NEW SONGWRITER "BEHIND THE SONG" SHOW TO DEBUT ON WSM

Source: The Tennessean

By: Jessica Bliss

Ever wonder exactly what ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Ben Hayslip was thinking when he penned songs like “Gimmie That Girl” and “Honey Bee?”

ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Ben Hayslip performs at the 2012 ASCAP awards.(Photo: Dipti Vaidya / The Tennessean)

Today, 650 AM WSM debuts a show that will offer music fans just that insight, with “The ASCAP Songwriters Show.”

It will air Wednesdays 2-3 p.m. and each week will feature an ASCAP songwriter, who will share stories behind songs they have written, play live in the studio and reveal new songs currently being pitched to today’s artists.

Today’s premiere will spotlight Hayslip and publisher Rusty Gaston (This Music/Warner Chappell). On Monday, at the 50th Annual ASCAP Country Awards, Hayslip won his second consecutive Songwriter of the Year prize, and his “Honey Bee” — written with Rhett Akins and recorded by Blake Shelton — shared a Country Song of the Year award.

“More than possibly any other radio station in America, 650 AM WSM understands that it all begins with a songwriter,” WSM General Manager Tom English said in a release. “After all, the phrase ‘Music City USA’ was coined on our airwaves, and we are thrilled to partner with ASCAP and Regions Bank to provide this one-of-a-kind showcase of incredible Nashville talent on our one-of-a-kind radio station.”

Songwriters on upcoming shows include Dave Turnbull, Odie Blackmon, Jeff Allen, Hannah Dasher, Josh Osborn, Trevor Rosen, James LeBlanc and Lynn Hutton. A calendar of show guests is available at http://www.wsmonline.com.