An overview of the show and announcement about the end of season one (after eight years)

SUMMARY:
We chat with Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Song of the Year Grammy nominee Mike Campbell, who's best known for his work with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, but is also a songwriter who co-wrote "Refugee," ?Here Comes My Girl,? ?You Got Lucky,? ?Runnin? Down a Dream,? ?Stop Draggin? My Heart Around," "Boys of Summer," ?The Heart of the Matter," and many more. He chats about working with Tom, collaborating with Chris Stapleton, and his fantastic band The Dirty Knobs. 

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott chat about the contenders for "Best American Rock Band of All Time" and talk about the conclusion of season one of Songcraft (which lasted for 8 years and 200 episodes). Find out what's next! 

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Mike Campbell

ABOUT MIKE CAMPBELL:
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Mike Campbell is best known as the lead guitarist for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, but is also a prolific songwriter who co-wrote some of the band?s best-known classics. Among them are ?Refugee,? ?Here Comes My Girl,? ?You Got Lucky,? ?Runnin? Down a Dream,? ?Makin? Some Noise,? and ?You Wreck Me.? He?s also a co-writer of the Stevie Nicks duet ?Stop Draggin? My Heart Around,? as well as the Don Henley classics ?The Heart of the Matter? and ?Boys of Summer,? the latter of which earned Mike a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year. In addition to collaborating with Petty, Nicks, and Henley, Campbell has written songs with Bob Dylan, John Prine, Jeff Lynne, Chris Stapleton, The Dixie Chicks, Roger McGuinn, Cheap Trick, Marty Stuart, JD Souther, Susanna Hoffs, and others. He?s performed on albums by a list of luminaries that includes Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Jackson Browne, Bob Seger, Linda Ronstadt, Michael McDonald, and Warren Zevon. Additionally, the ten-time Grammy nominee was named one of the top 100 guitarists by Rolling Stone magazine. In recent years, Campbell has been focused on his previous side project, The Dirty Knobs. Though they formed over 20 years ago, the group released its debut album in 2020. Their second album, and most recent release, is called External Combustion. 
 

PART ONE:
We pay tribute to Songcraft friend and legendary songwriter Lamont Dozier, who passed away recently at the age of 81. In happier news, we discuss Paul's recent nomination for a GMA Dove Award for Songwriter of the year before diving into the Ringo Starr Instagram foot controversy. 

PART TWO (14:39):
We make an important announcement about the future of Songcraft, reveal the winner of our Dave Alvin book giveaway, and share all the details on the brand new Byrds coffee table book. 

PART THREE (22:13):
Our in-depth interview with Roger McGuinn

ABOUT ROGER McGUINN:

Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn. Best known for his work with The Byrds, Roger?s distinctive 12-string electric guitar style helped propel the singles ?Mr. Tambourine Man? and ?Turn! Turn! Turn!? to the top of the charts. As a songwriter, Roger wrote or co-wrote many of the band?s classics, including ?Eight Miles High,? ?5D,? ?Mr. Spaceman,? ?So You Want to Be a Rock ?n? Roll Star,? ?Drug Store Truck Drivin? Man,? ?Ballad of Easy Rider,? ?Chestnut Mare,? and others. He launched a solo career in the 1970s, releasing albums that explored new musical territory, and touring as part of Bob Dylan?s Rolling Thunder Revue. 

By the end of the decade, Roger had reunited with former Byrds bandmates Chris Hillman and Gene Clark as a trio known as McGuinn, Clark & Hillman, which yielded the McGuinn-penned Top 40 single ?Don?t You Write Her Off.? His 1991 comeback album, Back from Rio, included the Billboard Mainstream Rock hits ?King of the Hill? and ?Someone to Love,? and featured songs co-written with Tom Petty, Dave Stewart, Jeff Lynne, Mike Campbell, and McGuinn?s wife Camilla, who has since become his primary songwriting partner. 

A lifelong folk music enthusiast, McGuinn has recorded hundreds of songs as part of his online Folk Den project. A compilation album, Treasures from the Folk Den, earned Roger his third Grammy nomination. Most recently, the three surviving founding members of The Byrds?McGuinn, Hillman, and David Crosby?have put together an oversized 400-page coffee table book of photographs and oral history called The Byrds: 1964-1967, which is available for order in both standard and limited-edition autographed versions at www.byrdsbook.com. 

SUMMARY:
Our guest on this episode is John Hall, founder of the band Orleans and co-writer of the group's enduring hits "Dance with Me" and "Still the One." He chats with us about how Janis Joplin launched his songwriting career, co-writing Steve Wariner's #1 country hit "You Can Dream of Me," and how he ended up serving two terms as a US Congressman before returning to music.

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott chat about Orleans' legendary "naked" album cover, and band/artist names you're afraid to say out loud. If you've ever stressed about how to say Husker Du, Bon Iver, Chvrches, or Bjork, we've got you!  

