuring Karla Bonoff, Kenny Edwards, and Andrew Gold. Though they split up before their first album was released, all four would be instrumental in Linda Ronstadt’s success and would re-form in later years to record three albums that are now regarded as modern-day classics. Wendy’s solo career began when she signed with Warner Bros. Records and released her first album, which Rolling Stone magazine called the “singer-songwriter debut of the year.” A series of critically-acclaimed releases followed before Wendy relocated from Los Angeles to Nashville, where she found commercial success with Crystal Gayle’s #1 single “Baby, What About You,” The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s chart-toppers “Fishin’ in the Dark” and “Home Again in My Heart,” as well as Top 10 singles for Lorrie Morgan, The Forester Sisters, and Nicolette Larson with Steve Wariner. Always difficult to pigeonhole, Waldman’s achievements on the country charts were rivaled by her success in the pop world, where she scored with Don Johnson’s Top 5 single “Heartbeat” and Vanessa Williams’s “Save the Best for Last.” which reached #1 on the pop, R&B, and adult contemporary charts, earned Wendy a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year, and was named ASCAP Song of the Year.   Wendy’s songs have additionally been covered by Patti Austin, Kenny Rogers, Reba McEntire, Cher, Alison Krauss, Randy Travis, Percy Sledge, Kathy Mattea, Aaron Neville, Rita Coolidge, CeCe Winans, Bette Midler, Johnny Mathis, Judy Collins, Restless Heart, Barbara Mandrell, Tanya Tucker, Patty Loveless, and many others. 

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The Golden Globe winner joins us to chat about his bands Ima Robot (known for the Suits theme song "Greenback Boogie") and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (which Rolling Stone recognized for releasing one of the Top 10 Best Albums of the Year). Plus, Alex reflects on adding film composer to his resume, and the process of creating his eclectic new solo album, I vs. I. 

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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The Best Country Song Grammy nominee and BMI Country Songwriter of the Year joins us to talk about his career as a consistent Nashville hitmaker in four consecutive decades. EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE  Scott and Paul pay tribute to Songcraft guest David Olney, who recently passed away on stage at a songwriter festival. PART TWO - 5:50 mark The guys discuss how this episode was brought to you by Pearl Snap Studios in a much more literal way than ever before. PART THREE - 8:05 mark Paul and Scott call up Ed Hill to hear about how be began his musical life as an American kid with a Japanese guitar hooked on the British Invasion and playing in a Mexican band; why landing a steady gig at a famous Bakersfield nightclub made him fall in love with country music; the way he landed his first cut, which became a Top 5 hit; how he keeps his antenna up for new song ideas; what he calls the "yellow legal pad days" of songwriting; the artist who cried when the Ed Hill song he recorded hit #1 on the charts; why a record label stopped promoting one of his singles; how he's never met Martina McBride, Faith Hill, and many others who made his songs famous; and the reason he says stubbornness has given him songwriting longevity. ABOUT ED HILL Starting his career as a musician, Ed Hill earned two ACM award nominations for Piano Player of the Year and received a Grammy award as a member of Mickey Gilley’s Urban Cowboy Band. He went on to become one of Nashville’s top tier songwriters, scoring 400 cuts and more than 40 singles. His very first cut, “’Til Love Comes Again” became a Top 5 hit for Reba McEntire, who later hit #1 with his song “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.” Other Top 5 singles from Hill’s catalog include “Runnin’ Behind” and  ACM Vocal Event of the Year “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” for Tracy Lawrence, “Be My Baby Tonight” for John Michael Montgomery, “It Matters to Me” for Faith Hill, “Whatever You Say” for Martina McBride, “Songs About Me” for Trace Adkins, “How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls” for George Strait, “Drinking Class” by Lee Brice, and “Most People Are Good,” a single for Luke Bryan that was named Song of the Year by the Music Row Awards in 2018. Additional Ed Hill catalog highlights include the Trisha Yearwood classic “Georgia Rain” and Trace Adkins’ “Just Fishin’,” which earned Ed a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song. Five of Ed’s titles have earned the “Songs I Wish I Had Written” recognition from the Nashville Songwriters Association, International. In 2006, Ed was named BMI Country Songwriter of the Year. He recently released a memoir called It Matters to Me: One of Country Music’s Most Beloved Songwriters.    

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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Blackberry Smoke frontman and primary songwriter Charlie Starr goes deep on his music's Southern roots and wide-ranging appeal.

PART ONE
Paul and Scott talk Pearl Jam's new single, how travel defines fanhood, and why Blackberry Smoke are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to playing live. 

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with Charlie Starr

ABOUT CHARLIE STARR
Charlie Starr is a guitarist, vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the Atlanta-based Blackberry Smoke. Building a dedicated fanbase over the past two decades, Blackberry Smoke has perfected a gritty Southern brand of rootsy rock & roll that crosses genres. Their commercial breakthrough came with the 2012 album The Whippoorwill, which landed on Billboard’s mainstream, country, Americana, and indie charts. Their follow up album, Holding All the Roses, produced by Brendan O’Brien, became the first independently released album in modern history to hit #1 on the Billboard Country Album chart. Both Holding All the Roses and the follow up, Like an Arrow, hit #1 on the UK Rock chart in addition to topping the US country chart. Their 2021 album, You Hear Georgia, topped the Billboard Americana/Folk chart, giving the band dominance in yet another musical category. Blackberry Smoke’s most recent release, recorded with the help of Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb, is called Be Right Here. 

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Grammy nominee and neo-soul singer songwriter Allen Stone, described by USA Today as "a pitch perfect powerhouse" joins us for a deep dive into his creative process. EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE  Scott and Paul catch up after the holidays and chat about the appeal of Allen Stone (and Christie Brinkley). PART TWO - 6:15 mark Paul and Scott call up Allen Stone to get the details on how a Cake album was his gateway to music outside the church; why the chemicals coursing through his veins led him to write songs of his own; why he says "everything is imitation" in songwriting; the reason he might be an X-Ray technician if he had it all to do again; why he was "super ashamed" of his debut LP; what he does to force himself to write songs; what happened when Macklemore and Ryan Lewis invited him to collaborate; why he tried not to fall in love with his now-wife; and the reason he says most pop music today has been dumbed down. ABOUT ALLEN STONE Washington state native and Seattle-based singer-songwriter Allen Stone is only in his early 30s, but is already an old soul. Heavily influenced by classic R&B of the 1960s and 70s, Stone and his band built a grassroots following with their high-energy live shows up and down the West Coast. Featuring a handful of co-writes with Andy Grammer, Stone’s self-titled and self-released debut album landed in the Top 40 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart without the help of a major distributor. The album was re-released by ATO Records and Stone continued to build a national following with appearances on Conan, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. His follow-up album, Radius, found the soulful songwriter moving over to Capitol Records. He later returned to ATO for a deluxe re-release of Radius, as well as his most recent album, Building Balance. Featuring the lead single, “Brown Eyed Lover,” it’s clear why USA Today has called Allen Stone “a pitch-perfect powerhouse.” Including collaborations with British neo-soul mainstay Jamie Lidell, the album features Stone’s most intimate lyrics to date. “I don’t have time,” he said, “to write about anything that isn’t deeply personal.” With a recent high-profile gig at the opening ceremony of the Special Olympic in Seattle, viral videos with millions of views, and collaborations with other artists such as Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, the self-described “hippie with soul” continues to make waves with his rootsy sound and socially-conscious lyrics.  

