I just got back from a week in Music City, USA — Nashville, Tennessee! Every time I go there, I’m able to (ever so briefly) tap into the energy of that town. Everyone who’s anyone has recorded and played in Nashville, and Bob Dylan even named his country-influenced 1969 album “Nashville Skyline.” Nashville’s lifeblood truly is music, and its energy is palpable everywhere you go.
I recalled after last year’s visit how amazing it was to see how much that town has grown. Between my first visit there in 1983 and now, Music City has become Music Metropolis. Dylan most assuredly would not recognize that skyline anymore.
What took me to Nashville again this year was a songwriters’ conference spearheaded by legendary singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell. He has worked with the best, written songs that have been hits for both himself and others, and is a card-carrying member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. One of Crowell’s big early hit songs was Bob Seger’s “Shame on the Moon.”
Crowell put together a team of instructors and presenters that included several A-list talents in the music business. Among these were Beth Nielsen Chapman, who co-wrote the monster Faith Hill song “This Kiss,” among many other songs that were recorded by legends like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Tanya Tucker, Crystal Gayle, Alabama and so many more. She has had success recording her own songs for several of her own albums as well, and her song “Sand and Water” was sung by Elton John on one of his American tours.
Mike Reid, who had a Pro Bowl career in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals, returned to music and wrote many hits for a variety of artists including Ronnie Milsap, Alabama and Tanya Tucker. His biggest hit was likely his co-write of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” He has written several musicals as well, and is also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Joe Henry has a fabled career as an artist, songwriter and producer. He has released 16 albums of his own material, and has had his songs recorded by Madonna, Bonnie Raitt, Rosanne Cash, Government Mule and many more. Joe’s production credits include artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Solomon Burke, Susan Tedeschi, Aimee Mann, Aaron Neville and more.
Matraca Berg has written hit songs for a wide variety of country artists and released seven albums of her own material. One of her big hits was “You and Tequila” by Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter. Lera Lynn is an independent singer-songwriter who produces her own albums as well as writing songs for TV shows like “True Detective.” She was even cast as a recurring character who plays her songs in a dive bar where the show’s characters congregate.
There were special classes and performances by Rosanne Cash, Neko Case and Patty Griffin, as well as a producers’ roundtable with Tony Brown, Paul Worley, David Baerwald and Joe Henry. The instructors and panelists are collectively responsible for multiple decades of incredible music — not just radio hits, but some of the best-written songs around. Learning about each of these artists’ creative processes offered insights into songwriting that are hard to find anywhere.
These were the people I got to hang out with all last week in Nashville. The conference was a very immersive experience, with some great classes and performance opportunities. I really appreciate everyone who was there, both instructors and attendees, and am grateful for the opportunity and some personal career advice I got from Crowell and Reid in particular.
I can’t wait for my next trip to Nashville…
– John Bartus’ Perpetual Island Tour stops Thursdays at Sparky’s Landing. Catch John next Monday at Boondocks, and Tuesday and Wednesday at the Key Colony Inn. And check out John’s music anywhere you stream or download your music, or point your browser to: johnbartus.hearnow.com