PART TWO:
Our in-depth interview with John Hall

ABOUT JOHN HALL:
John Hall is a musician, songwriter, community activist, founder of the band Orleans, and former US Congressman. After forming the group Kangaroo, which shared house band duties with Bruce Springsteen?s group The Castilles at Greenwich Village?s legendary Café Wha, Hall worked extensively as a sideman. He toured and/or recorded as a guitarist with Seals & Crofts, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat, Carly Simon, Jackson Brown, and others, but established himself as a songwriter when he and then-wife Johanna penned ?Half Moon? on Janis Joplin?s Pearl album. After John formed the group Orleans, he and Johanna continued to find success as songwriters with the band?s hit singles ?Dance with Me? and ?Still the One.? The following decade, John became a chart-topping country writer when he co-wrote Steve Wariner?s #1 single ?You Can Dream of Me.? He's known for co-founding the organization Musicians United for Safe Energy with Jackson Brown, Bonnie Raitt, and Graham Nash. John helped organize the legendary 1979 No Nukes concerts at Madison Square Garden, and his song ?Power? became the anthem for the event. In 2006, John was elected to the US House of Representatives, representing New York?s 19th District. After serving two terms, he returned to making music. John's songs have been covered by Millie Jackson, Chaka Kahn, Ricky Skaggs, Taj Mahal, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Levon Helm, Bobby McFerrin, Bonnie Raitt, Chet Atkins, New Grass Revival, Jose Feliciano, Bill Anderson, The Oak Ridge Boys, Patty Loveless, and more. His most recent solo album is called Reclaiming My Time. We spoke with him in June of 2021 when the album was brand new and when he was working on some Orleans projects that have since become available and can be found at johnhallmusic.com.       

 

SUMMARY:
We're joined by Northern Irish singer/songwriter and frequent Ed Sheeran collaborator Foy Vance, who chats about addiction, spirituality, and the creative process. 

PART ONE:
Inspired by Foy Vance's magnificent whiskers,  Scott and Paul go down the rabbit hole to discuss the greatest musical mustaches in history. Actually, the mustaches aren't musical in and of themselves, they're just attached to musicians. But you get the idea. 

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Foy Vance

ABOUT FOY VANCE:
Northern Irish singer/songwriter Foy Vance launched his recording career with his own record label and quickly gained attention as his songs were used on various TV shows. Touring with Ed Sheeran exposed his music to a wider audience, and his 2013 album Joy of Nothing, which featured a collaboration with Bonnie Raitt, won the inaugural Northern Ireland Music Prize for best album. After signing with Sheeran?s Gingerbread Man label, Vance released his third studio album, The Wild Swan, which was executive produced by Elton John and released in 2016. Aside from his own recordings, Foy co-wrote four songs on Ed Sheeran?s Multiply album from 2017 and four more on Sheeran?s Divide LP from 2017. Additionally, Foy?s songs have been recorded by Alicia Keys, Miranda Lambert, H.E.R., Keith Urban, Rag N? Bone Man, and others. In total, he has released nine EPs and six studio albums. His most recent, and his fourth for Gingerbread Man Records, is called Signs of Life. 


 

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott chat about the canonical playlist that's part of every Independence Day fireworks display, the time Scott accidentally hit Lee Greenwood in the face with a water balloon, and how our Patreon supporters can get the chance to get their hands on one of the very first copies of Dave Alvin's forthcoming book New Highway. 

PART TWO:
Our in-depth interview with "Fourth of July" composer Dave Alvin on the Fourth of July! 

ABOUT DAVE ALVIN:
Grammy-winning artist, musician, songwriter, poet, and roots music pioneer Dave Alvin launched his professional career when he and his brother Phil founded the Downey, California, based group The Blasters. Blending rockabilly and R&B, Dave became the band?s primary songwriter, penning classics such as ?Marie, Marie,? ?American Music,? ?Border Radio,? ?Jubilee Train,? ?Little Honey,? ?Dark Night,? and ?Long White Cadillac,? which later became a Top 40 country hit for Dwight Yoakam. After a brief stint as a member of the band X, Dave launched a solo career and continued to craft critically-acclaimed songs that defy genre, including ?Fourth of July,? ?Haley's Comet,? ?Dry River,? ?King of California,? ?Abilene,? ?Ashgrove,? ?Harlan County Line,? ?Johnny Ace is Dead,? and ?Downey to Lubbock,? a collaboration with Jimmie Dale Gilmore. Dave?s songs have been covered by Los Lobos, Little Milton, Buckwheat Zydeko, Shakin? Stevens, Joe Ely, Robert Earl Keen, James McMurtry, and others. Additionally, his music has been featured on a number of TV soundtracks, including Justified and The Sopranos. 

PART ONE:
It's mailbag time! What are you saying about us?

PART TWO:
Scott and Paul's in-depth interview with Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Bob Morrison

ABOUT BOB MORRISON:
After an artist career recording for the Columbia, Barnaby, Capitol, and Monument labels, Bob Morrison hit the #1 spot on the country charts as a songwriter with Kenny Rogers? recording of ?You Decorated My Life.? Also a Top 10 Billboard pop hit, the composition earned Morrison a Grammy for Best Country Song. Additionally, he co-wrote ?Lookin? for Love,? a #1 country single and a #5 pop hit popularized by Johnny Lee from the soundtrack of the film Urban Cowboy. 

Other chart-topping selections from Morrison?s catalog include Debby Boone?s ?Are You on the Road to Loving Me Again,? Conway Twitty?s ?Don?t Call Him a Cowboy,? and Highway 101?s ?Whiskey, If You Were a Woman.? Further highlights from his songbook include Olivia Newton-John?s cut of ?The River?s Too Wide,? Reba McEntire?s Top 10 single ?(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven,? Kenny Rogers? Top 5 ?Love the World Away,? Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn?s ?I Still Believe in Waltzes,? Gary Morris?s ?The Love She Found in Me,? George Jones?s ?Shine On,? and the Dixie Chicks? ?Tonight the Heartache?s on Me.? 

