Friday, June 28, 2013

SONGWRITERS: A SONG'S FIRST BREATH

When you hear your favorite song, who is the first name you think of? The person singing the song, right? Do you even know who wrote that song, who put the song together and made it worth listening to before it even made it to the artist? Do you know who put the long hours, sweat, and endless headaches into coming up with lyrics and a melody? You should take the time to find out this information and really see what goes into creating a song ... not just any song, but a song worth listening to. It's not as easy as you may think. We have all seen the picture of a writer sitting up in bed and writing his inspiration down on a piece of scrap paper beside the bed, but it's so much more than that.

Writing a song takes skill, writing a great song is a God given talent ... a gift that only a few are truly blessed with. There is no specific art to writing a great song since all songs come from different experiences, thoughts and ideas. Everyone has their own style and means of composition. Yes, some may come from a drunken night where all the writer can remember is that he has a napkin with some words on it stuffed in his jeans pocket, some come from personal tragedy, some come from inner strength, some come from environment and some may come from a simple conversation. The true craft comes in putting those ideas together, creating lyrics that are appealing and telling a story or creating a feeling to capture the listener's attention, sometimes their hearts, and finding just the right combination of melody to bring it all together. It's not as simple as sit down and write a song, get someone to cut it and be done with it. There are issues such as copyright, finding just the right person who sees something special in the song, critics, deciding who owns the song itself once cut, and so on and so on. An artist may write 100 songs a year and not have a single cut or they may get lucky with several cuts. It's a crap shoot. Once one is cut, then royalties come into play and that's where the writer makes their money, but more times than not, it's very minimal. To give you an idea, here is what I found on http://legislative.nashvillesongwriters.com/

> Mechanical Royalty — Writers receive 9.1 cents for a song that sells on an artist’s CD. However, this is usually split with the publisher, leaving the songwriter only 4.55 cents. If the song is co-written, then they receive only 2.275 cents! So, if a writer has a song on a million-selling album, they earn around $22,750.

 > Performance Royalty — A songwriter is paid when his or her song is performed live or on radio, television, or cable. The average performance royalty is under $5,000 per year for those who are lucky enough to receive performance income.

 > Songwriter royalties are THE ONLY INCOME STREAM in America DICTATED by the Federal Government! The rate a songwriter is paid is determined by the Copyright Royalty Board. When and how songwriter royalties are distributed is governed by Congress and the Department of Justice.

 > Songwriters cannot increase their royalty income, even if the cost of doing business increases.

 > A songwriter may go years without receiving royalties. If they have a hit song, the federal government says that the songwriter must receive royalties immediately after they are collected. This means a songwriter might receive most of their income from a song in one calendar year — making that income subject to a disproportionately high income-tax levy. Other creators, such as book authors, can negotiate the terms of their payments over several years for tax purposes — but NOT songwriters! Songwriters were once allowed to average their incomes. This is no longer permitted.

 > Frivolous lawsuits can cost a songwriter their royalty income.

A song has the power to bring people together, to change a person's way of thinking, to help someone that's "lost" to find who they are again and sometimes just feel pretty damn good and want to dance. That's a pretty powerful thing and thanks to the songwriter, their very thoughts, emotions and in some cases, personal circumstances, have made these positive changes in a lot of us and they should be recognized for that.

Writing music isn't just a hobby to most writers, it's their chosen profession, their passion and their creative outlet. They spend night after sleepless night writing down words, phrases, ideas and trying to figure out how to put them together. You can usually find a songwriter performing in crappy bars, songwriter's circles, and small venues usually for free or for tips. If they're better know songwriters, you might find them in such well known venues such as The Bluebird Cafe or The Listening Room. No matter where they are, they're just playing in hopes that the right person will be there at the right time to hear what they've worked so hard on and realize this is the song they've been looking for.

