Songcraft: Spotlight On Songwriters

Rival Sons front man Jay Buchanan takes us deep into the writing process for his fantastic debut solo album, Weapons of BeautyPART ONE:Scott and Paul talk about Scott's experiences at the GRAMMY AwardsPART TWOOur in depth conversation with Jay BuchananABOUT JAY BUCHANANJay Buchanan is best known as the front man of the rock band Rival Sons whose catalog includes the landmark albums Pressure & Time, Great Western Valkyrie, and Feral Roots, which earned GRAMMY nominations for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Performance. Hand-picked by Black Sabbath for their final tour and chosen by Guns N’ Roses for their 2025 European stadium run, Rival Sons have shared stages with The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Metallica and Lenny Kravitz. Buchanan has recently switched creative gears to release his debut solo album, Weapons of Beauty, a stark departure from his work with Rival Sons that emerged from three months of intensive songwriting sessions in the solitude of the Mojave Desert.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWi

Alexa Ray Joel, the daughter of legendary singer/songwriter Billy Joel and supermodel/actress Christie Brinkley, talks about her own experiences as a songwriter and performer who draws from a deep well of personal experiences. PART ONEPaul and Scott talk about...(gasp!) NEW music! PART TWOOur in-depth conversation with Alexa Ray JoelABOUT ALEXA RAY JOELSinger, songwriter, and pianist Alexa Ray Joel released her debut EP Sketches in 2006 and has since released a series of singles, including the most recent, “Heavy Eyes.” The daughter of legendary singer-songwriter Billy Joel and supermodel and actress Christie Brinkley, Alexa Ray began writing songs as a teenager. Her performances at Café Carlyle have showcased her eclectic repertoire, including original songs, Broadway numbers, and nods to her father and Ray Charles, for whom she was named. The New York Times praised her as a “singer confidently following her heart.” She has been a part of The Gap’s “Back to Blue” television ad campaign, and has ventured into

18-time Grammy nominee and American musical legend Taj Mahal goes deep on his influences and his approach to the craft. PART ONEPaul and Scott kick off the new year with a discussion about the nominees for the upcoming Grammy Awards. And more! PART TWOOur in-depth conversation with Taj MahalABOUT TAJ MAHALSinger, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal has mastered the blues form and has further built upon it by incorporating world music influences and expanding the boundaries of the genre. Growing up in Massachusetts, he made his way to Southern California in the mid-1960s where he formed the Group Rising Sons with Ry Cooder, Jessie Lee Kincaid, and Kevin Kelley. They signed with Columbia Records but, upon disbanding, Taj joined forces with guitarist Jesse Ed Davis and remained on the label as a solo artist. After a dozen albums with Columbia, he moved to Warner Bros. Records in the mid-1970s. Following a period spent living in Hawaii and largely out of the limelight in the 1980s, he ultimately reeme

We've been celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, for our final "classic episode" of 2025, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with "All I Want for Christmas" co-writer Walter Afanasieff. Happy holidays and thanks for a great year of looking back together as we continue to look toward the future!ABOUT WALTER AFANASIEFFThirteen-time Grammy nominee and two-time winner Walter Afanasieff is best known for his collaborative songwriting and production partnership with Mariah Carey that yielded hit singles such as “Can’t Let Go,” “Dreamlover,” “Hero,” “Without You,” “Anytime You Need a Friend,” “Butterfly,” “My All,” and “One Sweet Day,” a duet with Boyz II Men that was named ASCAP Song of the Year. It hit #1 in December of 1995 and stayed there for sixteen weeks—a record that remained unbroken for more than two decades. Their “All I Want for Christmas is You” was released in 1994 and has since become a holiday standard. It h

GRAMMY winner and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Mike Reid chats about his remarkable musical life. PART ONEScott and Paul talk about the sports games and so much morePART TWOOur in depth conversation with Mike ReidABOUT MIKE REIDNashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Mike Reid has written twelve #1 country songs and has had his work recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Anita Baker, Bette Midler, Prince, George Michael, Nancy Wilson, Etta James, Kenny Rogers, Ann Murray, Wynonna Judd, Alabama, Joe Cocker, Tanya Tucker, Willie Nelson, Collin Raye and Tim McGraw. He is perhaps best known for co-writing the modern-day standard “I Can’t Make You Love Me” with Allen Shamblin. Launching his music career as a staff songwriter for country star Ronnie Milsap’s publishing company, Reid penned Milsap hits such as “Stranger in My House,” which won a Grammy for Best Country Song” and “Lost in the Fifties Tonight,” which was named ASCAP’s Country Song of the Year. As an artist, Mike signed with Columbia Records and scored a #1 hit