Just a few of the many other artists who?ve recorded Bob?s songs are Ray Charles, Roy Orbison, Glen Campbell, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sammy Davis Jr., Ray Price, John Anderson, Barbara Mandrell, Dottie West, Mel Tillis, The Kendalls, and The Carpenters. He was named ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year in 1978, 1980, 1981, and 1982, as well as NSAI Songwriter of the Year in 1981. In 2016 Bob was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

SUMMARY:
Our guest is Grammy winner Kristian Bush, best known as one half of the country duo Sugarland. He chats about a career that has earned him six BMI awards, five ACM awards, and five CMA Vocal Duo of the Year honors, as well as about his ambitious new solo project, which will include four albums in one year that will present a total of 52 songs.

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott talk celebrity softball tournaments, John Schneider, waterbeds, and Walter Payton. And it's even weirder than it sounds.  

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Kristian Bush

ABOUT KRISTIAN BUSH:

Kristian Bush is best known as one half of the platinum-selling country duo Sugarland. The Sevierville, Tennessee native spent his formative years making music with his brother Brandon, who would go on to play keyboards in the rock brand Train. Kristian launched his professional music career from Atlanta in 1994 with the folk-rock duo Billy Pilgrim, which released two albums for Atlantic Records. Within the decade, he moved on to form Sugarland with Kristen Hall and Jennifer Nettles, and the group?s debut single ?Baby Girl? became a massive hit. Their debut album, Twice the Speed of Life, which was produced by Garth Fundis, was certified triple platinum. With the departure of Kristen Hall, Sugarland became a duo that went on to rack up five #1 hit singles, including ?All I Want to Do? and the Grammy-winning ?Stay.? Additional hits followed, including the double platinum ?Stuck Like Glue? and ?Babe,? a collaboration with Taylor Swift. Sugarland has sold over 22 million albums worldwide and was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. Kristian has earned six BMI awards and is a four-time Grammy nominee. In addition to five ACM awards, Sugarland has won the CMA?s Vocal Duo of the Year honor five times. Kristian?s most recent solo project is called 52, a series of four albums comprised of a total of 52 songs. The first installment, called ATL x BNA is available now. 

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott reflect on returning to large-scale concerts, and talk about their recent experiences seeing Paul McCartney and Pearl Jam.

PART TWO: 
Our in-depth conversation with Ann Wilson

ABOUT ANN WILSON:
Four-time Grammy nominee and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Ann Wilson is best known as the lead singer and co-songwriter for the band Heart, which she and her sister Nancy formed in 1973 and propelled to rock superstardom. One of the pioneering female-fronted rock bands, Heart?s self-penned classics include ?Crazy On You,? ?Magic Man,? ?Dreamboat Annie,? ?Barracuda,? ?Little Queen,? ?Heartless,? ?Straight On,? ?Dog & Butterfly,? and ?Even It Up.? In the mid-1980s they reinvented themselves as mainstream radio hitmakers with a string of successful singles, including ?What About Love,? ?Never,? ?These Dreams,? ?Nothin? at All,? ?Alone,? ?Who Will You Run To,? ?There?s the Girl,? ?All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You,? and ?Stranded.? As Heart, Ann and Nancy Wilson have sold more than 35 million albums worldwide. Since 2007, Ann has released three full-length studio albums and two EPs. Her most recent, Fierce Bliss, which was released at the end of April, is her first solo album to include original material. 
 

SUMMARY:
Our guest is seven-time Grammy nominee and 1997 Best New Artist Grammy winner Paula Cole. She joins us to chat about her early work with Peter Gabriel, her monster hits ?Where Have all the Cowboys Gone? and ?I Don?t Want to Wait,? her work as an instructor for the Berklee College of Music, and her ongoing musical development, including her latest album, American Quilt.  

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott chat about background singers. Or do we call them backing vocalists? Additional vocalists? I'm not sure we really ever settled it.

PART TWO:
Our in-depth interview with Paula Cole

ABOUT PAULA COLE:
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is Paula Cole. The 1997 Best New Artist Grammy winner rose to prominence with her self-produced second album, This Fire, which spawned two massive hit singles. ?Where Have All the Cowboys Gone,? a Top 10 hit that earned three Grammy nominations, and ?I Don?t Want to Wait,? which was used as the theme song for the show Dawson?s Creek. Subsequent albums explored a range of stylistic ground, earning Cole critical acclaim and an eventual place on the faculty at the Berklee College of Music. She was the first woman in history to earn a Grammy nomination for Producer of the Year with no male collaborators. The BMI Pop Award winner has a total of seven Grammy nominations, and continues to write and release new music. Her most recent album is American Quilt. 

SUMMARY:
Our guest is Richard Thompson, a  three-time Grammy nominee who has earned lifetime achievement honors from the Americana Music Association and the BBC Awards. Named one of the top 20 guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, Thompson is a highly revered musician and songwriter whose music has been covered by Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, REM, Emmylou Harris, and many others. Algonquin Books recently released the paperback version of Richard?s memoir Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice, 1967-1975.  

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott talk about which music books they love, and one that Scott really hates. 

PART TWO:
The guys chat about their friends at Pearl Snap Studios.

PART THREE:
Our in-depth conversation with Richard Thompson.

