Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters

Rod Argent is the founding member, keyboardist, and driving force behind the legendary 1960s British Invasion band, The Zombies. Argent wrote the band’s best known classics, including the Top 10 single “Tell Her No” and the #1 hit “She’s Not There,” which Rolling Stone ranked at #297 on the list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. By the time The Zombies’ 1968 LP Odessey and Oracle was released, the group had disbanded. “Time of the Season” became a surprise hit from the album, however, reaching the Top 5 on the US charts. Over time, Odessey and Oracle has become a cult classic, and was ranked in the Top 100 Greatest Albums of All Time in both Rolling Stone and Mojo magazines. Rod went on to form the band Argent, scoring a Top 5 hit in 1972 with “Hold Your Head Up,” which he co-wrote with former Zombies bandmate Chris White. Additionally, the group recorded the original version of “God Gave Rock and Roll to You,” which was subsequently covered by KISS. After the demise of Argent, Rod threw himself into session work, playing piano on the Who’s classic single “Who Are You,” and working extensively with Andrew Lloyd Weber. He released a handful of solo projects, produced successful albums for artists such as Nanci Griffith and Joshua Kadison, and toured as a member of Ringo Starr’s All Star Band before re-forming the Zombies with original lead singer Colin Blunstone in the mid-2000s. His songs have been recorded by The Ventures, Dusty Springfield, Vanilla Fudge, The Mindbenders, Del Shannon, Santana, Steppenwolf, Uriah Heep, Juice Newton, Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews Band, Susanna Hoffs, Tom Petty, America, Mother Love Bone, Ronnie Spector, and others. The original lineup of The Zombies - Rod, lead singer Colin Blunstone, bassist Chris White, and drummer Hugh Grundy - have just released a career retrospective coffee table book called The Odessey. They’ll launch a tour this month in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the recording of Odessey and Oracle and will perform the full album in its entirety.       Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Natalie Hemby came to prominence as an award-winning Nashville-based writer for other artists, penning at least two dozen songs with or for Miranda Lambert, including the hits “White Liar,” “Only Prettier,” “Baggage Claim,” and the #1 single “Automatic,” which was nominated for a Grammy and named both ACM and NSAI Song of the Year. Additionally, she co-wrote Little Big Town’s chart topping singles “Pontoon” and “Tornado,” the #1 hits “Downtown” by Lady Antebellum and “You Look Like I Need a Drink” by Justin Moore, Toby Keith’s Top 20 “Drinks After Work,” and “Don’t Rush,” which was a hit for Kelly Clarkson and Vince Gill. Additionally, she scored a Top 10 UK pop hit with “Jealous,” a song co-written with - and recorded by - the English producer, performer, and multi-instrumentalist known as Labrinth. Natalie has co-written songs with a long list of artists who’ve gone on to record their collaborations, including Eli Young Band, Amy Grant, Keith Urban, Sheryl Crow, Brett Eldredge, Chris Isaak, Laura Bell Bundy, Dierks Bentley, Maren Morris, Johnnyswim, and previous Songcraft guests Trent Dabbs, Lori McKenna, and Maia Sharp. Others who’ve dipped into the Natalie Hemby songbook include Lee Ann Womack, Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Blake Shelton, Jerrod Niemann and Lee Brice. In addition to writing a half dozen #1 hits, Hemby co-produced a documentary about her grandfather’s hometown called Puxico, which was the inspiration for the eponymous album that’s been heralded by The New York Times, NPR, and Rolling Stone as an early favorite of 2017. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The legendary Jerry Chesnut has written more than three dozen Top 40 singles, including Top 10 classics such as Jerry Lee Lewis’s “Another Place, Another Time,” Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton’s “Holding On to Nothing,” George Jones’s “A Good Year For the Roses,” Faron Young’s “It’s Four in the Morning,” Loretta Lynn’s “They Don’t Make ‘Em Like My Daddy Anymore,” and  Johnny Cash’s “Oney.” Additionally, he wrote five songs that were recorded by Elvis Presley, including the Top 10 "It's Midnight," and “T-R-O-U-B-L-E,” which would later become a hit single for Travis Tritt. Chesnut also penned charting singles for Tammy Wynette, Dave Dudley, Bobby Goldsboro, Bill Anderson, Hank Williams Jr., Mel Tillis, Tom Jones, and Alan Jackson. His songs have additionally been recorded by Waylon Jennings, Kitty Wells, Ernest Tubb, Eddy Arnold, Ray Price, Marty Robbins, Conway Twitty, Hank Thompson, Willie Nelson, Mark Chesnutt, Johnny Paycheck, George Strait, Elvis Costello, the Counting Crows, and many others. The two-time Grammy nominee was named Billboard’s Country Songwriter of the Year in 1972, was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1996, and became a member of the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame in 2004. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Texas songwriter extraordinaire Radney Foster has written over a dozen Top 10 country hits, including Colin Raye’s “Anyone Else,” Keith Urban’s “Raining on Sunday,” and Sara Evans’s “A Real Fine Place to Start.” He initially hit the scene with songwriting partner Bill Lloyd, with whom he penned Sweethearts of the Rodeo’s “Since I Found You.” The pair gained success as performers with the Top 10 singles “Crazy Over You,” “Sure Thing,” “What Do You Want From Me This Time,” and “Fair Shake,” earning four nominations for CMA Vocal Duo of the Year. Foster’s debut solo album, Del Rio, TX 1959, spawned five charting singles, including the Top 10 hit “Nobody Wins.” He has gone on to release nine additional albums as a highly respected singer/songwriter, while continuing to have his material recorded by others. Notable highlights from the Foster songbook include The Mavericks’ “I Got You,” The Dixie Chicks’ cover of “Godspeed (Sweet Dreams),” Dierks Bentley’s recording of “Sweet and Wild,” Pat Green’s Top 40 single “Three Days,” Jack Ingram’s Top 20 single “Measure of a Man,” Keith Urban’s chart-topping take on “I’m In,” as well as “Somebody Take Me Home” from Kenny Chesney’s #1 triple platinum album The Road and the Radio, and “I Knew You That Way” from Luke Bryan’s multi-platinum #1 album Tailgates & Tanlines. The long list of additional artists who’ve recorded Radney’s songs includes Guy Clark, Hootie & The Blowfish, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Brooks & Dunn, Gary Allan, Kenny Loggins, and, Darius Rucker. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

After establishing herself in Europe, New Zealand native Pam Sheyne broke through to international songwriting success when “Genie in a Bottle” hit #1 in more than 20 countries, sold millions of copies around the world, cemented Christina Aguilera’s place as a new pop superstar, and earned Sheyne an Ivor Novello award for International Hit of the Year. Pam went on to pen the single “Mirror Mirror” for the Norwegian pop duo M2M, which landed in the Top 20 on the US Dance chart, as well as “He Loves U Not,” which was recorded by the girl group Dream, hit #2 on the Billboard pop chart, and was certified Gold after selling more than a half million copies in the US. She went on to write “Irresistible,” the title track to Jessica Simpson’s second album, which reached #15 on the Billboard pop singles chart in 2001. Pam also co-wrote the Top 40 single “She Said” for teen pop singer turned Academy Award winning actress, Brie Larson, and the #1 hit “Lighthouse” for South African Idol winner Elvis Blue. Other artists who’ve recorded her songs include Sheena Easton, O Town, Nick Lachey, Lindsay Lohan, Ce Ce Winans, Vitamin C, Corinne Bailey Rae, Demi Lovato, Seal, and others. In addition to her creative efforts, Pam is also a tireless advocate for the songwriting community and has been in the trenches fighting for fair legislation and business practices that support the songwriting profession. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Scott and Paul look back on the first two years of Songcraft, sharing memories and clips of previous episodes, including some of their favorite moments from classic interviews. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sonny Curtis began his music career in Lubbock, Texas, playing lead guitar in Buddy Holly’s pre-Crickets band, The Three Tunes. He landed his first hit as a songwriter when Webb Pierce took his song “Someday” to #12 on the Billboard country chart in 1957. He went on to his own performing career, both as a solo artist and as the longtime guitarist and vocalist for the post-Buddy Holly Crickets, while continuing to write songs that became hits for others. These include The Everly Brothers’ “Walk Right Back,” Andy Williams’ “A Fool Never Learns,” The Bobby Fuller Four’s “I Fought the Law,” Bobby Goldsboro’s “The Straight Life,” Leo Sayer’s “More Than I Can Say,” and Keith Whitley’s #1 country hit, “I’m No Stranger to the Rain.” In addition, Curtis wrote and performed “Love is All Around,” the theme song to The Mary Tyler Moore Show. His music has been covered by Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, The Grateful Dead, The Stray Cats, Bryan Adams, John Cougar Mellencamp, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Waylon Jennings, Hank Williams, Jr., Joan Jett, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, Chet Atkins, Johnny Rivers, Green Day, Harry Nilsson, Glen Campbell, and many others.  