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with Elvis Costello. ABOUT ELVIS COSTELLOReleased between 1977 and 1979, Elvis Costello’s first three albums—My Aim is True, This Year’s Model, and Armed Forces—were all included in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. That early period of his recording career yielded now-classic singles such as “Alison,” “Watching the Detectives,” “Pump it Up,” “Radio Radio,” “Oliver’s Army,” “Accidents Will Happen,” and others.Though he established his career as a rock artist and reached commercial heights in the US with the pop hit “Everyday I Write the Book,” Costello’s more than thirty studio albums cover a breathtaking range of stylistic ground, from Almost Blue, his early 1980s album of country covers, to The Juliet Letters, his 1993 collaboration with The Brodsky Quartet, to North, an album of ballads partially insp

Grammy-winning producer and singer-songwriter Joe Henry gives us insight into his multi-faceted careerPART ONEPaul and Scott chat about their music-themed road trip and say R.I.P. to MTV. PART TWOOur in-depth conversation with Joe HenryABOUT JOE HENRYJoe Henry is a singer-songwriter who became a record producer as a protege of T Bone Burnett. He went on to win Grammy awards for his work with Solomon Burke, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Bonnie Raitt. Additionally, he produced the final albums of the late Allen Toussaint, who credited Henry for ushering him out of retirement. Henry’s contribution to American music remains somewhat enigmatic. Joe’s own records often feature adventurous contributions by instrumentalists, such as one of only two cameos Ornette Coleman ever made with a singer, while his song “Stop” was reworked into Madonna’s hit pop single, “Don’t Tell Me.” The long list of artists Joe has produced includes Ani DiFranco, Aimee Mann, Bettye LaVette, Elvis Costello, Rodney

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2021 conversation with the late Todd Snider. ABOUT TODD SNIDERCelebrated singer-songwriter Todd Snider has continued the troubadour legacy of mentors like John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, while putting his uniquely clever, wry, sly, and often irreverent spin on folk, rock, country, and Americana. Launching his career on Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Records, Snider has spent more than two decades touring relentlessly, both on his own and with legendary artists such as Emmylou Harris. Along the way he’s made a splash with fan favorite songs such as “Talking Seattle Grunge Rock Blues,” “Alright Guy,” “Can’t Complain,” “Beer Run,” “Statistician’s Blues,” and “Play a Train Song.” He has released well over a dozen albums, including The Devil You Know and Agnostic Hymns and Stoner Fables, both of which were named to Rolling Stone’s list

Number one Funkateer Bootsy Collins takes us to Funk University! From his days in James Brown's group, to his work with Parliament/Funkadelic and Booty's Rubber Band, to his recent single that raises awareness about domestic violence, "the world's only rhinestone rock-star doll" tears the roof off the sucker and breaks it all down for us. Songcraft wants the funk!  PART ONE:Paul and Scott discuss particularly recognizable bassists and chat about their expectations of what they thought Bootsy would be like before he landed the mother ship on Songcraft. PART TWO:Our in-depth conversation with the legendary Bootsy CollinsABOUT BOOTSY COLLINS:Named among the top 5 bassists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, Bootsy Collins is one of funk and R&B’s most iconic musicians, singers, frontmen, producers, and characters. He started out playing sessions for King Records in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, then kickstarted his career with James Brown’s backup band, The J.B.'s. He was credited as a songwriter on c