ABOUT RICHARD THOMPSON:
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is three-time Grammy nominee and Ivor Novello award winner Richard Thompson. Named as one of the top 20 guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine, Thompson began his career as one of the architects of the British Folk Rock movement with his band Fairport Convention in the late 1960s. The 1970s and early ?80s brought a series of critically-acclaimed duo albums by Richard and his then-wife Linda Thompson. Two of those releases?I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight and Shoot Out the Lights?were named among Rolling Stone?s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Returning to a solo career after the musical and marital partnership concluded, Thompson has released more than 20 solo studio albums and film soundtracks, and has earned lifetime achievement honors from the Americana Music Association and the BBC Awards. He was bestowed with an Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, and his song ?1952 Vincent Black Lightning? was named by Time magazine on its list of the 100 Greatest Songs Since 1923.? As influential a songwriter as he is a guitarist, Richard?s music has been covered by Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, Don Henley, REM, Sleater-Kenny, David Byrne, Linda Ronstadt, The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, The Del McCoury Band, David Gilmour, Alison Krauss, Patty Loveless, Shawn Colvin & Loudon Wainwright III, among others. Algonquin Books recently released the paperback version of Richard?s memoir Beeswing: Losing My Way and Finding My Voice, 1967-1975. 

SUMMARY
Our guest is critically-acclaimed singer/songwriter Paul Thorn, who has carved out an independent career from his home base in Tupelo, Mississippi, that has earned him legions of dedicated fans. His latest release is a highly personal album titled Never Too Late to Call. 

PART ONE
Paul and Scott chat about the Grammy Awards, somehow find a way to make it all about them, and figure out that being a guest on Songcraft is a great way to get a Grammy nomination. 

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Paul Thorn

ABOUT PAUL THORN
Tupelo, Mississippi, native Paul Thorn started out as a professional boxer before being discovered by Miles Copeland and signing a recording contract with A&M Records. Thorn eventually struck out on his own and formed the independent Perpetual Obscurity Records with manager and songwriting partner Billy Maddox. They?ve gone on to release nine studio albums, four of which have hit the Billboard charts. All Music writes that Thorn?s catalog has ?balanced blues, rock, gospel, country, and soul in a singular strain of Americana with songs that embrace the human condition with their humor, irony, pathos, tenderness, heartbreak, grief, anger, and joy.? Though his songs have been recorded by Shenandoah, Tanya Tucker, Toby Keith, Sawyer Brown, Kim Richey, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jerry Jeff Walker, Diane Schuur, and others, nobody delivers a Paul Thorn song with the same touch as the man himself. From ?It?s a Great Day to Whup Somebody?s Ass? to ?Pimps & Preachers? to ?I Don?t Like Half the Folks I Love? to ?Mission Temple Fireworks Stand,? Paul?s diverse catalog has built a dedicated audience who love his unique sense of the craft and his mesmerizing skills as a performer. His latest album, produced by Matt Ross-Spang in Memphis, is Never Too Late to Call.

 

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott talk about Pearl Snap Studios, contrabassoons, penny whistles, and bagpipes. 

PART TWO:
The guys remember Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who recently passed away, chat about Taylor's previous gig playing for Alanis Morissette, and talk about why Debbie Gibson deserves serious respect. 

PART THREE:
Our in-depth conversation with Debbie Gibson

ABOUT DEBBIE GIBSON:

You may know Debbie Gibson for her late 1980s hit pop singles ?Only in My Dreams,? ?Shake Your Love,? ?Out of the Blue,? and the chart-toppers ?Foolish Beat? and ?Lost in Your Eyes.? What you might not realize is that Debbie wrote all those hits completely solo while still a teenager. At the age of 16 she became the youngest artist ever to have written, produced, and performed a #1 single on the Billboard charts. She once shared the ASCAP Songwriter of the Year honor with Bruce Springsteen, the same year she was nominated for Best Pop Female Vocalist by the American Music Awards and Favorite Female Music Performer by the People?s Choice Awards. 

Now more than 35 years into her career, Debbie has sold over 16 million records worldwide, and has released 10 studio albums. Her most recent, The Body Remembers, was released last August, and is her first US studio album in 20 years to feature all original songs, including a new duet version of ?Lost in Your Eyes? with Joey McIntyre of New Kids on the Block. Though she was named one of Billboard magazine?s Top 60 Female Artists of All Time, Debbie has also found success in musical theater, starring in Les Miserables and Cabaret on Broadway, and in the London West End production of Grease, among more than a dozen other productions. Never a pre-packaged pop invention of record label executives, Debbie was a musical prodigy who has continued to make her mark as a singer, songwriter, producer, musician, actor, and entrepreneur. 

SUMMARY:
Our guest is Jerry Cantrell, the founder, lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of Alice in Chains. The nine-time Grammy nominee has written more than 20 Top 10 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, and was named one of the ?100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time? by Guitar World magazine. His latest solo release is the critically-acclaimed Brighten.  

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott chat about their high school years, the Seattle explosion, Chuck Klosterman's new book, and why certain bands from the much-hyped grunge movement evolved and survived when others burned out.  

PART TWO:
Our in-depth interview with Jerry Cantrell

ABOUT JERRY CANTRELL:

Nine-time Grammy nominee Jerry Cantrell is best known as the founder, lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of the hard rock band Alice in Chains. Signing with Columbia Records in 1989, the Seattle-based band got lumped into the grunge explosion of the early 1990s when Cantrell-penned classics such as ?Man in the Box,? ?Would?,? ?Rooster,? and ?Down in a Hole,? took over MTV and Billboard?s Mainstream Rock chart. But Alice in Chains was always about more than Seattle hysteria. By the middle of the decade they?d released three multiplatinum selling studio albums?Facelift, Dirt, and the self-titled Alice in Chains?as well as three EPs, including Jar of Flies, which went triple platinum and became the first EP in history to top the Billboard 200. A string of Top 10 singles, including ?No Excuses,? ?I Stay Away,? ?Grind,? ?Heaven Beside You,? and ?Again? established the band as rock radio mainstays. 

