Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters

Between 1961 and 1970 Steve Cropper was a fixture at Memphis’ legendary Stax Records and studio, where he worked as a producer, guitarist, engineer, artist, A&R man, and songwriter. During that era he penned over a dozen songs that reached the Top 10 on Billboard's R&B and Pop charts, including Otis Redding’s “Mr. Pitiful" and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay;" Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour,” “Don’t Fight It,” and “634-5789;” Eddie Floyd’s “Knock on Wood;” as well as “See Saw,” which was a hit for both Don Covay and Aretha Franklin. Additionally, his band Booker T. & the MG’s scored with several of Cropper’s co-written instrumental singles, such as “Green Onions,” “Hip Hug-Her,” “Soul-Limbo,” and “Time is Tight.” In the 1970s Steve joined the original incarnation of the Blues Brothers Band and appeared prominently in the film. Additionally, he produced memorable albums such as Tower of Power’s We Came to Play and Jon Cougar's Nothing Matters and What If It Did. Cropper issued a pair of solo albums in the 1980s and went on to release more recent albums in collaboration with former Rascals leader – and previous Songcraft guest – Felix Cavaliere. The multiple Grammy winner was named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the Top 100 Guitar Players of All Time, while Mojo magazine named him the second greatest guitarist, after Jimi Hendrix. His reputation has earned him the opportunity to work with Big Star, John Lennon, Levon Helm, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, Peter Frampton, Jeff Beck, Paul Simon, Buddy Guy, Elton John, Joe Louis Walker, and many others. In the 1990s he was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cropper received Tennessee's Arts and Humanities Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005.   The long list of artists who've covered Steve Cropper's songs includes The Bar-Kays, George Benson, The Blues Brothers, Michael Bolton, David Bowie, Glen Campbell, Clarence Carter, Cher, Eric Clapton, Color Me Badd, Ry Cooder, The Count Basie Orchestra, Creedence Clearwater Revival, King Curtis, Ella Fitzgerald, Free, Eddie Floyd, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Grateful Dead, Buddy Guy, Sammy Hagar, Etta James, Al Jarreau, Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson, Tom Jones, Janis Joplin, Albert King, B.B. King, Peggy Lee, Taj Mahal, Sergio Mendes, Buddy Miles, Aaron Neville, New York Dolls, The Ohio Players, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Esther Phillips, Wilson Pickett, Billy Preston, Lou Rawls, Otis Redding, Martha Reeves, The Righteous Brothers, Johnny Rivers, Roxy Music, Sam & Dave, Seal, Percy Sledge, Joe Simon, Bruce Springsteen, The Staple Singers, Steppenwolf, Rod Stewart, The Sweet Inspirations, T. Rex, James Taylor, Carla Thomas, Tina Turner, The Ventures, Mary Wells, Jackie Wilson, and The Young Rascals.

After Linda Ronstadt scored a Top 10 hit with Billy Steinberg’s “How Do I Make You” in 1980, he went on to score a series of chart-topping singles co-written with Tom Kelly, including “Like a Virgin” by Madonna, “True Colors” by Cyndi Lauper, “Alone” by Heart, "So Emotional" by Whitney Houston, and “Eternal Flame” by the Bangles. Additional Top 10 hits from the Steinberg/Kelly songbook include “In Your Room” by the Bangles, “I Touch Myself” by Divinyls, “I’ll Stand By You” by The Pretenders, and “I Drove All Night,” which was a major international hit three different times, first by Cyndi Lauper, then by Roy Orbison, and, finally, by Celine Dion. After Tom Kelly retired from the music business, Steinberg partnered with Rick Nowels, with whom he won a Grammy for their work on the title track to Celine Dion’s multiplatinum Falling Into You album in 1996. Since the mid-2000s, Billy has written extensively with Josh Alexander, with whom he penned JoJo's Top 5 pop hit "Too Little Too Late" and Demi Lovato’s “Give Your Heart a Break." Additionally, the pair partnered with songwriter/producer – and previous Songcraft guest - Toby Gad for Nicole Scherzinger's #1 UK chart-topper "Don't Hold Your Breath.” Other artists who’ve contributed to Steinberg’s long list of Billboard charting singles include Pat Benatar, Tina Turner, Susanna Hoffs, Chicago, Bette Midler, Ace of Base, Phil Collins, Katharine McPhee, Carrie Underwood, and many others. Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011.