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2021 conversation with Richard Marx. ABOUT RICHARD MARX:Grammy-winning performer Richard Marx has sold more than 30 million albums as an artist, but if you only know him from late 1980s ballads such as “Hold on to the Nights” and “Right Here Waiting,” you only know part of the story. A prolific songwriter, Marx has landed fourteen songs at the top of various Billboard charts, and has written a #1 single in each of the last four decades. His genre-crossing songwriting success includes “What About Me” and “Crazy,” which Kenny Rogers carried to the top of the Adult Contemporary and Country charts, respectively; “Edge of a Broken Heart,” a hit for the female metal band Vixen; “This I Promise You,” a Top 5 pop single for NSYNC that stayed at #1 on the Adult Contemporary Chart for 13 weeks; Josh Groban’s debut single “To Where You Are,” which also reached #1; and

From "King Tut" to the top of the bluegrass charts! Grammy and IBMA award-winning banjoists and songwriters Steve Martin and Alison Brown join us to chat about their respective careers and their first full-length collaborative album, Safe, Sensible and Sane. PART ONEPaul and Scott chat about how impressed they are with all the various hats Alison Brown and Steve Martin wear, while also trying to wrap their heads around the seeming complexity of the banjo. PART TWOOur in-depth conversation with Steve Martin and Alison BrownABOUT STEVE MARTIN AND ALISON BROWNThough he began his career as a stand-up comedian, Steve Martin has released more musical albums than comedy albums. Between 2009 and 2017 he issued six, many of which were collaborations with Steep Canyon Rangers, Edie Brickell, or both. They all reached number one on the bluegrass chart, and nearly all appeared on the Billboard 200. He has been nominated for 15 Grammy awards and has won five, including Best American Roots Song, Best Bluegrass Album, and B

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with Stax legend David Porter.ABOUT DAVID PORTER Named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time,” Porter is best known for his songwriting partnership with Isaac Hayes that helped define the sound of Memphis’s legendary Stax Records. As the first African American staff songwriter at Stax, Porter, along with his partner, wrote and produced songs such as “B-A-B-Y” for Carla Thomas, “Your Good Thing (Is About to End)”—an R&B hit for Mable John that later became a pop and R&B smash for Lou Rawls, and his own recording of “Can’t See You When I Want To.” Hayes and Porter are best known, however, for their work with Sam & Dave, including such classic hits as “You Don’t Know Like I Know,” “You Got Me Hummin’,” “Hold On! I’m Comin’” (which later became a country hit for Waylon Jennings and Jerry Reed), “Soul

Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Shawn Camp pulls back the curtain on his varied career, including his latest album of songs that were composed with the legendary Guy Clark.PART ONEScott and Paul talk about how technology is changing the songwriting game, and other old man complaints. PART TWOOur in-depth conversation with Shawn Camp  ABOUT SHAWN CAMPSinger/songwriter Shawn Camp has written chart-topping hits such as “Two Pina Coladas” by Garth Brooks, “How Long Gone” by Brooks & Dunn, “Would You Go With Me” by Josh Turner, and “River of Love” by George Strait. Additionally, he has written charting singles for Blake Shelton, Billy Currington, Hal Kechum, Wade Hayes, the duo of Sammy Kershaw and Lorrie Morgan, and others. With a foundation in bluegrass and roots music, Shawn became a trusted collaborator of legends such as Loretta Lynn, Guy Clark, and John Prine. He wrote two songs, including the title track, of Willie Nelson’s 2022 album, A Beautiful Time, which won the Grammy for Country Album of the Yea

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2019 conversation with Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls. ABOUT EMILY SALIERSSinger-songwriter Emily Saliers is best known as one half of  Indigo Girls, which NPR called “one of the finest folk duos of all time.” The Georgia-raised musical icon is the sole writer of some of the group’s best-known titles, including “Closer to Fine,” “Hammer and a Nail,” “Galileo,” “Least Complicated,” “Power of Two,” “Get Out the Map,” and others. With fifteen studio albums to their credit, Indigo Girls are Grammy award winners and winners of the Pell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts. They’ve earned seven gold, four platinum, and one double platinum award for album sales and have collaborated with REM, Joan Baez, Brandi Carlile, P!nk, and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello.  In addition to her work with Indigo Girls, Saliers and her father, a retired theology profe

