I love songs, I love sonwriting and most of all, I love songwriters. I've had the good fortune to have a song on the charts (Lorrie Morgan's "I Guess You Had To Be There") and to have hosted the Open Mic at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville since it began in 1986.
I discovered that I also love nurturing the talents of others and since 1999 I have given classes, hosted workshops and done critiques and consultations for writers and artists who want to have their music recorded in the Nashville market.
Back then you could still walk up and down Music Row knocking on doors with your cassette or your guitar asking people to listen to your songs, and I quickly learned that I had no idea how to write a hit. Feedback from publishers and ASCAP and BMI reps was very helpful, but the best thing I did was join the Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI) and start attending the Thursday night workshop every week.
The Bluebird Cafe was already the coolest place in town for original music and I went to the Writers Night every Sunday. I mentioned to the host that I could fill in if needed, and in 1986 that offer put me in the right place at the right time to land the job of organizing and hosting the Monday Open Mic, which I still do to this day.
In 1988 the new cook at the restaurant where I waited tables invited me to dinner to meet her husband Jon Robbin, a songwriter newly arrived from Northern California. I didn't think his writing style would be compatible with mine, but they had just fed me dinner so when he asked me about cowriting, I was too polite to say no. I'm glad Mama taught me good manners because we ended up writing "I Guess You Had to Be There" that became a hit for Lorrie Morgan in 1993.
After that I started hosting other writers nights around town and volunteered for the NSAI song evaluation service. More and more writers started asking me for feedback and advice so I decided to start my consultation service which I call "Ready for the Row." That has grown into a career as a teacher that includes critiques, consultation, classes, workshops and a guitar/vocal demo service. One of my favorite endeavors is the "Play for Publishers" workshop series that helps writers (including me!) learn about the demands of the commercial market from successful professionals and has opened doors on Music Row for many of them.
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Artist info obtained from public profile, artist website or social media
I love songs, I love sonwriting and most of all, I love songwriters. I've had the good fortune to have a song on the charts (Lorrie Morgan's "I Guess You Had To Be There") and to have hosted the Open Mic at The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville since it began in 1986.
I discovered that I also love nurturing the talents of others and since 1999 I have given classes, hosted workshops and done critiques and consultations for writers and artists who want to have their music recorded in the Nashville market.
Back then you could still walk up and down Music Row knocking on doors with your cassette or your guitar asking people to listen to your songs, and I quickly learned that I had no idea how to write a hit. Feedback from publishers and ASCAP and BMI reps was very helpful, but the best thing I did was join the Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI) and start attending the Thursday night workshop every week.
The Bluebird Cafe was already the coolest place in town for original music and I went to the Writers Night every Sunday. I mentioned to the host that I could fill in if needed, and in 1986 that offer put me in the right place at the right time to land the job of organizing and hosting the Monday Open Mic, which I still do to this day.
In 1988 the new cook at the restaurant where I waited tables invited me to dinner to meet her husband Jon Robbin, a songwriter newly arrived from Northern California. I didn't think his writing style would be compatible with mine, but they had just fed me dinner so when he asked me about cowriting, I was too polite to say no. I'm glad Mama taught me good manners because we ended up writing "I Guess You Had to Be There" that became a hit for Lorrie Morgan in 1993.
After that I started hosting other writers nights around town and volunteered for the NSAI song evaluation service. More and more writers started asking me for feedback and advice so I decided to start my consultation service which I call "Ready for the Row." That has grown into a career as a teacher that includes critiques, consultation, classes, workshops and a guitar/vocal demo service. One of my favorite endeavors is the "Play for Publishers" workshop series that helps writers (including me!) learn about the demands of the commercial market from successful professionals and has opened doors on Music Row for many of them.
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Artist info obtained from public profile, artist website or social media
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