Plagued by struggles with addiction, Alice in Chains took a hiatus from live performances before regrouping in the spring of 1996 for an appearance on MTV Unplugged. The subsequent album hit the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Platinum. That same year the band found themselves on another extended hiatus, leading to the release of Cantrell?s debut solo album, Boggy Depot, in 1998. 

The death of Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley in 2002 could have meant the end of the band, but they eventually regrouped and released the Gold-selling Black Gives Way to Blue in 2009, and the follow-up album, The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here. Both releases hit the Top 5. Alice in Chains has continued to release new music as recently as 2018?s Rainier Fog album, and the band has now sold more than 30 million records worldwide. 

In addition to his first solo release, Cantrell put out the album Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2 in 2002. His most recent release, the critically-acclaimed Brighten, is his first solo record in almost two decades. Named among Guitar World magazine?s ?100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time,? Jerry is also a formidable songwriter. More than 20 of his compositions, both with Alice in Chains and as a solo artist, have hit the Top 10 on the Billboard rock chart.  

SUMMARY:
Our guest on this episode is Roland Orzabal of Tears for Fears. Known for such classics as ?Everybody Wants to Rule the World,? ?Shout,? ?Head Over Heels,? ?Mad World,? and ?Sowing the Seeds of Love,? the group has a brand new album, The Tipping Point, and is embarking on a major world tour. 

PART ONE:
Scott and Paul read listener emails and set the record straight on their opinion of the moon landing.

PART TWO:
Our in-depth 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 helm, the duo reunited for the Everybody Loves a Happy Ending album in 2004. Now, after a long wait of 17 years, Roland and Curt have just released their seventh studio album The Tipping Point, and are embarking on a major tour. Even as they bring us new music, their legacy is well-established as one of the most unique and influential British groups to emerge in the last few decades. Their songs have been covered or sampled by Gary Jules, Adam Lambert, Lorde, Kanye West, Drake, and many others. And, in 2021, the band was honored with the Outstanding Song Collection honor at the Ivor Novello Awards in London. 

SUMMARY:
Our guest is nine-time Grammy nominee and two-time winner Janis Ian, who is best known for her classics ?Society?s Child? and ?At Seventeen,? both of which were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. She joins us to chat about her long career and her latest studio album, The Light at the End of the Line.

PART ONE:
Scott and Paul talk about "We Don't Talk About Bruno" and the changing definition of how something becomes a hit. 

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Janis Ian

ABOUT JANIS IAN:
Though best known for the folk-tinged classic ?At Seventeen,? Janis Ian is an artist whose musical creativity crosses several genres. The nine-time Grammy nominee and two-time winner first gained national attention at the age of 15 when her self-penned ?Society?s Child? became a Top 20 Billboard pop hit in 1966. Produced by Shadow Morton, who had built a reputation as the producer of radio friendly girl groups like The Shangri-Las, the song took a new direction and tackled the considerably heavier and controversial topic of interracial romance. It was banned from radio and Janis was targeted with death threats.

After several albums for the Verve and Capitol labels, Janis signed with Columbia in the mid-1970s and found her greatest commercial success with the album Between the Lines. In addition to the Top 20 Adult Contemporary hit ?In the Winter,? the album featured the chart-topping ?At Seventeen.? Janis performed both songs as the musical guest on the very first episode of Saturday Night Live. On the strength of that LP she was nominated for Grammy awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance, the latter of which she won. Both ?Society?s Child? and ?At Seventeen? have since been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. 

Other classics from the Janis Ian songbook include ?Jesse,? which was a hit for Roberta Flack, and ?Stars,? which has been recorded by Nina Simone, Cher, Shirley Basse, and Joan Baez. A truly international artist, Janis?s ?Love is Blind? reached #1 in Japan, while ?Fly Too High? topped the charts in South Africa and reached the Top 10 in Australia and the Netherlands. 

In the mid-1990s Janis launched her own label, Rude Girl Records. Her most recent release, The Light at the End of the Line, is Janis?s first album of new material in 15 years. She has announced it will be her final solo studio album. 

SUMMARY:
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is Natalie Hemby, a six-time Grammy nominee and two-time winner who has earned five CMA Song of the Year nominations and was named Music Row magazine?s 2021 Female Songwriter of the Year. Her songs have been recorded by Kacey Musgraves, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Maren Morris, Ed Sheeran, Sheryl Crow, Dierks Bentley, Eli Young Band, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Isaak, Blake Shelton, Lee Ann Womack, and many others. We last spoke with Natalie in 2017, but we catch up with her today to find out more about her life as a behind the scenes songwriter, her work with supergroup The Highwomen, and her critically-acclaimed solo album Pins and Needles. 

PART ONE - 2:49
Scott and Paul chat about Pearl Snap Studios and set the stage for this very special "old friends" episode.

PART TWO - 6:02
They guys welcome longtime friend and fellow music geek David Manning to argue about beloved songs that they actually hate. 

