Tag Archives: Country Music

Steve Dean: Multi-Platinum Selling Songwriter (PART TWO)

March 2, 2023episodeClass Country Music, Country Artist, Country Music, Country Music Interview, Country Music podcast, Music Interview, songwriter, Steve Deancountrymusicsuccessstories

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Persistence is the key to success. Not giving up. – Steve Dean

We were having so much fun talking to hit songwriter Steve Dean, we had to divide it into 2 parts. Over the past few years, we’ve learned that when you are interviewing an artist in their own home, you get to know them on a deeper level and that was certainly the case with Steve Dean. Steve raised his children in the house where we recorded this interview and when you walk in the door, it feels that way. Steve and his wife have created a cozy home, where love lives. He’s a family man who is grateful that he gets to write songs every day. Steve is a Grammy nominee who has written 6 #1 songs and country artists consider themselves lucky to sing his songs. In this interview, you’ll hear the stories behind some of his biggest hits including Does Your Memory Ever Sleep At Night for Steve Wariner, Reba’s Walk On, The Oakridge Boys, It Takes A Little Rain and Rodney Atkin’s smash Watching You. Steve also talks about his deep commitment to America’s veterans through a non-profit called FreedomsingsUSA.org. where service men and women take their stories, poems, and memories to create songs that heal with help from hit songwriters like Steve. His writing room may be lined with plaques that signify his success, but in this interview, we learn that Steve values the kind of success that can’t be measured in dollars and cents. It comes straight from the heart.

Steve Dean: Multi-Platinum Selling Songwriter (PART ONE)

February 22, 2023episodeClass Country Music, Country Artist, Country Music, Country Music Interview, Country Music podcast, Reba McEntire, Steve Deancountrymusicsuccessstories

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The competition for songwriters in Nashville is off the charts crazy and there are a lot of great writers coming to town every single day. – Steve Dean

Welcome to part 1 of the country music success story of hit songwriter Steve Dean. This Grammy nominee has written 6 #1 songs including Watching You by Rodney Atkins…the most played song on country radio in 2007. Recorded in Steve’s writing room at his home just outside of Nashville which is filled with guitars, Beatles memorabilia, and BMI awards this episode is full of wisdom for songwriters just getting started. Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, by musical parents, Steve lived in a home where music was always playing. His mother taught him how to play the piano when he was about 5 years old and Steve’s dad gave him his first guitar at 9. Teachers in school noticed how well Steve wrote stories and encouraged him to be an author. After earning a degree in advertising at the University of Arkansas, he got his start selling creative to major advertisers until one day, a colleague said: “why don’t you go to Nashville and find artists who will sing the songs you’re writing?” On February 7, 1980, Steve packed up his Toyota and made his way to Nashville where he started writing hit songs that have earned him a Grammy nomination, countless industry awards, and six #1 hits including Watching You by Rodney Atkins which would go on to become the most played record on country radio in 2007. Through it all, Steve has mentored countless young songwriters including Jacy. If you’re thinking of packing up your car and heading to Nashville, listen to this episode first. The great Steve Dean has a lot to tell you!

Sylvia: Award-Winning Artist

January 19, 2023episodeCountry Music, Country Music Interview, Country Music podcast, hit songwriter, Music Interview, Sylviacountrymusicsuccessstories

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The first time I sang was at Pilgrim Holiness Church. I was 3 years old and there were only 20 people in the pews. I got a lot of pats on the head but the most memorable thing was I heard this voice inside of me say: “this is what you do.” – Sylvia

Recorded in Nashville at the home studio of producer John Mock, this interview with Sylvia is full of stories. Born and raised in Kokomo, Indiana, she grew up in a place called Tall Timbers Trailer Park, just 30 feet from the railroad tracks. Sylvia recalls spending lots of time perched high in a tree, inspired by Patsy Cline, dreaming about becoming a singer someday. She was only 19 when she left for Nashville on the day after Christmas and would spend that first week walking up and down Music Rowe, looking for a job. Sylvia got her start as a receptionist learning all about the music business, but it wouldn’t be long before executives discovered she could really sing. Signed to RCA records, she came on strong with 3 top ten songs including her multi-format hit “Nobody” which climbed to number 1 on the country chart, #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and top 5 at AC radio. “Nobody” became her signature song and was the most played record of 1982, winning Sylvia the Academy of Country Music’s Female Vocalist of the Year award and a Grammy Nomination for “Best Female Vocalist.” In this interview, you’ll hear about her next chapter which includes a rewarding career as a life coach and a new album long in the making called Nature Child: A Dreamer’s Journey. Says Sylvia says: “I truly love to sing. It doesn’t matter if anybody is listening. I just love to sing and that has never changed. I’m carving my own way in life with music and I hope people love it. “ www.sylviamusic.com. Amen, sister. We do love it.

