Songcraft: Spotlight On Songwriters

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 wh

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.

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 W

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

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 sel

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.

Launching his professional career as a child actor on Broadway, Gary Wright eventually moved to Europe to pursue post-graduate studies in Psychology. While there, he co-founded the group Spooky Tooth as keyboardist and primary songwriter. He departed in 1970 to launch a solo career and, during this era, began working as a studio musician, playing on George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass album, Ringo Starr’s “It Don’t Come Easy,” Harry Nilsson’s “Without You,” and other notable recordings by legends such as B.B. King and Jerry Lee Lewis. His work with George Harrison led to a lifelong friendship, resulting in Wright appearing on every Harrison solo album in the 1970s. George recorded several of their co-written compositions, including “If You Believe” from his 1979 self-titled album and “That’s What It Takes,” which the two composed with Jeff Lynne for the acclaimed Cloud 9 album. After a second stint with Spooky Tooth from 1972-1974, Gary’s commercial breakthrough as a solo artist came when he signed with Wa

A multiple BMI award-winning songwriter, Maurice Williams is best known for penning two R&B classics, “Stay,” and “Little Darlin’.” The latter song first appeared on the Excello label in 1957 as recorded by Williams’ own group, The Gladiolas. It was soon covered by The Diamonds, who made it a national #2 hit on both the Billboard pop and R&B charts. Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up” kept the song from the top spot, though Elvis himself would later record “Little Darlin’” for his 1977 Moody Blue album. Williams’ Gladiolas eventually morphed into Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, who topped the charts with “Stay” in 1960. Though the song is only 97 seconds long, its infectious falsetto harmony hook, “Oh won’t you stay just a little bit longer,” made it an instant doo-wop classic and the record holder for the shortest song to ever hit #1 on the Billboard pop chart.  Other artists have charted with their own Top 20 hit versions, including the Hollies, the Four Seasons, and Jackson Browne. The Zodiacs’ origi

Pioneering female artist and celebrated Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson, landed more than 30 songs on the Billboard charts between 1954 and 1974. These include the self-penned singles "Right or Wrong" and "In the Middle of a Heartache," two Top 10 hits which proved to be Jackson’s most successful records as a solo artist. Beginning her career as a pure country singer, Wanda’s debut single was a duet with Billy Gray called “You Can’t Have My Love.” Released on Decca Records, the song hit #8 on the country chart in 1954. She later switched to the Capitol label where she was encouraged by then-boyfriend and tour mate Elvis Presley to embrace rockabilly. Facing a lack of female-oriented material in the genre, Wanda penned her own songs, including the rockabilly standards "Mean Mean Man," "Rock Your Baby," "Cool Love" and "Baby Loves Him," each of which was released as a single on Capitol Records and later appeared on her classic Rockin' with Wanda LP. Additionally, she penned Top 10 hits for other artists, in

Gordon Kennedy is a Nashville-based songwriter, producer, and guitarist best known for co-writing “Change the World,” which Eric Clapton took to the top of the charts and kept in the Top 20 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary rankings for an unprecedented 81 weeks. That success won Kennedy a Grammy Award for Song of the Year and turbocharged his commercial songwriting career. After scoring a #3 Billboard country hit with “You Move Me” in 1998, Garth Brooks went on to release 10 more Kennedy-penned songs on his 1999 Chris Gaines album. These included the Top 5 pop hit “Lost in You” and “It Don’t Matter to the Sun,” which fell just shy of the Top 20 on the country chart. Kennedy has enjoyed additional charting singles, such as Faith Hill’s “It Will Be Me;” the Clark Family Experience’s “Meanwhile Back at the Ranch;” Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood’s “Love Will Always Win;” Carrie Underwood’s “The More Boys I Meet;” and Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Help You Now,” “I Will Not Be Broken,” and “Gypsy in Me.” Other art

Mississippi native Trent Dabbs relocated to Nashville in the early 2000s, where he’s carved out a niche on the local indie rock and Americana scene. Over the last twelve years, he’s released ten solo albums, a collaborative EP with edgy country sensation Ashley Monroe, and two retro R&B inspired projects with fellow singer/songwriter Amy Stroup under the name Sugar + The Hi-Lows. Earning significant critical acclaim, All Music predicted that Sugar + The Hi-Lows “just might be the next breakout band to capture the nation’s imagination.” Dabbs is a co-founder of the Ten out of Tenn artist collective, and has collaborated with high-profile songwriters, including Lori McKenna, Gabe Dixon, Joy Williams of the Civil Wars, and Kacey Musgraves, with whom he penned the Top 40 country single “Undermine” from the hit TV show Nashville. Other songs from the Trent Dabbs catalog that have appeared on the series include “World on Time,” “I’m Coming Over,” “Shine,” and “Don’t Put Dirt on My Grave Just Yet,” which became

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 s

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

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

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 tr

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 DeShan

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

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 W

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.