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On this very special holiday episode of Songcraft, we speak with Chris Butler, who wrote the new-wave holiday classic "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses, as well as three other writers of well-known songs of the season: Randy Brooks, who penned the always-polarizing “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” Chris Eaton, who wrote Amy Grant’s classic “Breath of Heaven,” and Songwriters Hall of Famer Paul Williams, who is best known for “Rainbow Connection,” but who also wrote all the songs for The Muppet Christmas Carol. Enjoy the conversations, then hear our ultimate holiday playlist, featuring 150 titles and 150 artists with no repeated songs, and no repeated performers.  EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE Scott and Paul discuss New Year's resolutions and how their friends at Pearl Snap Studios can help with yours; explore the difference between "sad Christmas" versus "happy Christmas;" and get into a conversation about the specific holiday songs they do and don't like.  PART TWO  Scott and Paul chat with four songwriters about their perennial Christmas hits. Our guests on this very special holiday episode are... Chris Butler – “Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses (1981) 12:00 mark Chris Butler has led an interesting life. He was a protester at Kent State when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on him and his fellow students in 1970; he earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest recorded pop song in history (the 69-minute “The Devil Glitch”); and he currently lives in Jeffrey Dahmer’s childhood home in Akron, Ohio. As Chris explains, it’s a beautiful house that nobody wanted, so he got a great deal. He is best known, however, for conceptualizing and leading the 1980s new wave group The Waitresses, which found success with “I Know What Boys Like” and their perennial holiday classic, “Christmas Wrapping.” Chris went on to produce Freedy Johnston, Joan Osborne, and others. He continues to record, produce, and release music under the banner of his own Future Fossil Music. But it’s his unlikely holiday hit that remains the songwriting income gift that keeps on giving. Though it’s been recorded by the Spice Girls, Kate Nash, Miranda Cosgrove, Bella Thorne, the Glee cast, and Kylie Minogue with Iggy Pop, the original Waitresses version is still the one you’re most likely to hear each year in the mall. Randy Brooks – “Grandma Got Run Over  by a Reindeer” by Elmo & Patsty (1979) 31:33 mark Whenever Randy Books is asked how to become a hit songwriter, he always answers, “Do You think if I knew, I’d still be a one-hit wonder after 30 years?” That hit was “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” one of the most loved and loathed modern holiday classics that also happens to be a multi-platinum seller that has topped Billboard’s holiday singles chart multiple times. It even earned Randy Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year honors from SESAC, and spawned an animated Christmas special, musical toys, ornaments, greeting cards, apparel, video games, a branded hot chocolate mix, and even a Tesla dashboard app. Though the hit version of “Grandma” was recorded by Elmo & Patsy, the song has been covered by Ray Stevens, Mitch Ryder, The Coasters, and—most recently—by Jimmy Fallon and Dolly Parton. Randy continues to perform with his two bands, and solo at songwriter events all over the country. He is resigned to the fact that, no matter what else he might accomplish in life, he is destined to be remembered for just one thing—kind of like the John Wilkes Boothe of songwriters. Chris Eaton – “Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant (1992) / "Saviour's Day" by Cliff Richard (1990) 44:55 mark UK-based singer, songwriter and musician Chris Eaton first made his mark as a writer when Sir Cliff Richard began recording his material, including the UK holiday hit “Saviour’s Day,” which reached #1 on the pop chart across the pond. In the US, however, Eaton’s Christmas standard is “Breath of Heaven,” which has been recorded by Amy Grant, Donna Summer, Jessica Simpson, Sara Groves, Vince Gill, and Melissa Manchester. Other artists who’ve recorded songs from Chris’s catalog include Janet Jackson, Sheena Easton, Keith Urban, Patti Austin, and Grover Washington, Jr. His greatest success has been in the Contemporary Christian market, where he has earned BMI awards for radio hits such as “Adore” by Jaci Velasquez, “My Heart Goes Out” by Warren Barfield, and the Rachel Lampa singles “Lift Me Up” and “Live For You.” When Amy Grant released “Breath of Heaven” as the single from her multi-platinum-selling Home for Christmas album, it topped the Christian charts and was named CCM Song of the Year by Billboard magazine. Paul Williams – Songs from The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) 1:05:31 mark Singer, actor, author, recovery advocate, and Songwriters Hall of Famer Paul Williams has penned hits such as “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “Rainy Days and Mondays,” and “I Won’t Last a Day Without You” for The Carpenters; “Out in the Country,” “Family of Man” and “An Old Fashioned Love Song” for Three Dog Night; and “You and Me Against the World” for Helen Reddy. His songs have additionally been recorded by Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, David Bowie, Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson, REM, Gladys Knight, Diana Ross, Sarah Vaughn, Curtis Mayfield, Gwen Stefani, Diana Krall, the Dixie Chicks, and others. Williams is perhaps best known for his movie songs and soundtracks. He and co-writer Barbra Streisand won an Oscar, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe for “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star is Born),” and he has earned Academy Award nominations for his musical contributions to Cinderella Liberty, Phantom of the Paradise, Bugsy Malone, and The Muppet Movie, which included his now-standard “Rainbow Connection.” Williams later reunited with Jim Henson, penning the songs for the classic children’s film The Muppet Christmas Carol.

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The Golden Globe and Grammy nominee whose self-titled debut release was named one of the 100 Best Albums of the Eighties by Rolling Stone joins us to chat about his wide-ranging career, from self-penned hits as an artist such as “Someday Someway,” to co-writing the Top 10 hit "Til I Hear it from You" with the Gin Blossoms, to writing the theme for the parody film Walk Hard. PART ONE  Scott and Paul pay tribute to “Day-O” writer and former Songcraft guest Irving Burgie, who recently passed away at the age of 95; reflect on other Songcraft guests who are no longer with us; talk about the importance of Patreon in preserving the important stories of songwriters; and announce two winners of the Marty Stuart book contest.  PART TWO - 6:46 mark The guys dig deep on why nobody knows the name of lead guitar players anymore PART THREE - 14:36 mark Paul and Scott get on the phone with Marshall Crenshaw, who discusses his eclectic range of musical interests that have led him to dig in the Capitol Records vaults for forgotten 1950s country recordings AND to tour as a guest guitarist with MC5; why he got sick of the Beatles for a while; how the simple act of flipping over a cassette tape altered the course of his career; how he wrote one his best known songs in 15 minutes; the only one of his albums he didn't want to make; how he managed not to meet one of the co-writers of his biggest hits until after the song was on the radio; the reason he asked his record label to drop him; whose version of "You're My Favorite Waste of Time" is his favorite; what it's like listening to Phil Spector records on acid; and why he's reissuing his three underrated Razor & Tie albums, even though he's vowed to never release another new album again.  ABOUT MARSHALL CRENSHAW Detroit native Marshall Crenshaw’s debut self-titled album spawned the Top 40 pop hit “Someday Someway” and was named one of the Best Albums of the Eighties by Rolling Stone magazine. Establishing him as a critical darling, Crenshaw went on to release a series of eclectic studio albums that spawned classic songs such as “Whenever You’re on My Mind,” “Better Back Off,” and “You’re My Favorite Waste of Time.” The latter went on to be covered by Bette Middler, Ronnie Spector, the duo of Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs, and Owen Paul, who had a Top 5 hit with it in the UK. Crenshaw carved out a special relationship with Hollywood, appearing with his band in the Francis Ford Coppola film Peggy Sue Got Married, portraying Buddy Holly in the Richie Valens biopic La Bamba, and writing a book called Hollywood Rock: A Guide to Rock ‘n’ Roll in the Movies. Additionally, he penned the title track for the John C. Reilly comedy film Walk Hard, which earned Crenshaw Golden Globe and Grammy nominations. A highly respected writer, Marshall’s songs have been covered by Kelly Willis, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Freedy Johnston, Robert Gordon, Marti Jones, and the Gin Blossoms, with whom he co-wrote the Top 10 single “Til I Hear It From You.” Ronnie Spector recorded an entire five-song EP of material from the Marshall Crenshaw catalog, and his work has earned him induction into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.  

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The Los Angeles-based songwriter, who has written with and for artists such as P!nk, Kesha, Afrojack, Adam Lambert, Katharine McPhee, and Backstreet Boys while establishing his own celebrated artist career, joins us to talk about his life and art. EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE  Scott and Paul chat about Pearl Snap Studios, extending the Marty Stuart book contest for one more episode, and the phenomenon of "feature culture" in pop music. PART TWO -  10:44 mark The guys call up Wrabel and find out why he dropped out of Berkeley to write songs; the reason his first few years in Los Angeles were rough; how his debut international hit was born when an artist didn't show up for their writing session; why he called his manager questioning if his first single was too raw and autobiographical to actually release; the time Lady Antebellum let him down; the song he wrote with Kesha the first day the met; why he cried while recording with P!nk; and which of the Songcraft questions gave him goosebumps.  ABOUT WRABEL Singer-songwriter Wrabel is best known for his hit “11 Blocks” and buzzworthy follow-up singles such as “The Village.” Signed to Island Def Jam Music, his first big break came when Dutch DJ Afrojack released a version of Wrabel’s “Ten Feet Tall” that became an international hit. Wrabel garnered further attention thanks to his EDM collaborations, including “Ritual” by Marshmello and “With You” by Kygo. He collaborated on “90 Days” with P!nk, who later shone a national spotlight on Wrabel when she spoke about his song “The Village” on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the spring of 2019. As a songwriter, Wrabel has written “Here Comes the Change” and “Woman” for Kesha, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by the Backstreet Boys, “Devotion” by Ellie Goulding, “Nirvana” by Adam Lambert, “Everybody Knows” by Idina Menzel, as well as songs for Phillip Phillips, Katharine McPhee, Pentatonix, Lea Michele, Fitz and the Tantrums, Ben Platt, and others. He was a 2018 GLAAD Media Awards nominee and was named to Out magazine’s Out100. In 2019 Billboard named Wrabel their Pride Artist of the Month. Soon after, he was named “one to watch” by People magazine.