Writers should be celebrated and shown gratitude for what they do. If it weren't for them, we'd have nothing to sing to in the shower, no sad songs when we need a good cry, no iTunes playlists, no bad karaoke and no first song as your wedding. They're the unknown names and small faces behind the big names, but there's nothing small about the product they create. It is universal healing, something that brings us all together and is a language we all understand. Here are that you may want to check out, to say thank you to and take the time to get to know. Some you may know the names, but probably the majority, the average country fan does not. They're great people struggling to make a living just like all of us, they just choose to remain behind the curtain. Most you can find on Facebook, Twitter and they have official websites to check out. Take the time, they take theirs for you everyday.

Twitter: @benhayslip


"Put a Girl In It" - Brooks and Dunn
"Honeybee" and "All About Tonight" - Blake Shelton
"I'm Gonna Love You Through It" - Martina McBride
"Farmer's Daughter" - Rodney Atkins
"I Can Take it From There" - Chris Young
"This Ole Boy" - Craig Morgan
"Anywhere With You" - Jake Owen
and more ...

Twitter: @joeleathers
"Tough" - Craig Morgan
"Love Don't Run" - Steve Holy
"Where I'm From" - Jason Michael Carroll
"Still" - Tim McGraw
"Hemingway's Whiskey" - Kenny Chesney
"I Can't Out Run You" - Trace Adkins
and more ...

Twitter: @bobdipiero


"American Made" - The Oak Ridge Boys
"Wink" - Neal McCoy
"Blue Clear Sky" - George Strait
"Worlds Apart" - Vince Gill
"Gone" - Montgomery Gentry
"That Rock Won't Roll" - Restless Heart
"Lovin' You is Fun" - Easton Corbin
and more ...

Official Website: www.brianwhitesongwriter.com
Twitter: @BWTunes


"Watching You" - Rodney Atkins
"Rough and Ready" - Trace Adkins
"My Baby" - Kix Brooks
"Mama Raised the Hell Out of Me" - Matt Kennon
"Drop" - Gary Allan
and more ...

Official Website: www.bridgettetatum.com
Twitter: @bridgettetatum


"She's Country" - Jason Aldean
"Loud" - Big and Rich "

Official Website: www.dannymyrick.com
Twitter: @dannymyrick
"International Harvester" - Craig Morgan
"She's Country" - Jason Aldean
"Loud" - Big and Rich
"How Far Do Ya Wanna Go" - Gloriana


Official Website: www.rhettakins.com
Twitter: @rhettakins

"Put a Girl In It" - Brooks and Dunn
"Honeybee" - Blake Shelton
"Barefoot and Crazy" - Jack Ingram
"The Shape I'm In" and "Gimme That Girl" - Joe Nichols
"Farmer's Daughter" and "Take a Back Road" - Rodney Atkins
"Parking Lot Party" - Lee Brice
"Hey Girl" - Billy Currington
and more ...

Twitter: @AimeeMayo

"My Best Friend" and "Let's Make Love" - Tim McGraw
"Who You'd Be Today" - Kenny Chesney
"This One's For the Girls" - Martina McBride
"I Wonder", "Red High Heels", "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" and "Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You" - Kellie Pickler
and more ...

Official Website: www.matracaberg.com
Twitter: @MatracaBerg


"I'm That Kind of Girl" and "You Can Feel Bad" - Patty Loveless
"Wrong Side of Memphis" and "XXX's and 000's (An American Girl)" - Trisha Yearwood
"Strawberry Wine" and "We Danced Anyway" - Deana Carter
"Wild Angels" - Martina McBride
"You and Tequila" - Kenny Chesney and Grace Pottter
and more ...

Twitter: @DarrellBrown

"You'll Think of Me", "Raining on Sunday" and "Live to Love Another Day" - Keith Urban
"Why Don't We Just Dance" - Josh Turner
"What I Cannot Change", "Spitfire", "Nothin' Better to Do", and "Some People" - LeAnn Rimes
and a million others ...

Twitter: @davebergmusic

"If You're Going Through Hell" and "These Are My People" - Rodney Atkins
"Moments" - Emerson Drive
"Somebody" - Reba
"Stupid Boy" - Keith Urban
"Don't Make Me" - Blake Shelton
"Better" - Maggie Rose
and more ...