Jamie Floyd is a West Palm Beach, Florida native who grew up in a musical family where she had the opportunity to perform as an opening act for Rascal Flatts, James Taylor, and others. By the age of 11 she’d signed her first production and publishing deals, eventually relocating to Nashville where she found success writing for other artists. She’s best known as the co-writer of “the Blade,” which became the title track to Ashley Monroe’s 2015 album and was named one of the top songs of the year by NPR Music. Co-produced by Vince Gill and featuring a guest appearance by Miranda Lambert, the song became the album’s centerpiece and helped earn the project a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album of the Year. Others who’ve recorded Floyd’s songs include former Brooks & Dunn front man Ronnie Dunn, who featured the song “Once” on his debut solo album, which went to the #1 spot on the Billboard country chart in 2011. Jamie’s song “Trouble Get Me Off Your Mind” was performed by R&B powerhouse Brian McKnight in Dolly Parton’s 2013 TV film A Country Christmas Story, while Hayden Panettiere’s character, Juliette Barnes, performed Jamie’s “Mississippi Flood” on the hit ABC television series Nashville. Floyd’s songs have also been heard on MTV’s Finding Carter, Lifetime’s The Client List, the CW Network’s Beauty & the Beast, and the Lifetime original movie, Manson’s Lost Girls. The SESAC honoree has enjoyed her cross-genre success by writing songs by day and waiting tables by night. The hard-working dual-career up-and-comer is a model for what it takes to carve out a space in Nashville’s increasingly competitive musical landscape. With her recent Sunshine & Rainbows EP attracting new fans and increased industry attention, Jamie Floyd is one to watch!

Doobie Brothers lead singer, guitarist, and founding member Tom Johnston wrote 9 of the first 13 singles issued by the band between 1971 and 1975. These include the hits “Listen to the Music,” “Long Train Runnin’,” “China Grove,” and the classic rock radio staple “Rockin’ Down the Highway.” His voice can be heard on additional Doobies hits, including “Jesus is Just Alright” and “Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me).” After being sidelined by health issues, Michael McDonald replaced Johnston in the band, with Tom eventually going on to a solo career. He released two albums for Warner Bros., scored a Top 40 single with the self-penned “Savannah Nights,” and performed the song “Where Are You Tonight” for the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, which sold over 11 million albums in the US alone. He returned to the Doobie Brothers in the late 1980s, writing the Top 10 single “The Doctor,” and going on to pen such songs as 1991’s “Rollin’ On,” which was a hit on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. Additionally, he wrote the title track for their 2011 album World Gone Crazy. In 2014, the band released the album Southbound, featuring duets with well-known country performers Blake Shelton, Hunter Hayes, Toby Keith, Chris Young, Brad Paisley, and others. Johnston continues to front the Grammy-winning Doobie Brothers alongside fellow founder, guitarist and songwriter Patrick Simmons. The band has sold more than 48 million albums, including The Best of the Doobies, which is among the 100 top-selling albums of all time. 

The legendary songwriting team of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart found early success with songs such as “Lazy Elsie Molly,” which was a Top 10 R&B hit for Chubby Checker, “Come a Little Bit Closer,” which was a Top 5 pop hit for Jay & The Americans, and the instrumental theme song for the long-running soap opera, Days of Our Lives. The pair are best known, however, for writing and producing more than 20 songs for The Monkees, including “Last Train to Clarksville,” “(Theme From) The Monkees,” “I Wanna Be Free,” “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” “She,” “Words,” and “Valleri.” As artists, the Grammy nominated duo found success in the late 1960s with the self-penned Top 40 hits “Out & About,” “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight,” and “Alice Long (You’re Still My Favorite Girlfriend).” Bobby Hart wrote a number of hit singles apart from Tommy Boyce, including “Hurt So Bad,” which was a hit for Little Anthony & The Imperials in 1965 before finding subsequent chart success with the Letterman, Jackie DeShannon, and Linda Ronstadt, who made it a Top 10 pop hit in 1980. He also wrote Helen Reddy’s #1 single “Keep on Singing,” as well as Lane Brody’s #15 country hit “Over You,” which was included in the film Tender Mercies and earned Bobby Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations in 1983. He continued to score on the R&B and pop charts into the 1980s with New Edition’s “My Secret” and Robbie Nevil’s “Dominoes.” Most recently, the Monkees recorded Boyce & Hart’s “Whatever’s Right” on their critically acclaimed 2016 comeback album, Good Times. In 2015 Bobby published his autobiography, Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem into Miracles.   

Still in his 20s, Seth Mosley has emerged as one of the most sought-after and influential creators in the Christian music genre. Beginning as the founder, lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the band Me in Motion, Seth went on to become the go-to producer for major artists such as Newsboys, Michael W. Smith, Audio Adrenaline, and Toby Mac. In 2015 alone he scored a staggering eight #1 hits, including for KING & COUNTRY's "Fix My Eyes," Francesca Battistelli's "He Knows My Name," Mat Kearney’s “Air I Breathe,” and Jeremy Camps' "He Knows." In total, Seth has written nearly thirty charting radio singles. He was named Billboard Christian Producer of the Year for 2013; was awarded a Grammy for his production work on the Best Contemporary Christian Music album of 2014; was named SESAC Christian Songwriter of the Year in 2015; and took home four Dove Awards that same year, including both Producer and Songwriter of the Year.