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The two-time Grammy nominee Eric Clapton called “one of the great singer-songwriters” joins us to talk about everything from his 1970s classic "On and On" to writing hits like the Oscar-winning “Separate Lives” for Phil Collins, to the unexpected rootsy influences on his new album, We’ll Talk About It Later In The Car.   EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE  Scott and Paul catch up after their respective travels to New York and Italy; the new 10-CD Bakersfield Sound box set Scott produced; the winner of our Lamont Dozier contest; and instructions about our listeners' final chance to enter to win a copy of Marty Stuart's new coffee table book.  PART TWO - 6:49 mark Stephen Bishop comes by Songcraft World Headquarters to talk about the TV theme song that first made him pay attention to music; why his stepdad forbid him from playing guitar in the house; the days he faked a British accent to try to get ahead in the music business; how his friendship with Mama Cass's sister led to his big career break.; the time he fooled Quincy Jones by imitating a trombone with his mouth; how his best-known song was born from a single chord he couldn't stop playing; why he didn't like Barbra Streisand's version of his song; how he ended up getting his guitar smashed in Animal House; the crappy springs on Eric Clapton's guest bed; the line he refused to sing in the theme song from Tootsie; and why he says you're never gonna write a great song until you get your heart broken.    ABOUT STEPHEN BISHOP Academy Award winner and two-time Grammy nominee Stephen Bishop is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter who began his career as a staff writer for a Los Angeles-based music publishing company. After finding success with Art Garfunkel’s recordings of his material, Stephen launched his own artist career with the album Careless, featuring the now-classic hits “Save it for a Rainy Day” and “On and On.” Bishop went on to find success with a number of self-penned hits as an artist, including “Everybody Needs Love,” “Send a Little Love My Way,” “If Love Takes You Away,” “Unfaithfully Yours,” and “Animal House,” the theme song for the National Lampoon's movie of the same name. Bishop also performed the song “It Might Be You” from the film Tootsie, which went to #1 on the Adult Contemporary Charts. Written by the team of Dave Grusin with Alan and Marilyn Bergman, the song won an Academy Award. Stephen went on to win his own Academy Award as a songwriter when he penned “Separate Lives,” which was featured in the film White Nights and became a chart-topping hit duet for Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin. Other artists who’ve covered Stephen’s songs include Eric Clapton, Kenny Loggins, David Crosby, Steve Perry,  The Four Tops, Johnny Mathis, Luciano Pavarotti, Helen Reddy, Diane Schuur, Phoebe Snow, Barbra Streisand, and Beyonce. In his autobiography, Eric Clapton wrote that Stephen was “a close friend during the seventies…whom I regard as one of the great singer-songwriters.”

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Marty Stuart, a five-time Grammy winner, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, collector, preservationist, and fierce defender of country music’s rich traditions joins us to discuss his career, artistic rebirth, and ongoing artistry. EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE  Scott and Paul chat about image, country music hair, Elton John’s new autobiography, and two Songcraft contests that give you the chance to win one of two new books by Marty Stuart and Lamont Dozier. PART TWO - 14:15 mark Scott sits down with Marty Stuart to find out how he left home at age 13 to hit the road; what he learned from Johnny Cash about the craft of songwriting; how he found the song that launched the best-known country music supergroup of all time; the three people he considers THE standard of country songwriting; the album that cost him a record deal, a band, a manager, and a publicist; why he had to leave “butt wiggling” songs behind; what he loved about the Dixie Chicks; how a photo of Louis Armstrong gave him a sense of mission for his band; why his greatest songwriting motivation is a deadline; the reason he used to send Harlan Howard and Ralph Mooney $100 at the start of every year; and the Patsy Cline artifact he found in a junk shop that launched his interest in collecting country music memorabilia.  ABOUT MARTY STUART Five-time Grammy winner Marty Stuart only had two professional jobs before launching his own artist career: playing in Lester Flatt’s bluegrass group, then spending five years in Johnny Cash’s band. As a solo artist, Stuart has scored seventeen Top 40 county singles, including Top 10 hits such as “Hillbilly Rock," "Little Things,” “Tempted,” “Burn Me Down,” and the Travis Tritt duets “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’” and “This One’s Gonna Hurt You (For a Long, Long Time).” Other Stuart songs that have hit the country chart include John Anderson’s recording of “Takin’ the Country Back,” The Dixie Chicks’ “Tortured, Tangled Heart,” and Clint Black and Martina McBride’s duet recording of “Still Holding On.” The release of Stuart’s concept album, The Pilgrim, in 1999 marked a turning point and creative renaissance where Marty, in his words, stopped following the charts and begin following his heart. He put together a highly-celebrated band, The Fabulous Superlatives, and has since championed the beauty and integrity of country music as a uniquely American art form. He is a frequent commentator for historically-oriented projects, including Ken Burns’ ambitious sixteen-hour Country Music documentary. His most recent effort is Marty Stuart’s Congress of Country Music, a Philadelphia, Mississippi-based museum, concert venue, educational and cultural facility that will house his personal collection of over 20,000 country music-related artifacts.  First and foremost, however, Marty is an artist and songwriter. His consistently well-reviewed albums over the last two decades are packed with original songs that celebrate country music’s roots without ever feeling dated. The Grand Ole Opry member’s songs have also been recorded by artists such as George Strait, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Patty Loveless, Kathy Mattea, Wynonna Judd, Gary Allan, Billy Bob Thornton, Connie Smith, Charley Pride, Porter Wagoner, Guy Clark, and Johnny Cash.

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Alice Randall, a Harvard-educated novelist, professor, and songwriter, is the only African-American woman to have written a #1 country hit. She joins us to talk about her career as a songwriter and so much more EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE  The guys chat about why Paul has been M.I.A. and announce a new contest for a personalized signed copy of Lamont Dozier's new autobiography. PART TWO - 7:13 mark Scott gets together with Alice Randall in Nashville to find out why her dad was so driven to highlight women's contributions to music; how she concluded that country lyrics are the modern day equivalent of metaphysical poetry and 17th Century Puritan sermons; the encouragement she received from Hal David; why she spent hours studying lyrics in the basement of the Country Music Hall of Fame; the reason that Steve Earle cussed her out; why it's harder to be a woman in country music than to be black; and her theory that country music should be defined as three chords and four specific truths. ABOUT ALICE RANDALL Alice Randall is a Harvard-educated African-American novelist who lives in Nashville and writes country songs. Along with Matraca Berg, Alice co-wrote Trisha Yearwood’s chart-topping single “XXX’s and OOO’s (An American Girl),” making her the first—and, so far, only—African-American woman to write a #1 country hit. Additionally, she co-wrote Mo Bandy’s Top 40 hit “Many Mansions,” as well as Judy Rodman’s “Girls Ride Horses, Too,” which was the first Top 10 written by either Alice or her co-writer, future Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Mark D. Sanders. After forming an early songwriting partnership with Steve Earle, Alice went on to have her songs recorded by a long list of artists, including Holly Dunn, Marie Osmond, Glen Campbell, Jo-El Sonnier, Walter Hyatt, Pat Alger, Matraca Berg, Radney Foster, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Crystal Gayle, and Hank Thompson. Along with Mark O’Connor and Harry Stinson she wrote the groundbreaking “Ballad of Sally Anne.” Alice is a New York Times Bestselling novelist who has authored The Wind Done Gone, Pushkin and the Queen of Spades, Rebel Yell, Ada's Rules, and the forthcoming Black Bottom Saints, which is partially inspired by her formative years in Detroit. In addition to her fiction writing, Alice teamed with her daughter, Caroline Randall Williams, to write Soul Food Love: Healthy Recipes Inspired by One Hundred Years of Cooking in a Black Family. She is currently a Writer-in-Residence at Vanderbilt University where she teaches a number of courses, including Country Lyric in American Culture. She was featured in Ken Burns’ acclaimed Country Music documentary spotlighting the often-overlooked contributions of African Americans to the genre’s development. Not only does she write songs, but Randall thinks deeply about, and is deeply moved by, the literary value of song lyrics.   