PART THREE - 39:20
Our in-depth conversation with Natalie Hemby

ABOUT NATALIE HEMBY:
When we first spoke with Natalie Hemby in 2017 she?d already racked up three CMA Song of the Year nominations and written a half dozen #1 singles, including ?Pontoon? and ?Tornado? by Little Big Town, ?Downtown? by Lady A, ?You Look Like I Need a Drink? by Justin Moore, and Miranda Lambert?s ?White Liar? and ?Automatic,? the latter of which was named ACM Song of the Year and snagged Natalie her first Grammy nomination for Best Country Song. In the five years since then, her songwriting star has continued to rise. She co-wrote three songs on Kacey Musgraves? Golden Hour, which won the Grammy for Album of the Year?across all categories?and earned Natalie a CMA Song of the Year nomination for ?Rainbow.? Natalie co-wrote two songs with Lady Gaga for the soundtrack to A Star is Born, including Song of the Year Grammy nominee ?Always Remember Us This Way? and the Grammy winner for Best Song Written for Visual Media, ?I?ll Never Love Again.? She has scored additional #1 hits with Jon Pardi?s ?Heartache Medication,? as well as Miranda Lambert?s ?Bluebird,? which was nominated for both CMA and ACM Song of the Year, and the Best Country Song Grammy. Natalie beat herself in that Grammy category when she won the Best Country Song honors for ?Crowded Table,? which she wrote with Lori McKenna and Brandi Carlile. The song was recorded by the supergroup The Highwomen, of which Natalie is a member alongside Carlile, Marren Morris, and Amanda Shires. ?Crowded Table? was also named Song of the Year by the Americana Music Association, while The Highwomen won Americana Album of the Year and Duo or Group of the Year. Recent pop cuts, including Kelly Clarkson?s ?I Dare You? and Ed Sheeran?s ?Love in Slow Motion,? illustrate Natalie?s versatility and underscore why she was named Music Row magazine?s 2021 Female Songwriter of the Year. In addition to her work with The Highwomen, Natalie?s been flexing her considerable artist muscles recently with the release of her album Pins and Needles, which PopMatters calls ?a phenomenal album from an artist coming into full possession of her gifts.? 

 

SUMMARY
On this episode of Songcraft we?re joined by three-time Grammy nominee and two-time Americana Music Awards nominee Allison Russell. She?ll discuss her debut solo album, Outside Child, her long journey in the music industry leading to this moment, and her escape from childhood trauma to find resilience, joy, and healing through the art of music. 

PART ONE
Paul and Scott discuss the worst songs they love, pay tribute to the late songwriting legend Dallas Frazier, and revisit the idea of musical discovery's happy accidents. 

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with three-time Grammy nominee Allison Russell

ABOUT ALLISON RUSSELL
Canadian-born singer-songwriter Allison Russell released her debut solo album Outside Child in 2021, but has been part of the music world for many years. She formed the band Po? Girl with Trish Klein of The Be Good Tanyas in 2003 before launching the duo Birds of Chicago with her partner JT Nero in 2012. In 2018, she joined the musical collective Our Native Daughters, which also includes Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Amythyst Kia. Outside Child is a highly personal album chronicling Russell?s formative experiences as a survivor of physical and sexual abuse, while highlighting themes of hopefulness and resilience that have resonated with fans and critics. The project earned a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album, while the single ?Nighflyer? earned Allison nominations for Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song. Additionally, she has been nominated for four Canadian Folk Music Awards, two Americana Music Awards, and has performed on stages ranging from the Grand Ole Opry to the National Museum of African American Music to Jimmy Kimmel Live! alongside Brandi Carlile. Allison recently inked a deal with Flatiron Books, a division of Macmillan, which will release her forthcoming memoir. 

SUMMARY
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is Cinco Paul, the creator, executive producer, showrunner, and songwriter for the Apple TV Plus series Schmigadoon!, starring Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key. Though previously known as the scriptwriter for animated features such as the Despicable Me films, this project was Paul?s opportunity to lovingly and very impressively recreate the songwriting style of golden era musicals with a humorously contemporary twist. He joins us to deconstruct his reconstruction of the world of Rogers and Hammerstein. 

PART ONE
Scott and Paul get into their feelings about musical theater, touch on the Beatles documentary once again, and discover they disagree about the concept of perfect rhyme in lyrics. 

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with Cinco Paul

ABOUT CINCO PAUL

Cinco Paul is best known for his long resume of blockbuster animated films which he co-wrote with partner Ken Daurio, including the Despicable Me series, the Dr. Seuss films The Lorax and Horton Hears a Who, and The Secret Life of Pets. Other films written by the pair include The Santa Clause 2 with Tim Allen, College Road Trip with Martin Lawrence and Raven Symone, and Hop with Russell Brand. Paul and Daurio?s films have earned over four billion dollars at the box office. 

While not primarily known as a songwriter or musician, Cinco Paul previously wrote a stage musical adaptation of their script for Bubble Boy after the Jake Gyllenhaal film version failed to live up to their original vision. Additionally, he wrote the lyrics for the original songs in The Lorax, which earned him an ASCAP award in 2013. As far as music goes, that was about all the world heard from Cinco Paul until 2021 when he appeared as the creator, executive producer, showrunner, and, perhaps most impressively, songwriter for the Apple TV Plus series Schmigadoon!

The six-episode musical comedy stars Cecily Strong from Saturday Night Live and Keegan-Michael Key from Key & Peele who get lost hiking in the woods and stumble on a magical version of an early-1900s town that you?d find in a musical from the 1940s or ?50s. Part parody, part loving tribute to golden era productions such as Oklahoma, The Music Man, Carousel, and The Sound of Music, Schmigadoon?s songs are an impressive recreation of a lost era of American songwriting that skewer the tropes that haven?t aged well while also celebrating what was great about that brand of songcraft. The soundtrack for Episode 1 earned Paul his first Grammy nomination for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.    

