Tag Archives: songwriter

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



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.

Jim Messina of Loggins and Messina: up close & personal with an icon



I appreciate the moment. I learned many years ago that happiness is the appreciation of what is happening. – Jim Messina 
 
We were beside ourselves as we headed to the home of Jim Messina.  There we were 
in Jacy’s silver Toyota Corolla, winding our way down country roads just outside of Nashville, singing Your Mama Don’t Dance and your Daddy Don’t Rock n Roll at the top of our lungs. We may be interviewing country music icons on this series, but we’re FANS of the artists and music first. When you think about the career of Jim Messina, there is a lot to talk about and we couldn’t wait.  His legacy of musical genius spans 5 decades and includes groundbreaking work with Buffalo Springfield, Poco, Loggins & Messina and a stellar solo career that is thriving to this day.  Jim is also the creator and facilitator of The Songwriter’s Performance Workshop where he mentors songwriters and singers. www.songwritersperformanceworkshop.com. While most fans know him as a gifted guitarist, singer and songwriter, Jim Messina is a stellar producer and highly skilled sound engineer with an ear for talent. In fact he got his start in the music business at only 18 as a producer and audio engineer. Born and raised in California, Jim is now living in Tennessee where he has a recording studio in his home. As we made our way through the gates of the farm he shares with his wife, we saw Jim waving us in from his wrap around porch.  We settled into big leather couches on giant wooded frames in his living room and pressed record on an interview filled with the stories of his life, the music he loves, the behaviors he regrets, and the wisdom he has learned along the way. Our time with this generous icon is here for you to enjoy and we think it just might be one of our most authentic interviews to date.  Let us know what you think!