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Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Rodney Crowell joins Scott to chat about a remarkable career that has yielded classic songs such as “Til I Gain Control Again,” “I Ain’t Living Long Like This,” “Ashes By Now,” “After All This Time,” and “Shame on the Moon.” EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE  Scott and Paul chat about their friends at Pearl Snap Studios, Paul's recent ASCAP award, the Ken Burns Country Music documentary, a sad loss in the songwriting community, and how an encounter with Rodney Crowell made an impression on Paul when he was in fifth grade.  PART TWO - 12:03 mark Scott gets together with Rodney Crowell to hear why Townes Van Zandt stealing his girlfriend led to his first cut as a songwriter; how he went from making $7 a night and living in his car to landing a publishing deal; why he told his wife to take her time bailing him out of jail so he could write one of his now-classic songs; how getting rejected by Anne Murray led to getting discovered by Emmylou Harris; the song he realized he inadvertently ripped off when writing “Ashes By Now;” the reason he decided to re-write one of his most classic songs years after it had become a hit; the song he and Rosanne Cash wrote that he still wishes she’d record; how he co-wrote a song with Roy Orbison from beyond the grave; why he now regrets speaking out about covers of his songs he didn’t particularly like; which of his recent compositions he calls one of the best songs he’s ever written; and why he feels like he didn’t find his voice and become a real recording artist until his tenth album.   ABOUT RODNEY CROWELL Emmylou Harris—who once employed Rodney Crowell as the guitarist, harmony singer, and arranger in her legendary Hot Band—introduced many listeners to Crowell’s songs, which then went on to become hits for other artists. “Til I Gain Control Again” was covered by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Bobby Bare before Crystal Gaye took it to the top of the country charts. “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight” and “I Ain’t Living Long Like This” became number one hits for The Oak Ridge Boys and Waylon Jennings, respectively. “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” went on to become a hit for both Lynn Anderson and the duo of Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, while “Ashes By Now” became a Top 5 single for Lee Ann Womack before going on to be covered by Etta James.     While it was Harris who first shone the spotlight on Crowell, he soon established his own successful artist career, becoming the first country singer to earn five number-one hits from a single album. His biggest self-penned singles as an artist include “It’s Such a Small World,” “She’s Crazy for Leaving,” “Many a Long and Lonesome Highway,” “If Looks Could Kill,” “Lovin’ All Night,” “What Kind of Love,” “I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried,” which was nominated for a Best Country Song Grammy, and “After All This Time,” which was nominated for both CMA and ACM Song of the Year and won a Grammy for Best Country Song. Crowell songs that have become number one hits for other artists include Bob Seger’s recording of “Shame on the Moon,” The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Long Hard Road (The Sharecropper’s Dream),” “Somewhere Tonight” by Highway 101, Tim McGraw’s recording of “Please Remember Me” and Keith Urban’s cover of “Making Memories of Us.” Additional highlights of his catalog include Vince Gill’s Top 10 recording of “Oklahoma Borderline”; “Stars on the Water,” which has been recorded by Jimmy Buffett and George Strait; “Voila an American Dream,” which has been recorded by Guy Clark and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band; and “Song for the Life,” which was recorded by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kathy Mattea, and Alison Krauss before becoming a Top 10 hit for Alan Jackson. As a producer, Crowell was behind a string of hits for then-wife Rosanne Cash, including “Seven Year Ache,” “Ain’t No Money,” which he wrote, and “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me,” which he and Rosanne co-wrote and which earned him his first of sixteen Grammy nominations. Crowell has since been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Songwriting from the Americana Music Association, the prestigious ASCAP Founder’s Award, the Academy of Country Music’s Poet’s Award, and induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame   In recent years Crowell has become an Americana darling with critically-acclaimed albums such as The Houston Kid, Fate’s Right Hand, The Outsider, Sex and Gasoline, and a pair of duet albums with Emmylou Harris, Old Yellow Moon and The Traveling Kind. His latest album is called Texas.

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Pulled from deep in our archives, we present the long-lost final interview with two-time Grammy nominee and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Curly Putman, who wrote "Green, Green Grass of Home," "He Stopped Loving Her Today," "My Elusive Dreams," "D-I-V-O-R-C-E," and many others.  EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE  Scott and Paul chat about how the long-lost final interview with Curly Putman went missing and how they finally recovered it. Plus, they discuss the new Ken Burns documentary, Country Music. PART TWO - 9:24 mark Scott heads over to the now-departed songwriting legend's house to chat about the unusual instrument Curly began on; what Roger Miller said that encouraged him when he was a struggling shoe salesman; why Dottie West being late for a recording session opened a door for “Green, Green Grass of Home;” how Curly became known for killing off the characters in his songs; the reason he didn’t want to rent his house to Paul McCartney; why he thinks “He Stopped Loving Her Today” appeals to so many listeners; which of his songs he’d like to be remembered for in the distant future; and the secret to his sixty year marriage. ABOUT CURLY PUTMAN The late Claude “Curly” Putman, Jr. enjoyed a streak of more than 30 years of consistent country chart success. Many of his songs have become iconic country recordings, including “Green Green Grass of Home” by Porter Wagoner, “Dumb Blonde” by Dolly Parton, “My Elusive Dreams” by Tammy Wynette and David Houston, “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” by Tammy Wynette, “Blood Red and Going Down” by Tanya Tucker, and “He Stopped Loving Her Today” by George Jones, which won CMA Song of the Year for two years in a row. Transcending country music’s classic era, Curly continued to enjoy Top 10 hits with a new generation of artists that included “I Meant Every Word He Said” by Ricky Van Shelton and “Made For Lovin’ You” by Doug Stone. Curly became one of the few songwriters to have a song written in tribute to him when Paul McCartney composed “Junior’s Farm” following a six week stay at Putman’s ranch when Wings was recording in Nashville. Curly, a two-time Grammy nominee, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Twenty-three of his songs have earned BMI performance awards, and his music has been recorded by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Wanda Jackson, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Marty Robbins, Charley Pride, Johnny Paycheck, Ray Price, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Joe Tex, Esther Phillips, Tom Jones, Dean Martin, Keith Whitley, George Strait, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson, Trisha Yearwood, Blake Shelton, Gram Parsons, The Grateful Dead, and literally hundreds of others.

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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Kendell Marvel built his career as a behind-the-scenes songwriter for Gary Allan, Chris Stapleton, Jake Owen, Lee Ann Womack, Blake Shelton, and George Strait before reinventing himself as a gritty Southern troubadour and making an album with The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach.  EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE  Scott and Paul chat about a wild news story from this past week involving a previous Songcraft guest and recognize another recent Songcraft guest for achieving an amazing milestone. PART TWO - 10:05 mark The guys call up Kendell Marvel in Nashville to find out how he got his start in honky tonk bars at the age of ten; the childhood hero who ended up recording one of Kendell's songs; the Top 5 hit that he wrote on his very first day in Nashville; who he says is the closest thing we have to Willie Nelson today; the song that he was the most excited to find out had been recorded; the country star he refers to as Eeyore; why he thinks women are making the best music in Nashville today (even though they're not recording his songs); and how making a new record with Dan Auerbach was a life-changing experience. ABOUT KENDELL MARVEL The son of a coal miner, Kendell Marvel was raised in southern Illinois, where his father encouraged his love of country music and took him to play in the local honky tonks starting at the age of ten. He moved to Nashville as a young adult to pursue a career as a country artist, but ended up taking a nearly two-decade detour as a successful songwriter for other artists. Kendell’s breakthrough came with Gary Allan’s Top 5 country hit “Right Where I Need to Be.” He went on to write additional hit singles such as “Tougher Than Nails” by Joe Diffie, “Startin’ with Me” and “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You” for Jake Owen, “Twang” for George Strait, “That Lonesome Song” with Jamey Johnson, and “Either Way,” which was recorded by both Lee Ann Womack and Kendell’s co-writer, Chris Stapleton. Other artists who’ve recorded Kendell’s songs include Tracy Lawrence, Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton, Josh Turner, Randy Houser, Darius Rucker, Cody Johnson, Jim Lauderdale, Aaron Watson, Hank Williams, Jr., and Brothers Osborne. As an artist, Marvel has recorded two albums, Lowdown and Lonesome, and the forthcoming Solid Gold Sounds, which was produced by and mostly co-written with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. Kendell currently tours with Chris Stapleton and Brothers Osborne, introducing his unique take on Southern rock-influenced country to new audiences who’ve known his songs but are just getting to know his voice.  

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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90-year-old blues legend Bobby Rush joins us for a wide-ranging and revealing conversation about songwriting, music, life, and so much more!

PART ONE:
Scott and Paul chat about Scott's experiences at the Grammy awards, including running into Ted Danson, Jason Isbell, Verdine White, and others. Plus seeing the Killer Mike drama go down and getting soaked in the biggest storm in recent Los Angeles memory! 

PART TWO:
Our in-person an in-depth conversation with living legend Bobby Rush

ABOUT BOBBY RUSH:
 One of the last of the golden era blues artists, 90-year-old Bobby Rush has been preforming professionally since the 1940s. After a stint traveling with the Rabbit’s Foot Minstrels as a teenager, he toured the juke joints of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi before settling in Chicago in the 1950s. Starting in 1964, he released a string of singles on seven different record labels before releasing his first album, Rush Hour, in 1979. Bobby has since amassed an impressive body of recorded work that covers funk, soul, blues, and other influences. Penning much of his own material, his standards include “Chicken Heads,” “Bow Legged Woman,” “I Wanna Do the Do,” “Sue,” “One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show,” “Big Fat Woman,” “Night Fishin’,” and “Down in Mississippi.” At the age of 83, he won his first Grammy award. Bobby is now a three-time Grammy winner (with seven nominations), is in the Blues Hall of Fame, and has won 16 Blues Music Awards. Rolling Stone magazine dubbed the charismatic entertainer ”the King of the Chitllin’ Circuit.” Also known as “the Funkiest Man Alive,” Bobby Rush shows no signs of slowing down. His most recent album is 2023’s Grammy-winning All My Love For You. 