Pam Tillis – Grammy & CMA Award-Winning Artist (PART TWO)

December 13, 2022episodeClass Country Music, Country Artist, Country Music, Country Music podcast, Glen Campbell Museum, Mel Tillis, PAM TILLIScountrymusicsuccessstories

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In the early days especially, I really did have a fire. I was very self-motivated. I wanted it so bad and I pushed that internal override button and just got on with it. – Pam Tillis

Welcome to part two of our exclusive interview with multi-Grammy winner Pam Tillis. Recorded at the Glen Campbell Museum, this part of our conversation includes the stories behind some of Pam’s greatest hits including Mi Vida Loca, Maybe It Was Memphis, Shake the Sugar Tree, and Don’t Tell Me What To Do. Pam also reveals the vocal performance she is most proud of, and how it felt to stand beside her father on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry to sing their duet, Waiting On The Wind. What makes this episode so special is Pam’s willingness to be “unvarnished” as she shares the details of an iconic career of her own, and as the daughter of the legendary Mel Tillis.

Pam Tillis – Grammy & CMA Award-Winning Artist (PART ONE)

December 1, 2022episodeCountry Music, Country Music Interview, Country Music podcast, Glen Campbell, Glen Campbell Museum, Mel Tillis, Music Interview, PAM TILLIScountrymusicsuccessstories

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You can’t record a good song. You have to record a great song. I don’t want a song, I want an event. I knew that’s what it would take to get me off the ground. – Pam Tillis

This week, we’re sitting down with Pam Tillis who is not only the daughter of country music legend Mel Tillis but an icon in her own right. Pam is a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry and a 2-time Grammy winner with 6 number-1 hits and 14 top 10 singles. With more than 30 singles charting on Billboard, Pam has sold more than 7 million copies of her studio albums. A 15-time CMA nominee and a 9-time ACM nominee, Pam’s music dominated country radio in the ’90sand she remains one of the very best singer/songwriters in Nashville. In this interview, you will get to know the very personal side of Pam who shares details about her “country chaos” childhood, making her way in country music as a demo singer, the art of songwriting, finding the best songs to record, and sage advice about what it takes to succeed in Nashville. Recorded at the Glen Campbell Museum in Nashville, this interview includes a very special reunion for Jacy and Pam who worked together for years. This interview is so packed with Pam’s stories, we’re splitting it in two, so don’t miss our next installment which includes the stories behind her biggest hits and what Pam considers the secret ingredient to her success in country music.

Julie Roberts – Platinum Selling Singer & Songwriter

November 17, 2022episodeCountry Artist, Country Music, Country Music Interview, Country Music podcast, erin ederlin, Julie Roberts, Shooter Jenningscountrymusicsuccessstories

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If something fills your soul like music fills mine when I’m singing on stage, the feeling that I feel driving back home is I don’t wanna go back home, I wanna go to the next town and that’s how I’ve always been. -Julie Roberts

Welcome to the story you probably never knew about platinum-selling singer/songwriter Julie Roberts. We jumped in the car for a ride to her home just outside of Nashville expecting to get the scoop on her comeback record: Ain’t In No Hurry and ended up hearing a story steeped in incredible highs and the lowest of lows. From a childhood marked by an abusive alcoholic father to the strength she learned by watching her beloved mother, Julie Robert’s story is all about resilience. Once the receptionist at Mercury Records, Julie burst on the scene as a brand new country artist in 2004 with her smash single: Break Down Here. Despite more than 2 million records sold, Julie’s hopes and dreams were crushed six years later when she lost her Nashville home in the hundred-year flood, was diagnosed with MS, and dropped by Mercury records. In this interview, she shares all these stories and more, including her MS recovery, her happy marriage, and the singular joy she experienced with the birth of her son Jackson through IVF. Recorded in her living room, just a few feet away from a stunning grand piano and vocal microphones ready for rehearsal, Julie Roberts is re-energized by her collaboration with legendary producers, Shooter Jennings and Erin Enderlin. Her album Ain’t In No Hurry is loaded with songs that bring out the best in her soulful, powerhouse voice which has a special way of breathing life into any story song. Joined by Jamey Johnson on Music City’s Killin’ Me and Randy Houser on A Little Crazy’s Kinda Nice, Julie Roberts is playing big at the top of her game. Take a listen as we reveal the heart of a kind woman who sings because she loves it and is just plain happy to be back.

Rita Wilson: Award-Winning Actress, Singer, Songwriter and Producer

September 28, 2022episodeCountry Artist, Country Music, Country Music Interview, Country Music podcast, Elvis Costello, Glen Campbell Museum, Jackson Browne, Jimmie Allen, Josh Groban, RIta Wilson, Tim McGrawcountrymusicsuccessstories

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Music was always my first love. I had an aching, a longing to get on a stage as a very young age. – Rita Wilson

Get ready for an up-close and very personal interview with Rita Wilson. Recorded in the green room at CMA Fest 2022, this is a rare look at one of the entertainment industries’ most versatile artists. From her early career on legendary TV shows like The Brady Bunch, Happy Days, MASH, Bosom Buddies and Three’s Company to leading roles in film and on stage, Rita’s inner-glow shines through in any genre. In this interview, she admits that there is no greater joy than pouring your heart into a song. Her latest album is a labor of love, co-produced by Grammy winner Matt Rowlings. Packed with timeless duets from the 70’s, Now & Forever features Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne, Vince Gill, Elvis Costello, Jimmie Allen and Leslie Odom, Jr. The lead single features Josh Groban intertwined with Rita’s flawless vocal on the Fleetwood Mac classic, Songbird. In this interview, Rita opens up about a success story very few women in show business experience. This episode includes stories about her parent’s immigration to the United States, performing at the Grand Ole Opry, her breast cancer diagnosis, her devotion to her family and how songwriting came late, encouraged by Kara DioGuardi. But it is Rita’s answer to our final question about the key to her success that left us speechless. There were tears in Rita’s answer and we left knowing that we had just interviewed a person of great character. For a deep dive into the trajectory of a superstar, just hit that download button.