PART ONE
Paul and Scott talk about The Beatles' Get Back documentary from a songwriting perspective

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with Amanda Shires

ABOUT AMANDA SHIRES
Singer, songwriter, fiddle player, and Americana hero Amanda Shires has released eight albums as a solo artist, in addition to her work as a member of both Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit and the supergroup The Highwomen alongside Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, and Maren Morris. The Grammy winner was named Texas Music magazine?s Artist of the Year in 2012, and was named Emerging Artist of the Year for 2017 at the Americana Honors & Awards. The Lone Star State native launched her career playing fiddle with The Texas Playboys before going on to tour with Billy Joe Shaver and others. At Shaver?s suggestion, she eventually relocated to Nashville to pursue songwriting. While getting established, she worked as a side musician with Justin Townes Earle before joining Jason Isbell?s band, The 400 Unit. Shires and Isbell married in 2013 in a ceremony officiated by past Songcraft guest Todd Snider. Amanda was featured on Luke Combs? 2020 single ?Without You,? and is currently getting attention for her unorthodox holiday album called For Christmas, which features nine original songs, a cover of ?What Are You Doing New Year?s Eve,? and a reworking of ?Silent Night? with all new lyrics. 

 

SUMMARY:
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Steve Perry. Named one of Rolling Stone?s ?100 Greatest Singers of all Time,? Perry penned classic Journey songs such as ?Any Way You Want It,? ?Open Arms,? and ?Don?t Stop Believin'? as well as solo hits such as ?Oh Sherrie? and ?Foolish Heart.? He joins us to chat about his approach to songwriting and his new holiday album The Season. 

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott talk about Patreon and then get into the good stuff. Is "Die Hard" a Christmas movie or not? While people debate it, nobody seems to notice that virtually all songs about winter are considered Christmas songs even when they don't mention anything about Christmas at all. The guys hash out this phenomenon only because they like to stir the pot.

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with the legendary Steve Perry.

ABOUT STEVE PERRY:
One of the most iconic voices in rock music history, Steve Perry is best known as the lead singer of the band Journey during the group?s most successful period. His first Top 20 pop hit as either a performer or songwriter was the solo-written ?Lovin?, Touchin?, Squeezin?,? which became a hit for the band in 1979. In the following decade he co-wrote an unbelievable streak of classic songs with Neil Shon and Jonathan Cain, including ?Any Way You Want It,? ?Who?s Crying Now,? ?Open Arms,? ?Separate Ways,? ?Send Her My Love,? and ?Don?t Stop Believin',? a single that?s been certified five times platinum. His 1984 debut solo album Street Talk produced the classic singles ?Oh Sherrie? and ?Foolish Heart.? After penning additional Journey hits ?Be Good to Yourself,? ?Girl Can?t Help It,? and ?I?ll be Alright Without You? he departed the band and released his second solo album, For the Love of Strange Medicine, featuring the single ?You Better Wait.? After briefly reuniting with Journey and co-writing the additional hits ?When You Love a Woman? and ?Message of Love? in the mid-1990s, he stepped away from recording. Steve returned in 2018 with his third solo album, Traces, and has recently released his fourth solo record, a holiday collection called The Season, produced by Steve and Thom Flowers, and featuring contributions from multi-instrumentalist Dallas Kruse. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, whom Rolling Stone magazine named of the ?100 Greatest Singers of All Time? joins us to talk about exploring the great American Christmas songbook from a writer?s perspective, to share some stories about his own songs, and to offer some insight into his approach to the craft.

SUMMARY
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is Bruce Cockburn. The Canadian singer-songwriter?s more than 50-year career has produced 34 albums, 22 of which have been certified Gold or Platinum in his home country. He has won 13 Juno Awards, and is a member of both the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Bruce joins us to chat about his career and his new 2-CD career-spanning compilation, entitled Greatest Hits: 1970-2020, which will be released on December 3rd. 

PART ONE
Scott and Paul chat about the nature of hall of fames, or is it halls of fame?

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with Bruce Cockburn

ABOUT BRUCE COCKBURN
Singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn blends folk, jazz, rock and world music influences into a unique blend that has earned him critical praise and near-mythic status in his Canadian homeland. He has won 13 Juno Awards, and has been inducted into both the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Cockburn is best known in the US for songs such as ?Wondering Where the Lions Are,? ?Lovers in a Dangerous Time,? ?If I Had a Rocket Launcher,? ?If a Tree Falls,? and ?Pacing the Cage.? He has released 34 albums over the course of a more than 50-year career, 22 of which have been certified Gold or Platinum in Canada. He received the Governor General?s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, which is the highest Canadian artistic honor. He holds more than a half dozen honorary doctorates for his musical contributions, and is an Officer of the Order of Canada. Ranging from spiritual musings to political activism, his songs have been covered by Judy Collins, Dan Fogelberg, k.d. land, Jimmy Buffett, Barenaked Ladies, Jerry Garcia, and others. His new 2-CD career-spanning compilation, entitled Greatest Hits: 1970-2020, will be released on December 3rd. 

PART ONE: 
Scott and Paul talk about the phenomenon of greatest hits album. What does the term mean? When are they necessary? Which artists warrant them, which don't, and when are they woefully inadequate? 

PART TWO: 
Our in-depth interview with Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel

ABOUT RAY BENSON:
As the co-founder and only consistent member of the group Asleep at the Wheel, Ray Benson has carried the torch for Western Swing and other formative musical traditions that helped shape the country genre. The band has released over 30 albums, and landed more than 20 songs on Billboard?s Country Singles Chart. Additionally, Benson has released two solo albums, and a duet album with fellow Texas legend Dale Watson. As a producer, he has worked with Willie Nelson, Aaron Neville, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, Merle Haggard, and others.

Ray has earned thirty Grammy nominations, winning nine of them over the course of four decades. He was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame, is in the Austin Music Hall of Fame, received the Texas Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award, and earned the Americana Lifetime Achievement Award for Performance. In short, this long tall Texan is a living legend. 