Tags: Grammy nominee, Grammy winner, Blues Hall of Fame

 

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The sixteen-time Grammy nominee and three-time winner joins us to talk about his remarkably varied body of songwriting from country to to rock to political songs to Americana and contemporary folk. EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE  Scott and Paul tell you how you can hear their wild story about getting ready for the Steve Earle interview, and they explain why this episode is particularly special. PART TWO - 7:12 mark Paul and Scott head over to Steve's Los Angeles hotel to get the details on how a Chicago radio station saved his career; why reading is more important than listening to records; the book Townes Van Zandt loaned him that transformed his view of writing; the concert that inspired Steve to write "Guitar Town;" what he really thinks of the "Copperhead Road" line-dancing phenomenon; the first song he wrote after a long period of drug addiction and homelessness; why bluegrass is like bebop; who he says is THE badass country singer/songwriter in Nashville today; why he's working on a new political album that isn't just about preaching to the choir; and which song he would play for Guy Clark today to try to impress him.    ABOUT STEVE EARLE Singer, songwriter, musician, author, actor, record producer, and progressive political activist Steve Earle rose to prominence in the 1980s with his album Guitar Town, which topped the Billboard country album chart, earned two Grammy nominations, picked up a Top New Male Artist nomination from the Academy of Country Music, and is included among Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums of all Time. Raised in Texas, Earle launched his career in Nashville playing bass in legendary songwriter Guy Clark’s backing band. Following a stint recording with a rockabilly-influenced sound for Epic Records, Earle switched to MCA where he broke through with now-classic songs such as “Guitar Town,” “Someday,” “Goodbye’s All We’ve Got Left,” “My Old Friend the Blues,” “Fearless Heart,” “Nowhere Road,” “I Ain’t Ever Satisfied,” “The Devil’s Right Hand,” “The Other Kind,” and “Copperhead Road,” which reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart.    Drug addiction, homelessness, and a period of incarceration derailed Earle’s career for several years before he reemerged in the mid-1990s as standard-bearer for contemporary folk and Americana music. His eclectic comeback albums Train a Comin’, I Feel Alright and El Corazon garnered near-universal critical praise. The new millennium found Steve continuing to earn attention for his songs, including “Galway Girl,” “John Walker’s Blues,” “Jerusalem,” “The Revolution Starts Now,” and “City of Immigrants.” Always difficult to categorize, Steve has recorded the highly-acclaimed bluegrass album The Mountain with The Del McCoury Band, a traditional blues album called Terraplane, and a duet album with Shawn Colvin. In total, Earle has released nineteen studio albums and has earned sixteen Grammy nominations, including three wins in the Best Contemporary Folk Album category. Steve’s songs have been covered by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Patty Loveless, Joan Baez, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Wanda Jackson, Bob Seger, Levon Helm, and many others. His son, Justin Townes Earle, is a respected singer-songwriter in his own right.

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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The three-time Grammy winner, two-time ACM Songwriter of the Year, and star of NBC's Songland joins us to talk about a few of his 40 #1 hits, including "Mama's Broken Heart," "American Kids," "Vice," "Body Like a Back Road," and more.  EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE  Scott and Paul put in a plug for Pearl Snap Studios! PART TWO - 3:02 mark The guys have a conversation about some of the worst cover songs of all time.  PART THREE - 12:06 mark Paul and Scott head over to Shane's Los Angeles home to get his thoughts on being in a band with LeAnn Rimes when they were little kids; why he used to pray that God would give him another dream other than songwriting; how he had to wrestle with questions of authenticity and sexual identity to discover his artistic voice; the way that Kenny Chesney anointed him that opened the floodgates of commercial success; who he calls his favorite singer of all time; which of his hits he was most shocked was released as a single; what he thinks of the critics who say “Body Like a Back Road” drifted too far from country’s traditions; which of his songs he suspects other songwriters don’t like; the reason The Book of Mormon musical had a huge influence on him; and why joining the cast of NBC's Songland was so fulfilling. ABOUT SHANE MCANALLY With 40 #1 singles to his credit in the last decade, Shane McAnally is already one of the most successful country songwriters and producers of all time. After a brief career as an artist he reinvented himself as a behind-the-scenes hitmaker when Lee Ann Womack found success with his song “Last Call.” The floodgates soon opened with a steady stream of #1 hits, including “Somewhere with You” and “Come Over” for Kenny Chesney, “Alone with You” for Jake Owen, “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” for Luke Bryan, The Band Perry’s “Better Dig Two,” and “Downtown” by Lady Antebellum. Industry and critical recognition quickly followed Shane’s commercial success when Miranda Lambert’s recording of “Mama’s Broken Heart” and Kacey Musgraves’ “Merry Go ‘Round” were concurrently nominated for a Best Country Song Grammy, as well as for CMA Song of the Year. “Merry Go ‘Round” won the category and Shane was named the ACM Songwriter of the Year.  Many of his songs have gone on to be recognized by the ACM, CMA, and Grammy awards, including “American Kids” by Kenny Chesney, “Take Your Time” by Sam Hunt, “Vice” by Miranda Lambert, “Drinkin’ Problem” by Midland, “Female” by Keith Urban, “Follow Your Arrow” and “Space Cowboy” by Kacey Musgraves, and Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road,” which set a new record by spending 34 weeks at number one on the Billboard country chart and was nominated by the CMA for Song of the Year two years in a row. Other highlights from Shane’s extensive song catalog include “Say You Do” and “Different for Girls” for Dierks Bentley; “Gonna Wanna Tonight” for Chase Rice; “Young & Crazy” for Frankie Ballard; “Stay a Little Longer” for Brothers Osborne; “Wild Child” for Kenny Chesney; “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” for Keith Urban; “I Met a Girl” for William Michael Morgan; “T-Shirt,” “Unforgettable,” and “Marry Me” for Thomas Rett; “If I Told You” for Darius Rucker; “Written in the Sand” and “Make it Sweet” for Old Dominion; “Burn Out” for Midland, “Love Ain’t” for the Eli Young Band; and “Down to the Honkytonk” for Jake Owen. The list of additional artists who’ve recorded his songs includes Reba McEntire, Florida Georgia Line, Ashley Monroe, Kelly Clarkson, Sheryl Crow, Hunter Hayes, Tim McGraw, Sara Evans, Little Big Town, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Maren Morris, Trace Adkins, Tracy Lawrence, Kelsea Ballerini, and George Strait.  Shane has been nominated for the ACM Songwriter of the Year award six out of the last seven years, and has won the honor twice. He’s a three-time Grammy winner and currently stars as a mentor on the NBC television show Songland, where he works with up-and-coming writers to craft material for artists like John Legend, will.i.am, The Jonas Brothers, Meghan Trainor, and Aloe Blacc.

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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Matthew Sweet joins us to unpack his process of writing power pop gems like "Girlfriend," "The Ugly Truth," "Sick of Myself" and many others. EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE Scott and Paul analyze mix tapes, cool bands, and "older brother rock." PART TWO - 5:29 mark Paul and Scott jump on the phone with Matthew Sweet, one of the nicest rock stars on the planet, to get the lowdown on how a postcard from Michael Stipe altered his musical future; why he says being a solo artist is lonely; the reason he describes the drums on "Girlfriend" as "odd." why a paralyzing fear of flying kept him off airplanes for nearly a decade; what he really thinks of being labeled "power pop;" why he was conflicted about making The Thorns album; what happened when he suggested that he and Susanna Hoffs write an album together; and the song he collaborated on with a Saturday Night Live legend that led to another SNL legend covering one of his very earliest recordings. ABOUT MATTHEW SWEET Best known for hits such as “Girlfriend” and “Sick of Myself,” Matthew Sweet is a melodically-oriented rock tunesmith who was at the center of the 1990s power pop revival. After befriending R.E.M., the native Nebraskan relocated to Georgia, where he joined Michael Stipe’s sister Lynda’s band, Oh-OK and launched his own group Buzz of Delight.  Sweet eventually launched his solo career from New York and then Los Angeles, earning gold certification for his albums Girlfriend and 100% Fun. The latter was named one of the year’s best by Entertainment Weekly, and he has gone on to release a dozen more critically-acclaimed solo albums. Additionally, he has collaborated on a series of cover song projects with Susana Hoffs, as well as on an album of original material in collaboration with Shawn Mullins and Pete Droge under the name The Thorns.   As a songwriter, Matthew has collaborated with The Jayhawks, Hanson, Michael Stipe, Chris Stamey, and Jules Shear, with whom he wrote the title track for ‘Til Tuesday’s album Everything’s Different Now. His most recent album is titled Wicked System of Things.   