Official Website: http://www.tonyarata.com/


"The Dance" and "The Change"  - Garth Brooks
"Here I Am" - Patty Loveless
"Standing by the River" - The Oak Ridge Boys
"I'm Holding My Own" - Lee Roy Parnell
"Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open" - Clay Walker
and more ...

Official Website: www.kentblazy.com


"If Tomorrow Never Comes", "Somewhere Other Than The Night", "Ain't Goin' Down Til The Sun Comes Up", "It's Midnight, Cinderella", and "She's Gonna Make It" - Garth Brooks
"Headed for a Heartache" - Gary Morris
"That's What I Get for Lovin' You" - Diamond Rio
"My Best Days Are Ahead of Me" - Danny Gokey
and more ...

Official Website: http://www.dallasdavidson.com/
Twitter: @DavidsonDallas

"The One That Got Away" - Jake Owen
 "I Don’t Want This Night To End” and "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)" - Luke Bryan
“We Owned The Night” and "Just a Kiss" - Lady Antebellum
“If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” - Justin Moore
“That’s How Country Boys Roll” - Billy Currington
"Boys 'Round Here" - Blake Shelton
and tons more ...

Allen Shamblin
Official Website: http://www.allenshamblin.com/



"Don't Laugh at Me" - Mark Wills
"The House that Built Me" - Miranda Lambert
"He Walked on Water" - Randy Travis
"Walk on Faith" - Mike Reid
"In This Life" - Collin Raye
"Life's a Dance" - John Michael Montgomery
and more ..
"American Child" - Phil Vassar
"Anywhere USA" - Jason Michael Carroll
"Believe" - Brooks and Dunn
"Bubba Hyde" - Diamond Rio
"The Cowboy in Me", "Everywhere" and "Live Like You Were Dying" - Tim McGraw
"The Good Stuff" - Kenny Chesney
"Hell Yeah" - Montgomery Gentry
and more ...

"I Run to You" - Lady Antebellum
"The House that Built Me" -Miranda Lambert
"My Little Girl" and "Southern Voice" - Tim McGraw
"Little Rock", "The Gift" and "Love Remains" - Collin Raye
and more ...

Twitter: @LukeLaird

"Drinks After Work" - Toby Keith
"Blowin' Smoke" - Kacey Musgraves
"If You Want Some" - Joel Crouse
"Beat This Summer" - Brad Paisley
"Downtown" - Lady Antebellum
"1994" - Jason Aldean
"Parking Lot Party" - Lee Brice
"Pontoon" - Little Big Town
and many more ...

Official Website: http://www.jeffreysteele.net/
Twitter: @JSteeleMusic

"These Days", "Me and My Gang", "My Wish" and "What Hurts the Most" - Rascal Flatts
"Brand New Girlfriend" - Steve Holy
"Chrome" - Trace Adkins
"The Cowboy in Me" - Tim McGraw
"Gone", "My Town", "Something to Be Proud Of" and "Hell Yeah" - Montgomery Gentry
and more ...

Twitter: @masondouglas

"American Beauty" - The Lost Trailers

Official Website: http://www.kristyjackson.com/

"Take it Back" - Reba
"Little Did She Know" - Patti Page



"Why Wait" - Rascal Flatts
"Summer Thing" - Troy Olsen
"Stay Up Late" - Heidi Newfield
"I'm Gonna Love You Through It" - Martina McBride
"In Another World" - Joe Diffie
"I Drive Your Truck" - Lee Brice



"The Thunder Rolls", "Unanswered Prayers", "What's She Doin' Now", and "That Summer" - Garth Brooks
"Goin' Gone" - Kathy Mattea
"Small Town Saturday Night" - Hal Ketchum
"Like We Never Had a Broken Heart" - Trisha Yearwood

Official Website: www.ericpaslay.com
Twitter: @EricPaslay

"Barefoot Blue Jean Night" - Jake Owen
"Angel Eyes" - Love and Theft
"Friday Night" - Lady Antebellum
"Even If It Breaks Your Heart" - Eli Young Band

Official Website: http://scottyemerick.com/


"Beer For My Horses", "I Love This Bar and "As Good As I Once Was" - Toby Keith
"Like My Dog" - Billy Currington
"I Don't Believe in Goodbye" - Sawyer Brown
and more ...

