Matt Hales on melding formal training and songwriting
Matt Hales is better known as Aqualung. His breakout track “Brighter Than Sunshine” put him in the national spotlight, as well as his work with Brooke Fraser and Leona Lewis. What parts of your formal...
View ArticleMatraca Berg on “Oh Cumberland”
Matraca Berg is a songwriter and artist who recently re-released her debut record Lying to the Moon. She has written several number one hits, most recently penning Kenny Chesney’s “You and Tequila”...
View ArticleDan Wilson on “Someone Like You”
Dan Wilson is a songwriter best known as the former front man for Semisonic. Since leaving that band, he has written songs for Adele, the Dixie Chicks, and Dierks Bentley. “Someone Like You” has been a...
View ArticleDarrell Scott on literature and hits
Darrell Scott is a singer and songwriter from London, Kentucky. He has a successful solo career, as well as cuts by the Dixie Chicks and Travis Tritt. Recently, he joined Robert Plant’s Band of Joy....
View ArticleLucinda Williams on great songwriting advice
Lucinda Williams is a singer, songwriter, and artist with a storied solo career. She achieved success on the country charts when Mary Chapin Carpenter covered “Passionate Kisses”. Her latest is...
View ArticleJosh Kear’s advice to young writers
Looking back on yourself as a young writer, what would you tell yourself if you had the chance? What wisdom would you impart to that kid with his first publishing deal? First of all I would tell myself...
View ArticleDave Barnes on writing for other artists
I know you write a lot of material for yourself, you write a lot of material for other artists. How’s it different when you sit down to write your own material for your record, vs. writing for somebody...
View ArticleEmmylou Harris on writing by yourself
“I think writing is the loneliest part of being a musician. If you’re in the studio, you have company and it’s a collaborative thing. But writing, especially if you write by yourself, is the hardest...
View ArticleJ.D. Souther on self-editing
BLOCK: You got some advice, I think, for the new CD from Linda Ronstadt, who you partnered with a long time ago. You wrote a lot of songs for her. What did she tell you? (SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)...
View ArticleHolland-Dozier-Holland’s advice to songwriters
DK: Lastly, what advice would you give to new songwriters and producers, who are trying to break into the music business? Brian Holland: Berry Gordy always said, “listen to the radio.” It’s important...
View Article