Glen Campbell Tribute: Part One – TK Kimbrell, Mike Borchetta & Julian Raymond

April 27, 2022episodeClass Country Music, Country Music, Country Music Interview, Glen Campbell, Glen Campbell Museum, Julian Raymond, Mike Borchetta, Music Interview, Rhinestone Cowboy, TK Kimbrellcountrymusicsuccessstories

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There was never a more wonderful human being on the planet than Glen Campbell. – Mike Borchetta

Generations of artists count Glen Campbell as one of the greatest artists who ever lived. He was gifted with the kind of voice that connected to the lyric and the listener in a memorable way. Experts say that Glen Campbell was the greatest guitarist to ever play. In fact, he was a member of the famous Wrecking Crew, an outstanding session guitarist who played on some of the greatest records ever made like Strangers in the Night by Frank Sinatra, Viva Las Vegas by Elvis Presley, and You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling by The Righteous Brothers, Bridge Over Troubled Waters by Simon & Garfunkel. Willie Nelson once said: “When the good Lord was passin’ out talent, Glen Campbell got on the line twice.”

This episode was recorded LIVE at the Glen Campbell Museum on April 21, 2022 as part of a week long tribute to the man and his music. Glen died of Alzheimer’s Disease in 2017 and the museum is a place where you can experience his talent and his legacy firsthand. It’s a Nashville treasure where you’ll see his guitars, his awards, his costumes you can even sing along to Rhinestone Cowboy with Glen Campbell in a soundproof booth.

As our audience took their seats, the goal was to uncover details about Glen Campbell from three of his lifelong friends: manager TK Kimbrell, Grammy winning songwriter and producer Julian Raymond and recording industry giant, Mike Borchetta. From humble beginnings as the son of sharecropper in Delight, Arkansas, Glen Campbell made the kind of music that will never die.

Candy & Jacy: Manifesting & Wish Boards

April 13, 2022episodeBoston pops, candy o'terry, Country Music, jacy dawn, Jacy Dawn Valeras, manifestation, Naomi Judd, singing, wish boardcountrymusicsuccessstories

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Manifesting your dreams and visualizing your success works. We’re proof of that. -Candy & Jacy

This episode is a little bit different from the others. While together in Palm Springs, California for a west coast swing of interviews, we decided to sit down with cozy blankets and glasses of vodka and soda to talk about our career paths in music. Trust us, the road has been filled with potholes and disappointments, loss and heartache and we talk about all of it openly in this episode, including when Jacy lost her voice, and Candy almost lost her daughter. What we have discovered is that just like the artists we’ve interviewed on this series, when doors were closed and the answer was “no”, we didn’t give up, we just adjusted our sails and kept on going. We were not only determined to be successful, we envisioned our success from a very early age. Yes, manifestation is real and wish boards work and we are proof of that! The key is: you’ve got to believe you can do it, and you will. Like Naomi Judd told us in our very first episode: “You’ve got to be like the Little Engine That Could. Say to yourself: I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.”

Lindy Robbins – Multi-platinum selling & award-winning songwriter

March 23, 2022episodeBackstreet Boys, Country Music, Demi Lovato, Jason Derulo, lindy robbins, Morgan Evans, Music Interview, pop music, songwritingcountrymusicsuccessstories

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Did I change somebody’s life, or change somebody’s day or help somebody to survive cancer because of this song that was a joy to write? That’s everything. – Lindy Robbins

Our trip to Los Angeles was a blast. We had lunch in Beverly Hills, walked up and down Rodeo Drive like we were Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman and then hopped in the car for this interview with Lindy Robbins. She’s a multi-platinum selling and award-winning songwriter who has written hits for for the Backstreet Boys, Demi Lovato, and Jason Derulo, and you’ll hear hear the stories behind mega-hit songs in this interview. But Lindy is no stranger to Nashville and country music, having written great big hits like Day Drunk, Morgan Evan’s top 20 smash that went platinum in his native Australia. Turns out, Lindy has been a mentor to many young songwriters from every genre and Jacy couldn’t wait to get her advice for her Music City Mentor segment, so don’t miss Lindy’s answers at the end of this interview. Lindy LOVES the creative process and her energy is like a billion watt nuclear reactor! By the time this interview is over, you’ll feel like you know her, she’s that open and friendly with lots of cool stories to tell. Aspiring songwriters, take notes!

Country Music Success Stories

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