Official Website: www.jamesotto.net
Twitter: @jamesotto


"In Color" - Jamey Johnson
"No Hurry" - Zac Brown Band
and more ...

Official Website: http://chuckcannon.com 


"I Love the Way You Love Me" - John Michael Montgomery
"We Were in Love", "How Do You Like Me Now", and "American Soldier" - Toby Keith
"Space" - Sarah Buxton
"Heaven Help Me" - Wynonna
"I Will Not Say Goodbye" - Danny Gokey
and more ...

Official Website: www.jasonmatthewsonline.com
Twitter: @jmatthewssongs
"Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right" - Billy Currington
"Country Man" - Luke Bryan
"Break Down Here" - Julie Roberts and Trace Adkins (Both cut the song)
"The Ball" - James Otto
"The Life of a Song" - Joey and Rory
"When I Get It" and "Never Regret" - Craig Campbell
"Tough People Do" - Trace Adkins
and more ...

Jim Beavers
"Watchin' Airplanes" - Gary Allan
"Don't" - Billy Currington
"Sideways", "5-1-5-0" and "Am I The Only One" - Dierks Bentley
"Why Don't We Just Dance" - Josh Turner
"Felt Good on My Lips" - Tim McGraw
"Red Solo Cup" - Toby Keith
"American Heart" - Faith Hill
and more ...

Official Website: http://www.tonymullinssongs.com 


"All I Want is a Life" - Tim McGraw
"Angel in my Eyes" - John Michael Montgomery
"How Forever Feels" - Kenny Chesney
"Little Bit of Life" - Craig Morgan
"Something's Gotta Give" - LeAnn Rimes
"Me and My Gang" - Rascal Flatts

Twitter: @rivrutherford

"Ladies Love Country Boys" - Trace Adkins
"Smoke Rings in the Dark" - Gary Allan
"These Are My People" and "Cleaning This Gun" - Rodney Atkins
"I Can Sleep When I'm Dead" - Jason Michael Carroll
"Living in Fast Forward" - Kenny Chesney
"Belongs to You" - Emerson Drive
"Hunt You Down" - JT Hodges
"Real Good Man" - Tim McGraw
"Stealing Cinderella" - Chuck Wicks
and many more ...



"Mr. Know It All" - Kelly Clarkson
"Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Cowboy Cassanova" - Carrie Underwood
"Blessed" - Martina McBride
"When the Sun Goes Down" - Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker
"Went Out Last Night" - Kenny Chesney
"The Man I Want to Be" - Chris Young
"I Love You This Big" - Scotty McCreery
"It's America" - Rodney Atkins

"When She Cries" - Restless Heart
"Long After I'm Gone" - Big Kenny
"The Bible and the Belt" - Due West
"I Believe in Ghosts" - Jason Aldean
and more ...

"Love Don't Run" - Steve Holy
"Good Directions" - Billy Currington
 "I'll Still Be Me" and "Love Land" - Martina McBride

Twitter: @sarahbuxton

"Stupid Boy" - Keith Urban

Twitter: @forasong
"Tonight I Want to Cry", "These Are the Days", "Who Wouldn't Want to Be Me, "Days Go By" and "Til Summer Comes Around", "Sweet Thing" and "Kiss a Girl" - Keith Urban
"Could Have Been Me" and "Words By Heart" - Billy Ray Cyrus
"Norma Jean Riley" - Diamond Rio
"One of These Days" - Tim McGraw
 and so many others ...

Twitter: @rodneylama
"Amarillo Sky". "Johnny Cash", "Take a Little Ride" and"Crazy Town" - Jason Aldean
"Be Grateful" -The Farm
"Crash My Party" and "Drunk on You" - Luke Bryan
"Drink on It" and "Sure Be Cool If You Did" - Blake Shelton
"Feel Like a Rock Star" - Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw
"Get Your Shine On" and "Round Here" - Florida Georgia Line
and more ...