Jon Foreman is the front man and primary songwriter for the spiritually-minded alternative rock band Switchfoot. The group has released nine studio albums, including 2003’s The Beautiful Letdown, which sold more than two and a half million copies, earning it double platinum status. Their last six albums have hit the Top 20 on the Billboard 200 Album chart, with five of them going to #1 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart. With RIAA certified Gold selling singles “Meant to Live,” “Dare You to Move,” and “Stars,” Switchfoot has won 14 Dove Awards, including Artist of the Year, which they took home in 2005. They won a Grammy for Best Rock Gospel Album in 2010 for their Hello Hurricane LP. Foreman has released two albums with Nickel Creek’s Sean Watkins under the name Fiction Family, as well as two thematic series of critically acclaimed solo EPs. His songs have been covered by Mandy Moore, Taylor Swift, Mutemath, Meatloaf, Amy Grant, and others. In 2001 Foreman was honored with the Les Paul Horizon Award as the most promising up-and-coming guitarist at the annual Gibson Guitar Awards in Los Angeles. He is an avid surfer and a contributor to the Huffington Post, where he blogs about life, music, and culture.

In 1995, Billboard magazine listed the Top 20 countrysongs of the previous 35 years. Bill Anderson wrote four of those20 songs, and has continued writing them ever since, becoming theonly country songwriter to land a Top 40 hit in seven consecutivedecades. After signing with the Decca label in 1959, Andersonreleased 37 records as an artist that reached the Top 10 onBillboard’s Country singles chart - eight of which climbedto the #1 position. Though wildly successful as a performer, Billis also a prolific songwriter who penned most of his own hits,including the classics “Po Folks,” “Mama Sang a Song,” “8 X 10,”and “Still,” which was named Billboard magazine’s Song ofthe Year in 1963. His initial songwriting success began in 1958when Ray Price took “City Lights” to the top of the charts for 13weeks. The song became a standard that charted repeatedly in the1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s. Similarly, his “Tips of My Fingers,”reached the Top 10 four different times with versions recorded byRoy Clark, Eddy Arnold, Steve Wariner, and Anderson himself. Billteamed with Roger Miller to co-write “When Two Worlds Collide,”which was a hit for Miller in 1961, Jim Reeves in 1969, and JerryLee Lewis in 1980. Other major hits from Bill Anderson’s vastcatalog include Lefty Frizzell’s “Saginaw, Michigan,” ConnieSmith’s “Once a Day,” and Porter Wagoner’s “Cold Hard Facts ofLife.” After a hiatus, Anderson returned to songwriting in the1990s, co-writing hits including Vince Gill’s “Which Bridge toCross (Which Bridge to Burn)," Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss’s CMASong of the Year “Whiskey Lullaby,” and George Strait’s CMA and ACMSong of the Year “Give It Away.” Bill was elected to the NashvilleSongwriters Hall of Fame in 1975, and inducted into the CountryMusic Hall of Fame in 2001. He has received multiple Grammynominations and more than 50 BMI performance awards. Anderson wasnamed BMI Country Songwriter of the Year six times, and was thefirst country writer ever honored with the prestigious BMI Iconaward in 2002. The Academy of Country Music similarly recognizedhim with their inaugural Poets Award in 2008. His autobiography,Whisperin' Bill Anderson: An Unprecedented Life in CountryMusic, will be released by the University of Georgia Press inSeptember, and is now available for pre-order atBillAnderson.com. 

After finding early success with international pop acts such as Milli Vanilli, the German-born hitmaker Toby Gad went on to write and produce a string of international #1 singles, including Beyonce’s “If I Were a Boy,” Selena Gomez’s “A Year Without Rain,” and Nicole Scherzinger’s “Don’t Hold Your Breath.” He has twice been the recipient of the prestigious ASCAP Song of the Year award, first in 2008 for Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and again in 2015 for John Legend’s “All of Me.” Toby’s contributions to officially certified Gold and Platinum album releases alone represent sales of more than 73 million units worldwide. Other artists who’ve recorded his songs include Ricky Martin, Miley Cyrus, Donna Summer, Brandy, Jordan Sparks, Robin Thicke, Alicia Keys, Demi Lovato, Jazmine Sullivan, Jessie J, One Direction, Kelly Clarkson, Carly Rae Jepson, Leona Lewis, and Madonna. 

Beginning his career as a key player in the UK folk revival of the early 1960s, Donovan scored early hits with “Catch the Wind” and “Colours.” Embracing jazz, world music, and psychedelic influences, he expanded his sound and found success with the major hits “Sunshine Superman” and “Mellow Yellow” in 1966. Additional hits followed, including the Top 20 US singles “Epistle to Dippy” and “There is a Mountain,” as well as the Top 10 hits “Hurdy Gurdy Man” and “Atlantis.” He has recorded nearly thirty albums. Donovan’s songs have been recorded by Neil Young, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Richie Havens, Van Dyke Parks, Jefferson Airplane, the Animals, the Allman Brothers Band, Cher, Eartha Kitt, Glen Campbell, Johnny Rivers, Duane Eddy, Buck Owens, Chet Atkins, Kenny Loggins, Susanna Hoffs, Joan Jett, Sarah McLachlan, Richard Thompson, and many others. He was awarded the prestigious BMI Icon award in 2009, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, and inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014.