American Songwriter Podcast Network

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Frequent Willie Nelson collaborator, award-winning producer, and co-writer of the CMA and ACM Song of the Year "Give It Away" Buddy Cannon joins us for an in-depth conversation.   EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE Scott and Paul talk about their friends at Pearl Snap Studios and share a listener-submitted clip highlighting what Pearl Snap can do for you, too! PART TWO - 3:47 mark Paul shares a recent eye-opening musical experience. PART THREE - 8:47 mark Scott calls up Buddy Cannon to learn about how he went from growing up in a family so poor they didn't have a car to becoming a legendary Nashville songwriter and record producer; how he started writing songs out of boredom, the circumstances of getting his first four cuts in two days (all by the CMA's Entertainer of the Year); how his first charting single became a #1 hit; the experience of writing his first song after getting sober; why he had to tell Kenny Chesney he couldn't produce his early albums; the real-life conversation that became his biggest hit; the time he freaked out when his musical hero called him on the phone; and how he and Willie Nelson only co-write via text message. ABOUT BUDDY CANNON Though widely recognized as a respected Nashville record producer, Buddy Cannon initially made his mark in the music business as a songwriter. His first charting single came with Mel Tillis’ recording of “I Believe in You,” which reached #1 on the Billboard country rankings in 1978. He went on to write several Vern Gosdin hits, including the #1 singles “Set ‘Em Up Joe” and “I’m Still Crazy.” George Straight took his “I’ve Come to Expect it from You” to #1, but his greatest success with Straight came in 2006 when “Give It Away” hit the top spot on the charts and went on to be named Song of the Year by both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. Additionally, Buddy’s songs have been recorded by Hank Snow, Loretta Lynn, David Allan Coe, Billy Ray Cyrus, George Jones, Gene Watson, Alabama, Bill Anderson, Don Williams, Tracy Byrd, and others. As a producer he’s worked on projects for Sammy Kershaw, Sara Evans, Chely Wright, Craig Morgan, John Michael Montgomery, Reba McEntire, Joe Diffie, Joe Nichols, Jamey Johnson, Randy Travis, Lionel Richie, Eric Clapton, Rhonda Vincent, Dolly Parton, and Merle Haggard. He has produced most of Willie Nelson’s recent albums, and has produced every Kenny Chesney album since 1997. His work with Chesney includes nearly two dozen #1 singles. A multiple Grammy winner, Cannon has also won a CMA and three ACM awards for his production work, including the ACM’s Producer of the Year honor in 2005.

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Best known as one half of the legendary folk rock duo Indigo Girls,  Grammy award winner Emily Saliers joins us to discuss her remarkable career.  EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE Scott and Paul announce the winner of the signed copy of Layng Martine's memoir, Permission to Fly, and give an update on their call for demos recorded at Pearl Snap Studios. PART TWO - 3:06 mark The guys talk about how their parents monitored their music when they were kids, then get into a discussion about how Indigo Girls impacted their musical sensibilities.  PART THREE - 9:02 mark Paul and Scott connect with Emily via phone for a wide-ranging conversation that covers the first album she ever bought; how the importance of regionalism has changed in the music industry; why she would change the opening line of her best-known song if she were writing it today; the criticism that most plagued Indigo Girls when they were starting out; how she tries to stretch herself by writing material that might not come as naturally; why she's always dreamed of having a country artist cover one of her songs; her fierce love of hip hop; and why there's no such thing as secular music. ABOUT EMILY SALIERS Singer-songwriter Emily Saliers is best known as one half of  Indigo Girls, which NPR called “one of the finest folk duos of all time.” The Georgia-raised musical icon is the sole writer of some of the group’s best-known titles, including “Closer to Fine,” “Hammer and a Nail,” “Galileo,” “Least Complicated,” “Power of Two,” “Get Out the Map,” and others. With fifteen studio albums to their credit, Indigo Girls are Grammy award winners and winners of the Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. They’ve earned seven gold, four platinum, and one double platinum award for album sales and have collaborated with REM, Joan Baez, Brandi Carlile, P!nk, and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello.   In addition to her work with Indigo Girls, Saliers and her father, a retired theology professor, co-wrote the book A Song to Sing, a Life to Live: Reflections on Music as Spiritual Practice. In recent years she released her debut solo album, Murmuration Nation, and has remained an impassioned activist and advocate for causes close to her heart.

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The Rockabilly Hall of Fame inductee who’s been called The Father of Nashville Rock talks about a successful career that’s seen his songs covered by everyone from Martina McBride to The Beatles. EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE Scott and Paul talk about the last chance to enter to win a signed copy of Layng Martine's memoir, Permission to Fly, as well as ask listeners to send in their recordings they've had produced by our friend Justin at Pearl Snap Studios. PART TWO - 3:18 mark The guys talk about Rocketman, the new Elton John film, and get into a larger discussion about whether or not factual accuracy is important when it comes to music biopics. PART THREE - 11:54 mark Paul and Scott call up Buzz at his studio to get the lowdown on how he launched Nashville’s first rock band with a saxophonist who could only play one note; how gigging with Jerry Lee Lewis landed his group a job as Brenda Lee’s backup band; the time he snuck into a radio station after hours to record one of his earliest original songs; why he didn’t know The Beatles had covered one of his tunes until 20 years after the fact; which record he produced that has a dirty joke hidden in the master number on the label of the 45; the way he ended up recording as “Alvin” on the Chipmunks records; why a Bible verse inspired his biggest hit; what he thought when he heard U2’s interpretation of “Everlasting Love,” and how an album project that didn’t go anywhere still led to one of his biggest hits as a songwriter. ABOUT BUZZ CASON Rockabilly Hall of Fame inductee Buzz Cason has been called The Father of Nashville Rock. He is best known as the co-writer of two R&B classics: “Soldier of Love” - which  has been recorded by Arthur Alexander, The Beatles, and Pearl Jam – and “Everlasting Love,” which was recorded by Robert Knight, Carl Carlton, Gloria Estefan, and U2. Cason began his music career with his own group, The Casuals, which eventually became Brenda Lee’s backing band. He scored one Top 20 pop hit as an artist with “Look For a Star” under the name Gary Miles before hitting the charts as a songwriter with Jan & Dean’s recordings of the songs “Tennessee” and “Popsicle,” as well as Ronny & The Daytonas’ recording of “Sandy.” Robert Knight’s version of “Everlasting Love” became a Top 20 hit on both the Pop and R&B charts around the same time Cason produced soul singer Clifford Curry’s classic “She Shot a Hole in My Soul.” Cason later found success in the country market with Tommy Overstreet’s chart-topping “Ann (Don’t Go Runnin’)," T.G. Sheppard’s Top 20 hit “Another Woman,” a string of Top 40 singles with Freddy Weller, as well as Top 10 with singles by Mel Tillis and the McCarters. Martina McBride had a major country hit with “Love’s the Only House,” which Buzz co-wrote with Tom Douglas. Additionally, his songs have been recorded by a diverse range of artists, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Rick Nelson, Dolly Parton, the Oak Ridge Boys, Jimmy Buffett, Alan Jackson, and Placido Domingo.

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The Grammy nominee and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer joins us to talk about “Rub It In” (Billy "Crash" Craddock), "Way Down" (Elvis Presley), “The Greatest Man I Never Knew” (Reba McEntire), and his new memoir, Permission to Fly. EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE Scott and Paul call up Tommy Smith, one of their top tier Patreon subscribers to chat about Songcraft, life, and his budding recording studio. PART TWO - 9:52 mark The guys invite anyone who has recorded demos at Pearl Snap Studios to send in their recordings and then they chat about the songs that have become permanently linked to ad campaigns. PART THREE - 13:49 mark Scott and Paul catch up with Layng via phone to get the story on the song he heard as a young adult that inspired him to start writing his own material; Why trying to get to Elvis lead to his first publishing deal; how he wrote songs without playing an instrument; why he preferred being his own song plugger; how he made magic in a broom closet;  why saying goodbye to Ray Stevens was the hardest day of his life; how his first Nashville co-writing session led to a Grammy nomination; and why an act of terrorism derailed a would-be hit. ABOUT LAYNG MARTINE, JR. A versatile songwriter who has found success as both a pop and country hit maker, Layng Martine has penned more than 20 songs that have reached the Top 40 on the Billboard charts. His breakthrough came with “Rub It In,” a charting single for Layng as an artist that was later revived as a #1 country hit and Top 20 pop hit for Billy “Crash” Craddock. Years later it was altered to become “Plug it In,” the long-running jingle for the Glade Plug-ins television commercials. A half dozen of Layng’s songs have earned BMI awards, including “Everybody Needs a Rainbow,” made popular by Ray Stevens, “I Should Do It,” which was a hit for The Pointer Sisters, “I Wanna Go Too Far,” which became a Top 10 single for Trisha Yearwood, and “Way Down,” the last new song ever recorded by Elvis Presley. “Way Down” reached #1 on the Billboard chart within days of Elvis’s passing. Additionally, Layng wrote charting hits for Freddy Weller, Mel Street, Jerry Lee Lewis, Cristy Lane, Dickie Lee, Tanya Tucker, Kathy Mattea, Pam Tillis, John Anderson, and others. He wrote Reba McEntire’s first charting single, and co-wrote “The Greatest Man I Never Knew,” which became a chart-topping hit for Reba several years later and earned Layng a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song.     The list of other artists who’ve recorded Layng’s songs includes Bo Diddley, Carl Perkins, The Drifters, Barry Manilow, Don Williams and Billy Dean. Layng was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013, but has since set music aside to focus on narrative writing. He recently published his first book, Permission to Fly: A Memoir of Love, Crushing Loss, and Triumphs, available June 11th via FieldPoint Press.