Whitney Phillips, Grammy-nominated songwriter and member of the ensemble cast of the Netflix show Hitmakers, talks about life as a modern-day pop writerPART ONEPaul and Scott dive into the idea of a "perfect song" and discuss some examples of songs they think just might fit into that elusive category.PART TWOOur in-depth conversation with Whitney PhillipsABOUT WHITNEY PHILLIPSWhitney Phillips is a Grammy-nominated songwriter and vocal producer known for her genre-blurring versatility and sharp pop instincts. Originally from Seattle and now based in Los Angeles and Nashville, she has spent over a decade shaping global hits and collaborating with some of the world’s most iconic and emerging artists—including Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, Teddy Swims, Selena Gomez, Anderson .Paak, John Legend, NeedToBreathe, Lil Wayne, Christina Aguilera, Fifth Harmony, Kylie Minogue, Bebe Rexha, and Celine Dion. She co-wrote the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single “Stuck with U” by Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande—the

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2022 conversation with Roland Orzabal. ABOUT ROLAND ORZABAL AND TEARS FOR FEARS:Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith formed Tears for Fears in Bath, England, in 1981 and have gone on to sell 30 million albums worldwide. Their major breakthrough in the UK came in 1982 with the Top 5 single “Mad World” and the subsequent platinum-selling album The Hurting. They gained major steam in the US with their sophomore album Songs From the Big Chair, which included the hit singles “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “Shout,” and “Head Over Heels.” Featured in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Songs From the Big Chair reached #1 and was certified five times Platinum by the RIAA. Tears for Fears’ follow-up single “Sowing the Seeds of Love” was another massive hit, but Curt departed the group not long after. Following a couple of albums with Orzabal at the hel

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with David Crosby and our 2023 conversation with Graham Nash.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Americana Award winner and Grammy nominee Hayes Carll chats about the development of his songwriting and the highly personal nature of his latest album, We're Only Human.   PART ONEPaul and Scott talk about the unfortunate history of songs about rock & roll.PART TWOScott's in-depth conversation with Hayes CarllABOUT HAYES CARLLSinger, songwriter, and Americana mainstay Hayes Carll hit the scene in 2002 with his independently released debut album, Flowers & Liquor. The follow-up, Little Rock, featured songs co-written with Ray Wylie Hubbard and Guy Clark, and became the first self-released album to top the Americana chart. Moving to Lost Highway Records for his third album, Hayes won Song of the Year for “She Left Me for Jesus” at the Americana Music Awards. Soon after, he was honored with the Americana Music Association’s Emerging Artist of the Year recognition. As he continued to release new music, other artists began recording Hayes’s songs, including Kenny Chesney, Brothers Osborne, and Lee Ann Wom

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2021 conversation with Dan Wilson. ABOUT DAN WILSONSongwriter, singer, musician, producer and acclaimed visual artist Dan Wilson is a Minnesota native and Harvard graduate who launched his music career with the band Trip Shakespeare, which was signed to A&M Records. He went on to co-found the rock band Semisonic, whose platinum-selling Feeling Strangely Fine album yielded the singles “Secret Smile,” “Singing in My Sleep,” and “Closing Time,” a chart-topping hit that earned Dan a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song. He went on to reinvent himself as a behind-the-scenes hitmaker, earning a Song of the Year Grammy for co-writing “Not Ready to Make Nice” with the group then known as The Dixie Chicks, and writing three songs on Adele’s multiplatinum 21 album: “Don’t You Remember,” “One and Only,” and “Someone Like You,” which became an international hit and

Five-time Grammy winner, ACM Poet's Award honoree, and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Mary Chapin Carpenter opens up about her process and reflects on her approach to the craft. PART ONE:Paul and Scott geek out hard on Elvis and legendary songwriter Doc Pomus. PART TWO:Our in-depth conversation with Mary Chapin CarpenterABOUT MARY CHAPIN CARPENTERMary Chapin Carpenter is a five-time Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter and performer who has been nominated 18 times in categories ranging from country to Americana to folk to general Record of the Year. Making a name for herself with hits such as “Down at the Twist and Shout,” “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” and “Shut Up and Kiss Me,” she has won two CMA Female Vocalist of the Year awards, two ACM awards, and is one of only a small handful of women who have been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Additionally, she received the Americana Music Association’s “Spirit of Americana Free Speech Award” and was honored with the Academy of Country M