He’s a member of the Musician’s Hall of Fame and the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1991. In 2012 he and his fellow Crickets were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which also counted Sonny’s “I Fought the Law” as one of the 500 “Songs That Shaped Rock.” Similarly, “I Fought the Law” is on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Multi-Grammy award winner Loretta Lynn is an American music legend. The Kentucky native married as a young teenager, moved to Washington State, and had four children by age 20. She poured her energies into life as a homemaker before teaching herself to play guitar and write songs. Her life experiences informed her writing style, which gave voice to the concerns of everyday working class women. She landed a record contract with a regional label and tirelessly promoted her first single, “I’m a Honky Tonk Girl,” to radio stations across the country. The record climbed to #14 on the Billboard country chart, leading to a move to Nashville. After appearing on the Grand Ole Opry and signing a songwriting deal with the Wilburn Brothers’ publishing company she was recruited to Decca Records by legendary producer Owen Bradley. Loretta went on to place more than 75 singles on the Billboard country chart as either a solo artist or as a duet partner with Ernest Tubb or Conway Twitty. More than 50 of those singles hit the Top 10, including 15 #1 hits. Many of her classic songs were self-penned, including “Dear Uncle Sam,” “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” “Don’t Come Home A’ Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ On Your Mind),” “Fist City,” “Your Squaw Is on the Warpath,” “Rated X,” “The Pill,” and “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” which NPR named one of the “100 Most Significant Songs of the Century.” She has received a combined 21 awards from the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music, including the ACM’s Artist of the Decade Award in 1979, the Pioneer Award in 1994, and the Crystal Milestone Award in 2014. She became the first female to win CMA Entertainer of the Year honors in 1972 and became the first female ACM Entertainer of the Year in 1975. She was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1983, the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. She received Kennedy Center Honors in 2003, earned the prestigious BMI Icon award in 2004, took home a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2010, and was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. She has sold more than 45 million records worldwide, was the first woman in country music to receive a certified Gold album, and has been a member of the Grand Ole Opry for nearly 55 years.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tom Russell is a painter, essayist, and critically lauded singer-songwriter in the Western folk tradition, All Music Guide called him “perhaps the finest American folk-roots artist that most Americans never heard of,” while Rolling Stone’s John Swenson dubbed him “the greatest living folk-country songwriter.” Russell was discovered by Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter in New York in the early 1980s and launched his solo artist career soon after. His songs “Blue Wing” and “Black Pearl” each reached the Top 40 on the Canadian country charts, while Suzy Bogguss took “Outbound Plane,” which Tom co-wrote with Nanci Griffith, to the Top 10 in the US. The hyper-literate and historically-minded troubadour poet has found loyal devotees including cultural icons ranging from Johnny Cash, who recorded his songs, to David Letterman, who invited Russell on his late night show on at least five different occasions. Songs such as “Gallo del Cielo” and “Navajo Rug” have become fan favorites, while “Tonight We Ride” was selected by the Western Writers of America as one of the Top 100 Western Songs of all time. Tom’s songs have been recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker, Guy Clark, Dave Alvin, Doug Sahm, Joe Ely, Nanci Griffith, Iris Dement, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Ian Tyson, k.d. lang,  and others. Mojo magazine called his conceptual LP The Rose of Roscrae “the top Folk album of 2015. That same year, Russell won the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for excellence in music journalism. His most recent work is Ceremonies of the Horsemen, a collection of essays he has written for Ranch & Reata, the Journal of the American West. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The daughter of legendary Nashville songwriter and producer Buddy Cannon, Marla Cannon-Goodman first made her mark when Lee Ann Womack took her song “The Fool” to the top of the country charts in 1997. Cannon went on to pen the #1 hits “Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo” by Tracy Byrd and “Cleaning This Gun” by Rodney Atkins, as well as the hit singles “Don’t Make Me” by Blake Shelton and “Rock On” by Tucker Beathard. Other artists who’ve recorded her songs include Sammy Kershaw, Susan Ashton, Craig Morgan, Tracy Lawrence, Billy Currington, Eric Church, Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Joe Nichols, Sara Evans, and others. She is a multiple ASCAP award winner and regularly lends her talents to various charities and fundraising efforts in the Nashville community. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.