"Don't Forget to Remember Me", "All American Girl" and "Good Girl" - Carrie Underwood
"Then", "American Saturday Night" and "Start a Band" - Brad Paisley
"It Won't Be Like This for Long" - Darius Rucker
"Why Ya Wanna" - Jana Kramer
"Crash My Party" - Luke Bryan
"You're Gonna Miss This" - Trace Adkins
"Take it Off" - Joe Nichols

Twitter: @joshkear

"Need You Now", "Dancin' Away With My Heart" and "Goodbye Town" - Lady Antebellum
"Before He Cheats", "Blown Away" and "Two Black Cadillacs"- Carrie Underwood
"Kissed You (Good Night)" - Gloriana
"Drunk on You" - Luke Bryan
"True Believers" - Darius Rucker
"Highway Don't Care" - Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift
"Redneck Crazy" - Tyler Farr

Twitter: @shanemcanally

"Merry Go Round" and "Blowin' Smoke" - Kacey Musgraves
"Somewhere With You" and "Come Over" - Kenny Chesney
"All the Women I Am" - Reba
"Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" - Luke Bryan
"Alone With You" - Jake Owen
"Mama's Broken Heart" - Miranda Lambert
"Runnin' Out of Air" - Love and Theft
 and more ...
"Pontoon" and "Tornado" - Little Big Town
"Baggage Claim", "White Liar", "Only Prettier" - Miranda Lambert
"Play On" - Carrie Underwood
and more ...

Official Website: http://neilthrasher.com/
"Tattoos on This Town", "Fly Over States" and "Night Train" - Jason Aldean
"She Ain't Right" - Lee Brice
"There Goes My Life" - Kenny Chesney
"I Melt", "Fast Cars and Freedom, "Take Me There", "Why Wait", "Banjo" and "Changed" - Rascal Flatts
"How Country Feels" - Randy Houser
"Strange"- Reba
and more ...

Hillary Lindsey


"Every Storm (Runs Out of Rain)" - Gary Allan
"Bourbon in Kentucky" - Dierks Bentley
"Too Good to Be True" - Eden's Edge
"As If" and "A Little Bit Stronger" - Sara Evans
"American Honey" and "Lookin' for a Good Time" - Lady Antebellum
"Kiss Goodbye", "Shut Up Train" - Little Big Town
"Blessed", "This One's for the Girls"- Martina McBridge
"Fearless" - Taylor Swift
"Jesus Take the Wheel", "Just a Dream", "Last Name", "So Small", "Wasted", "Two Black Cadillacs and "See You Again" -Carrie Underwood
and more ...

Twitter: @corybatten


"Gettin' You Home" - Chris Young
"She Wouldn't Be Gone" - Blake Shelton
"You Can Let Go" - Crystal Shawanda

Official Website: www.victoriashaw.com
Twitter: @victoriashaw 
"The River" - Garth Brooks
"I Love the Way You Love Me" - John Michael Montgomery
"Too Busy Being in Love" - Doug Stone
"Outside My Window" - Sarah Buxton

Twitter: @SkipEwing


"Every Other Weekend" - Reba
"I Believe" - Diamond Rio
"Something That We Do" - Clint Black
"Love, Me" - Collin Raye
"Rebecca Lynn" - Bryan White

Official Website: http://www.lesliesatcher.com/
Twitter: @lesliesatcher

"Tough" - Kellie Pickler
"Troubadour" - George Strait
"When God Fearin' Women Get the Blues" - Martina McBride

Twitter: @kylecjacobs


"More Than A Memory" - Garth Brooks
"Didn't I" - James Wesley
"Jessie James" - Clay Walker
"Still" - Tim McGraw

Official Website: http://www.billymontana.com 


"Bring on the Rain" - Tim McGraw and Jodee Messina
"Hard to Love" - Lee Brice
"More Than a Memory" - Garth Brooks
"Songs for Sale" - David Nail
"Suds in the Bucket" - Sara Evans
"The Hunger" - Steve Holy



"Amazed" - Lonestar
"Wasted" - Carrie Underwood
"Consider Me Gone" - Reba
"Farmer's Daughter" - Rodney Atkins
"Let's Make Love" - Tim McGraw and Faith Hill
"Proud of the House We Built" - Brooks and Dunn
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