Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters

The guys pay tribute to Little Richard before welcoming Minnesota native Caitlyn Smith, who found her way to Nashville as a songwriter before signing with Monument Records and earning a nod as one of Rolling Stone Magazine’s “10 New Artists You Need to Know.” Her second album, Supernova, was recently released to critical acclaim. Caitlyn’s list of hit songs that have been recorded by other artists includes “Wasting All These Tears,” a Top 5 single for Cassadee Pope, “You Can’t Make Old Friends” by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, and “Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” a multi-platinum hit for Meghan Trainor featuring John Legend. Smith, along with co-writers Kate York and Mary Steenburgen, won a Critics’ Choice Award for the song “Glasgow (No Place Like Home)” from the film Wild Rose. Other artists who’ve recorded Caitlyn’s songs include Lori McKenna, Lucy Hale, Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks, Rascal Flatts, Laura Bell Bundy, Chris Isaak, Lindsay Ell, Lady Antebellum, and Trisha Yearwood.  American Songwriter Podcast Network

The exceedingly generous and gentlemanly Peter Frampton talks about David Bowie giving him his very first job; Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones getting him into a recording studio for the first time; stumbling into session work thanks to George Harrison; writing two massive hits in the same day; how the loneliness of stratospheric success impacted his songwriting; and the inside stories of classics such as "Baby, I Love Your Way," "Show Me the Way," "Do You Feel Like We Do," "I'm in You," and many more.   American Songwriter Podcast Network

In this very special bonus episode, Scott and Paul pay tribute to ten of the songwriters and composers whose lives were claimed by the COVID-19 virus from mid-March to mid-April, 2020, including: Manu Dibango ("Soul Makossa"), Joe Diffie ("New Way to Light Up an Old Flame," "My Give a Damn's Busted"), Alan Merrill ("I Love Rock 'n' Roll"), Ellis Marsalis ("Dear Dolores"), Adam Schlesinger ("That Thing You Do," "Stacy's Mom"), and John Prine ("Angel From Montgomery," "Love is on a Roll"). Plus, they take a moment to remember Bill Withers, a previous Songcraft guest, who died from heart complications on March 30th. American Songwriter Podcast Network

Scott and Paul catch up with Nashville-based singer-songwriter Jessi Alexander, who has a fantastic new album called Decatur County Red. The two-time Best Country Song Grammy nominee has also achieved success as a writer for other artists, including the multi-platinum single "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus, CMA and ACM Song of the Year "I Drive Your Truck,' and the Blake Shelton hits "Drink On It," "Mine Would Be You," and "Turnin' Me On." In this refreshingly honest interview, Jessi talks about everything from professional disappointment to how she keeps new ideas flowing.      American Songwriter Podcast Network

ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons has two Grammy nominations, sixteen Top 10 singles, over 50 million albums sold, and a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Scott and Paul catch up with him to discuss his legendary classic rock catalog, including "La Grange," "Tush," "Cheap Sunglasses," "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Sharp Dressed Man," "Legs," and many more. American Songwriter Podcast Network

An in-depth conversation with the two-time Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer who was a co-founder of both The Moody Blues and Paul McCartney & Wings.  American Songwriter Podcast Network

Three-time Grammy winner and ten-time nominee Shawn Colvin joins Scott and Paul to chat about her remarkable three-decade career as a pioneering folk-pop singer-songwriter.  American Songwriter Podcast Network

