Ray,

Writing songs for dead people has served me pretty well. I've written several things in the style of Ray Charles, Elvis, Little Feat (Lowell George), early Temptations, and have gotten invitations to many shows, some benefits, and a few cuts here and there. It's also opened the door for me in writing with hit writers who love those artists as well.
You see, that's another thing you have to keep in mind. Songs also are designed to get MORE SONGS. And this is something you hear over and over again in conversations with hit writers. Many songs they had written, certain styles, etc. allowed them to get writing appointments with someone, and THAT is what led them to their hit.

Dana, part of writing a lot of varied styles, helps you get appointments with writers, artists, pubishers, because you have something they didn't have before.
I have a story on that as well.

In my really big "band" performing days, in the 90's, (at one point I was a pretty big draw in Nashville, and sold out everywhere I played.) In the audience were often some pretty big luminaries. Since I had a pretty wide variety of songs, I would do the show in two halves. The first an all out, blues and country show with the full six piece band. Then I would have them take a break and do three songs on my own, all acoustic. I would do a couple of comedy things, then usually something else.
I got into a pretty big facination with the musical "Les Miserables." Particularly the song "BRING HIM HOME." It's a pretty stirring power ballad with some really big range. It was a pretty big diversion from everything else I did, which was the idea.

One Sunday, after a particuarly successful show the night before, I got a call from a man named Kim Williams. Kim was one of those monster writers who had songs like Papa Loved Mama, and Ain't Going Down till the Sun Comes Up" for Garth Brooks, and later "THREE WOODEN CROSSES" for Randy Travis. The man was a celebrity songwriter, and one of those people you really couldn't get to. He was calling me because he had been at the show, and loved my redition of that song and wanted to write a similar song. He had no real "broadway type power ballads" in his catelogue and loved that musicall also.

So we set up the appointment and he had me bring in a CD of songs from Les Miz. The first thirty minutes were listening to those songs and getting in the mood to write something similar. Our conversation led to me picking up a guitar and finding a chord pattern. Through that, we talked our way into some lyrics and got it off and running. Kim had some serious physical problems that forced him to take medication which made him go to sleep. So we had to stop the appointment right after the first verse.
I got home and actually finished the song and was pretty pleased with it. When we got back together he felt the same and before long we had a demo of it. He would always tell people about that song and I played it on shows for him a number of time. And that led me to writing sessions with other hit writers. WE pitched it and actually got a few cuts on it.

A few years later, I was driven crazy by a friend of mine to go to an audition for a play casting in town. I really didn't want to go as I had given up my acting career a few years before. But I went. There were about 100 people there in one of those cattle call auditions where people would go in and come out almost immediately. When I went in, there were three people behind this big table, kind of like you see on television, and I did one of my songs, an uptempo rocker. I kept thinking they were going to stop me and say "NEXT" and I would be out of this thing and shut my friend up.

I finished my song and one of the men asked "Can you do a ballad with range?" I said yes, and I did the song, Kim and I had written. "ALL ALONE AGAIN." They seemed satisfied and I left, being glad to just get out without being shot down. A couple of months later they called me on my ansering machine (remember those?) to go do the play they were casting in Houston. But I didn't call them back because I was into another project and as I said, I was not really interested in doing a play. A couple of months after that, they called back and asked me if I would be interested in doing the show on Broadway? Again, I didn't call them back.

It turned out that the play, called "THE CIVIL WAR" went on to be nominated for a Tony Award, and ran for a couple of years. They were looking for a early 30's guy from the South for the part they were interested in me for. Travis Tritt ended up doing the part.

But that song was what got me the audition. So you never know where these things are going to take you. Just another interesting aspect of music.

MAB

Last edited by Marc Barnette; 01/23/20 10:53 PM. Reason: Cleaning up