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The two-time Grammy nominee and alt.country pioneer joins us to discuss his career as an eclectic and fiercely independent singer songwriter. EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE Scott and Paul chat about the classic conundrum of getting annoyed when your favorite artists get too popular, but also getting annoyed when people don't catch on their greatness. PART TWO - 8:20 mark Paul plays a friend's brand new single for Scott and the guys talk about Pearl Snap Studios, Patreon, and how a lucky listener can win a free hat. PART THREE - 12:59 mark Robbie stops by Songcraft World Headquarters to chat about one of his earliest songs--a super twisted parody of a Red Sovine classic; why he never moved to Nashville; how he got a record deal by writing a manifesto; why putting an album's songs in the proper sequence is important; the song he wrote for his celebrity crush; the concept album he never made; the insider details he learned from Tom Brumley; and which of his songs he doesn't want to play anymore. Plus, Robbie performs live and acoustic! ABOUT ROBBIE FULKS Singer, recording artist, instrumentalist, composer and songwriter Robbie Fulks’s most recent solo album, Upland Stories, was named among the year’s best by NPR and Rolling Stone, and was nominated for a Best Folk Album Grammy. Additionally, his “Alabama at Night” earned a Grammy nomination for Best American Roots Song. Though his tastes are wide-ranging, Fulks is steeped in country, bluegrass, and folk traditions with an often irreverent sensibility that can range from hilarious to heart breaking.  Robbie’s first two albums, Country Love Songs and South Mouth, helped define the “alternative country” movement of the 1990s, while subsequent releases found him exploring pop and rock territory. His recent work is more reflective and acoustic-oriented, though he occasionally diverges to pursue eclectic projects such as his 2018 duet album with Linda Gail Lewis, Wild! Wild! Wild! Robbie’s songs have been covered by Sam Bush, Kelly Hogan, Andrew Bird, Mollie O’Brien, Rosie Flores, John Cowan, Pinmonkey, Lone Justice, Old 97s, and others. Additionally, his writing on music and life has appeared in GQ, Blender, the Chicago Reader, DaCapo Press’s Best Music Writing anthologies, and other outlets. Besides country and bluegrass music, Robbie is fiercely fond of—in his own words—Charles Mingus, P.G. Wodehouse, quantum mechanics, his wife Donna, comedy in almost all forms, cooking, swimming laps, the past, Arthur Schopenhauer, Universal horror movies, his grandson and even his sons, coastal towns in the off-season, and rye whiskey, though in nothing like that order.

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CMA and ACM Song of the Year winner Larry Weiss chats about his amazing career from the Brill Building to "Rhinestone Cowboy" and more. Plus, up-and-comer Jenny Tolman stops by to preview her cool new record.  EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE Scott and Paul discuss the recently-aired Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony and chat about some of the artists who've not been inducted yet, but should be! PART TWO -  14:22 mark Nashville-based newcomer Jenny Tolman stops by to discuss her approach to writing her new album There Goes the Neighborhood and to perform the title track live. PART THREE - 28:49 mark Scott and Paul catch Larry Weiss on his cell phone in the grocery store to chat about his first charting single (a co-write with Neil Diamond and eight other guys!); how he beat out King & Goffin, Sedaka & Greenfield and Mann & Weill for a Nat "King" Cole cut; why a well-timed delivery of matzo ball soup led to the recording of one of his classics; the upsetting incident that prompted him to move out of New York City; why he wasn't happy with his vocal performance on the original version of "Rhinestone Cowboy," and the reason he never thought of his biggest hit as a country song in the first place. ABOUT LARRY WEISS Glen Campbell’s recording of Larry Weiss’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” became an international hit and reached the #1 spot on both the country and pop charts in the US. It earned two Grammy nominations and was named Song of the Year by both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. While Weiss is most often associated with that classic hit, he’s written over a dozen singles that have hit the Top 40, including “Bend Me, Shape Me,” which was a Top 5 pop hit for The American Breed.  Other artists who’ve scored hits from the Weiss songbook include Pat Boone, Baby Washington, The Animals, Al Martino, Jerry Butler, and The Carpenters. Larry has released two albums as an artist, Black & Blue Suite in 1974 and Cuts and Scratches in 2010. He also sang “Brand New Life,” the theme song for the TV sitcom Who’s the Boss?  The list of additional artists who’ve covered his songs includes Nat “King” Cole, Marvin Gaye, Barry Manilow, Charley Pride, Loretta Lynn, Three Dog Night, Dionne Warwick, The Shirelles, Clyde McPhatter, Paul Anka, Gene Pitney, Rod Stewart, David Gilmour, Tom Jones, Robert Plant, Chrissie Hynde, Ben E. King, T-Rex, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Neil Diamond, Wilson Pickett, Dolly Parton, Thome Yorke of Radiohead, Belle and Sebastian, and Michael Jackson, who recorded “To Make My Father Proud,” which appeared on the 1984 album Farewell My Summer Love.

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The Motown legend behind "Dancing in the Street," "Stubborn Kind of Fellow," "It Takes Two," "Devil with a Blue Dress On," and "Beechwood 4-5789" opens up about his life and career. EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE Scott and Paul talk about Pearl Snap Studios, their new rock star Patreon subscriber, Motown's 60th anniversary, and that lost Marvin Gaye album. PART TWO - 12:43 mark Scott heads over to Mickey’s house to get the lowdown on why he almost stormed out of his first meeting with Berry Gordy; how he assembled Motown’s legendary Funk Brothers; the trick he used to convince Marvin Gaye to ditch jazz and become an R&B singer; why “Dancing in the Street” was a message song -- but not the message many people think; the pep talk he would give to Motown’s artists and songwriters; the reason he’d have to kick a young Stevie Wonder out of the studio; why he’s a champion of songwriting collaborations over writing solo; and the real reason he departed Motown. ABOUT MICKEY STEVENSON William “Mickey” Stevenson was hired as Motown Records’ first A&R Director, signing a variety of artists to the label including The Four Tops and Stevie Wonder. He assembled the legendary Motown studio band known as the Funk Brothers and produced such Motown classics as “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” and “Uptight (Everything is Alright).” As a songwriter, Stevenson partnered with Marvin Gaye to write The Marvelettes' hit “Beechwood 4-5789,” as well as Gaye’s own hit recordings of “Stubborn Kind of Fellow,” “Hitch Hike,” and “Pride and Joy.” Mickey is perhaps best known as the co-writer of “Dancing in the Street,” a massive hit for his former assistant, Martha Reeves, that was written with Gaye and Ivy Jo Hunter. The song was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry and the Grammy Hall of Fame. Additional hits from the pen of Mickey Stevenson include “Devil with a Blue Dress On” for Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, “Ask the Lonely” for The Four Tops, “Nothing’s Too Good for My Baby” for Stevie Wonder, “It Take Two” for Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston, and “It Should Have Been Me” for Gladys Knight and the Pips. The long list of artists who’ve recorded Mickey’s songs includes Diana Ross, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Little Richard, The Jackson 5, The Everly Brothers, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Rod Stewart, Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Dusty Springfield, The Kinks, Van Halen, David Bowie, Mike Jagger, The Rolling Stones, and many others.

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Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Duff McKagan, best known as a member of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver, talks about writing songs with his legendary bandmates, a few of his various side projects, and his genre-spanning recent album, Lighthouse.

PART ONE
Scott and Paul shout out some Patreon supporters and reflect on the small handful of artists who, like Guns N' Roses, emerged on the scene and completely changed the game. 