The Grammy Song of the Year nominee and ASCAP Song of the Year winner joins us to chat about her wide-ranging career and multi-genre songwriting success. About Wendy Waldman From recording artist to musician to backing vocalist to record producer to multi-platinum songwriter for other performers, Wendy Waldman has a diverse music industry resume. Though her father was a film and television composer who wrote the Perry Mason theme and worked on classics such as The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, Wendy was drawn to the blues and folk music at a young age. Her first serious group was Bryndle, featuring Karla Bonoff, Kenny Edwards, and Andrew Gold. Though they split up before their first album was released, all four would be instrumental in Linda Ronstadt’s success and would re-form in later years to record three albums that are now regarded as modern-day classics. Wendy’s solo career began when she signed with Warner Bros. Records and released her first album, which Rolling Stone magazine called the “singer-songwriter debut of the year.” A series of critically-acclaimed releases followed before Wendy relocated from Los Angeles to Nashville, where she found commercial success with Crystal Gayle’s #1 single “Baby, What About You,” The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s chart-toppers “Fishin’ in the Dark” and “Home Again in My Heart,” as well as Top 10 singles for Lorrie Morgan, The Forester Sisters, and Nicolette Larson with Steve Wariner. Always difficult to pigeonhole, Waldman’s achievements on the country charts were rivaled by her success in the pop world, where she scored with Don Johnson’s Top 5 single “Heartbeat” and Vanessa Williams’s “Save the Best for Last.” which reached #1 on the pop, R&B, and adult contemporary charts, earned Wendy a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year, and was named ASCAP Song of the Year.   Wendy’s songs have additionally been covered by Patti Austin, Kenny Rogers, Reba McEntire, Cher, Alison Krauss, Randy Travis, Percy Sledge, Kathy Mattea, Aaron Neville, Rita Coolidge, CeCe Winans, Bette Midler, Johnny Mathis, Judy Collins, Restless Heart, Barbara Mandrell, Tanya Tucker, Patty Loveless, and many others.  American Songwriter Podcast Network

The Golden Globe winner joins us to chat about his bands Ima Robot (known for the Suits theme song "Greenback Boogie") and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (which Rolling Stone recognized for releasing one of the Top 10 Best Albums of the Year). Plus, Alex reflects on adding film composer to his resume, and the process of creating his eclectic new solo album, I vs. I.  American Songwriter Podcast Network

The Best Country Song Grammy nominee and BMI Country Songwriter of the Year joins us to talk about his career as a consistent Nashville hitmaker in four consecutive decades. EPISODE DETAILS: PART ONE  Scott and Paul pay tribute to Songcraft guest David Olney, who recently passed away on stage at a songwriter festival. PART TWO - 5:50 mark The guys discuss how this episode was brought to you by Pearl Snap Studios in a much more literal way than ever before. PART THREE - 8:05 mark Paul and Scott call up Ed Hill to hear about how be began his musical life as an American kid with a Japanese guitar hooked on the British Invasion and playing in a Mexican band; why landing a steady gig at a famous Bakersfield nightclub made him fall in love with country music; the way he landed his first cut, which became a Top 5 hit; how he keeps his antenna up for new song ideas; what he calls the "yellow legal pad days" of songwriting; the artist who cried when the Ed Hill song he recorded hit #1 on the charts; why a record label stopped promoting one of his singles; how he's never met Martina McBride, Faith Hill, and many others who made his songs famous; and the reason he says stubbornness has given him songwriting longevity. ABOUT ED HILL Starting his career as a musician, Ed Hill earned two ACM award nominations for Piano Player of the Year and received a Grammy award as a member of Mickey Gilley’s Urban Cowboy Band. He went on to become one of Nashville’s top tier songwriters, scoring 400 cuts and more than 40 singles. His very first cut, “’Til Love Comes Again” became a Top 5 hit for Reba McEntire, who later hit #1 with his song “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.” Other Top 5 singles from Hill’s catalog include “Runnin’ Behind” and  ACM Vocal Event of the Year “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” for Tracy Lawrence, “Be My Baby Tonight” for John Michael Montgomery, “It Matters to Me” for Faith Hill, “Whatever You Say” for Martina McBride, “Songs About Me” for Trace Adkins, “How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls” for George Strait, “Drinking Class” by Lee Brice, and “Most People Are Good,” a single for Luke Bryan that was named Song of the Year by the Music Row Awards in 2018. Additional Ed Hill catalog highlights include the Trisha Yearwood classic “Georgia Rain” and Trace Adkins’ “Just Fishin’,” which earned Ed a Grammy nomination for Best Country Song. Five of Ed’s titles have earned the “Songs I Wish I Had Written” recognition from the Nashville Songwriters Association, International. In 2006, Ed was named BMI Country Songwriter of the Year. He recently released a memoir called It Matters to Me: One of Country Music’s Most Beloved Songwriters.     American Songwriter Podcast Network