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with Duff McKagan

ABOUT DUFF McKAGAN
Though best known as the bassist for Guns N’ Roses, Duff McKagan wears many musical hats. He started his career in Seattle playing various instruments in various punk bands. Following a stint on guitar in the group 10 Minute Warning he moved to Los Angeles, and eventually ended up in Guns N' Roses. Starting in 1987, they released a steady stream of classics with songwriting credits to the whole band, including “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “Paradise City,” and “Patience.” As the 1990s dawned, the group released the albums Use Your Illusion I and II, which included Duff-penned songs such as “Civil War,” which he co-wrote with Slash and Axl Rose, and “So Fine,” which he wrote solo, and on which he performed the lead vocal. 

Following Duff’s first solo album, Believe in Me, in 1993, he formed the supergroup Neurotic Outsiders, which included Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, John Taylor of Duran Duran, and Matt Sorum of The Cult and Guns N’ Roses. After departing Guns N’ Roses in 1997, Duff returned to 10 Minute Warning before forming a new band called Loaded. That band went on hiatus when he launched Velvet Revolver with Loaded guitarist Dave Kushner, Slash, Matt Sorum, and Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots. Writing the songs with the whole band, they found success with tracks such as “Slither” and “Fall to Pieces.” 

In 2016 Duff and Slash officially returned to Guns N’ Roses to headline Coachella. Prior to his return, he played with various groups, including a revival of Loaded, Alice Cooper’s band, Jane’s Addiction, and Hollywood Vampire. Since returning to Guns N’ Roses Duff has remained busy with outside projects. His solo album Tenderness, produced by Shooter Jennings, was released in 2019. He co-wrote five songs on Ozzy Osbourne’s Ordinary Man album, and co-wrote three songs on Iggy Pop’s album Every Loser. 

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer's  most recent solo effort, entitled Lighthouse, was released in 2023. 

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Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and multiple Grammy nominee Chris Hillman joins us to talk about his songwriting with The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Desert Rose Band, and much more. EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE Scott and Paul talk about the Motley Crue movie and the pros and cons of musical biopics. PART TWO - 9:45 mark Scott and Paul head up to Ventura to meet Chris Hillman and find out how he got hired to play bass with The Byrds without ever having played bass before; the reason that Miles Davis and Bob Eubanks deserve a lot of credit for The Byrds’ success; how playing bass on sessions for South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela inspired Chris to write his first songs (which became country-rock classics for The Byrds); the band he and Roger McGuinn were mocking when they wrote “So You Want to be a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star;” what happened on a particularly memorable trip to Stonehenge with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards; the song he and Gram Parsons were inspired to write following Gram’s motorcycle accident; what he says really killed Gram; why Chris was so shocked by his major country music success with The Desert Rose Band; how spirituality has impacted his songwriting process; and the inside details of creating his most recent album with producer Tom Petty. ABOUT CHRIS HILLMAN: Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Chris Hillman first came to songwriting prominence as a founding member of The Byrds when he wrote or co-wrote several of the band’s classic songs, including “So You Want to be a Rock ’n’ Roll Star,” “Have You Seen Her Face,” “Time Between,” “Thoughts and Words,” “The Girl with No Name,” “Natural Harmony,” “Old John Robertson,” and others. Departing The Byrds following their landmark Sweetheart of the Rodeo album, Hillman teamed with Gram Parsons to launch the Flying Burrito Brothers. The pair penned a series of now-classic Americana standards for the band, including “Sin City,” “Wheels,” “Christine’s Tune,” “Juanita,” and “High Fashion Queen.”   Chris spent time in the group Manassas, where he co-wrote the charting single “It Doesn’t Matter” with Stephen Stills, before releasing a handful of solo albums and collaborative projects with several other musicians, including Richie Furay, J.D. Souther, Gene Clark, and Roger McGuinn. Hillman found his greatest commercial success with the Desert Rose Band, which he founded with Herb Pedersen and John Jorgenson. Chris penned a dozen of the group’s charting singles, including the Top 10 hits “Love Reunited,” “One Step Forward,” “Summer Wind,” Start All Over Again,” “Story of Love,” and “I Still Believe in You,” which reached #1 on the Billboard country chart. The group was named Band of the Year three years in a row by the Academy of Country Music and earned multiple CMA award nominations. Hillman is a country rock pioneer, a four-time Grammy nominee, and the recipient of the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. His songs have been recorded by Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, Ron Wood, Tom Petty, Patti Smith, Beck, The Hollies, Roxette, Crowded House, Uncle Tupleo, Dan Fogelberg, Dwight Yoakam, Marty Stuart, Steve Earle, Nazareth, Black Oak Arkansas, The Oak Ridge Boys, Alison Krauss, and others.

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Two-time Grammy nominee and co-writer of Kelly Clarkson's global hit "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) joins us to discuss his multifaceted career. But first, Scott and Paul talk about whether or not it's still OK to listen to Michael Jackson's music. EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE Scott and Paul talk about the loss of Dick Dale and Hal Blaine, and remind listeners of their friends at Pearl Snap Studios. PART TWO - 5:15 mark Is it still OK to listen to Michael Jackson's music? How do we separate artists from their art? Or can we? PART THREE -13:00 mark Scott and Paul head over to David's studio in downtown LA to find out why he wanted his earliest music to sound like a machine; what he discovered about his hero Nile Rogers after meeting him in real life; what happened when he played songs for Miles Davis over the phone; why he says it's a good thing there are more writers on songs today than ever before; how he partially inspired Kesha to ditch the guitars; why he says writers shouldn't get in too early on an artist's project; and what major artist rejected "Stronger" before Kelly Clarkson made it a massive hit. ABOUT DAVID GAMSON Two-time Grammy nominee David Gamson established himself as an innovative and influential musician, programmer, and producer with his distinctive synth work and arrangements as a member of the band Scritti Politti. Though classically trained, he gravitated toward the pop, funk and prog-rock influences he absorbed as a teenager, forging his own sound as exemplified by the group’s Top 10 UK hits “Wood Beez” and “The Word Girl,” as well as their successful US single “Perfect Way.”   Outside his work with the group, Gamson is best known as the co-writer of “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You),” a massive pop hit for Kelly Clarkson that spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard pop chart in the US, hit #1 in nearly a dozen other countries, and became one of the best-selling singles of all time.  As a producer, programmer and musician he has collaborated with Roger Troutman, Meshell Ndegeocello, Maxwell, Angie Stone, George Benson, Nile Rogers, Beth Hart, Michael McDonald, Hans Zimmer, will.i.am, legendary producer Arif Mardin, and many others. His songs have been recorded by Miles Davis, Jessi J, Charli XCX, LP, Luther Vandross, Chaka Khan, Al Jarreau, Sheila E., Adam Lambert, Nick Lachey, and more.

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The San Francisco folkie who became a Nashville hitmaker with "Life's a Dance," "Don't Laugh at Me," "I Think About You," Grown Men Don't Cry" and more!  IN THIS EPISODE: PART ONE The guys discuss Paul's 2019 Grammy experience and Scott's recent revelation about the importance of Steve Seskin. PART TWO -   9:08 mark Steve Seskin sits down with Scott to talk about the lessons he learned busking on the streets of San Francisco and how they’ve informed his songwriting instincts; the way he learned to write songs he was proud of but didn’t want to sing; the way he managed to avoid burnout as a songwriter; how Morgan Freeman inspired one of his biggest hits; the reason his future was altered when his publishing company ran out of coffee cups; what every writer should do to prepare for a co-writing session; which of his songs made him feel creepy when he first started singing it, and song he wrote that changed the course of his life more than any other. ABOUT STEVE SESKIN

One of the most successful Nashville songwriters who never actually moved to Nashville, Steve Seskin has written songs for a long list of artists that includes Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Peter Frampton, Waylon Jennings, Alabama, Ricky Skaggs, Peter Paul and Mary, and others. He has written seven #1 hits, including the Grammy-nominated “Grown Men Don’t Cry” by Tim McGraw; the John Michael Montgomery hits “Life’s a Dance,” “If You’ve Got Love,” and “No Man’s Land;” The Neal McCoy singles “No Doubt About It” and “For a Change;” as well as “I Think About You,” which earned Collin Raye an Academy of Country award for Video of the Year. Seskin’s song “Don’t Laugh at Me” was named the NSAI Song of the Year after it was recorded by Mark Wills. The anti-bullying anthem became a children’s book and was the impetus for the Operation Respect/Don’t Laugh at Me project, a curriculum designed to teach tolerance in schools. Through the program, Steve regularly performs in school assemblies and has launched related programs that help teach kids how to write songs of their own. Working from his home base in the San Francisco Bay area, Steve is additionally an active keynote speaker and songwriting instructor for the West Coast Songwriters Association, the Nashville Songwriters Association International, the Kerrville Folk Festival, and other organizations. Though best known for writing hit songs for others, he is also a successful performer and recording artist who has released more than 20 albums of his own material. Perhaps the best way to experience a Steve Seskin song is by hearing it performed by the man himself.   

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