SUMMARY
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is Yola. The acclaimed British singer and songwriter has released two albums on Dan Auerbach?s Easy Eye Sound label, both of which were produced by the Black Keys? frontman. She was nominated for four Grammy awards for 2019, including Best New Artist, and is a sometime collaborator with the supergroup The Highwomen alongside Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Marren Morris, and Amanda Shires. Yola joins us to chat about her life as a songwriter and artist. 

PART ONE
Paul and Scott discuss the history of the Best New Artist Grammy category, including a few surprising tidbits of trivia.

PART TWO 
Our in-depth interview with Yola

ABOUT YOLA
Singer-songwriter Yola made a major splash at the 2020 Grammy ceremony with four nominations: Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song for her composition ?Faraway Look,? and Best New Artist in the general category alongside Lizzo, Lil Nas X, and Billie Eilish. Dubbed by many as a "country soul singer," the British artist?s breakthrough came when she teamed up with Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach in Nashville to write and record her debut solo album, Walk Through Fire, on which she and Auerbach collaborated with a roster of Southern soul songwriters including Dan Penn and Memphis studio legend Bobby Wood. She was subsequently nominated for Emerging Artist of the Year and Album of the Year at the 2019 Americana Music Honors & Awards. 

Though Yola?s emergence might have seemed like an overnight success to some, she?d been working in music in the UK as a vocalist and collaborator with DJs and producers, including Massive Attack. In 2009 she was a writer on ?Hopes and Fears,? a single by UK singer Will Young, and in 2013 she co-wrote the Top 10 UK hit ?Turn Back Time? by Sub Focus, on which she also sang an uncredited vocal. Additionally, Yola sang lead on the Top 5 UK pop hit ?Won?t Look Back? by Duke Dumont. 

In the wake of her success with the Walk Through Fire album, Yola reteamed with Auerbach for her most recent release, Stand For Myself, featuring highlights such as ?Diamond Studded Shoes? and ?Dancing Away in Tears.? Her accolades continue, having won Artist of the Year honors at the 2020 UK Americana Awards and earning a 2021 nomination from the CMA for the International Achievement Award. Earlier this month she played a sold out show with Chris Stapleton at Madison Square Garden. 

SUMMARY
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is Justin Gray, a songwriter, record producer, and music executive whose projects have sold in excess of 40 million copies, and earned more than eight billion streams worldwide. He?ll join us in a bit to talk about his day-to-day life as a songwriter-producer who has worked with Avril Lavigne, Mariah Carey, Glen Campbell, John Legend, and many others. 

PART ONE
Scott and Paul welcome Darrin Pfeiffer for a conversation about drumming, songwriting, and more. Darrin is a fabulous drummer (formerly of Goldfinger), the host of the Dangerous Darrin Show podcast, Scott's neighbor, and a heck of a nice guy. 

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with Justin Gray

ABOUT JUSTIN GRAY
Justin Gray is a Canadian-born, Los Angeles-based songwriter, record producer, music executive and tech entrepreneur. His various projects have sold in excess of 40 million copies, and earned more than eight billion streams worldwide. He has collaborated with a diverse range of artists including Avril Lavigne, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Luis Fonsi, Joss Stone, Glen Campbell, and many others. He has scored several #1 hits around the globe, including one of China?s biggest hits of 2020 with Universal Music artist Sunnee. His extensive film and TV work includes Toy Story 4, Melissa McCarthy?s Life of The Party, Hannah Montana, Beverly Hills 90210, Modern Family, Lethal Weapon, Hawaii 5-0, and many others. He has been a guest speaker at Canadian Music Week and South by Southwest, and has been a lecturer for master classes in songwriting and production at Berklee College of Music, USC Thornton School of Music, and UCLA. 

SUMMARY:
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is genre-bending singer, songwriter, artist, and international sensation LP. She joins us to chat about everything from writing Rihanna?s double platinum Top 10 single ?Cheers (Drink to That), to her own artist career which has yielded classics such as ?Lost on You? (which reached #1 in 18 countries), to her much-anticipated upcoming sixth studio album, Churches.  

PART ONE:
Scott and Paul don't hold back on their feelings about Rolling Stone's recently revised "500 Greatest Songwriters of All Time" list. 

PART TWO:
Our in-depth interview with LP

ABOUT LP:
Born Laura Pergolizzi on Long Island, New York, the singer, songwriter, and artist now known as LP got her start with a pair of impressive independent album releases before landing a deal with Island Records. While that album was never completed, ?Love Will Keep You Up All Night,? one of the songs she wrote for the project, was recorded by The Backstreet Boys on their Unbreakable album in 2007. Inspired to write for other artists, LP went on to have cuts such as ?Shine Ya Light,? a Top 10 hit for Rita Ora in the UK, and ?Cheers (Drink to That),? a Top 10 double platinum single for Rihanna in the US. The wide range of other artists who?ve recorded her songs includes Heidi Montag, Christina Aguilera, Jo Walsh, Leona Lewis, Cher, and Celine Dion. 

LP rediscovered the joy of writing songs for herself with ?Into the Wild,? which was used in a Citibank commercial. She signed with Warner Bros. and recorded the Forever For Now album, which featured collaborations with writers such as Claude Kelly, Billy Steinberg, and Isabella Summers from Florence and the Machine. She moved on to Vagrant Records for the Lost on You album, with a title track that has garnered over 455 million listens on Spotify, over 750 million views on YouTube, and chart-topping status in nearly 20 countries. Truly an international sensation, LP continued to gain attention for songs such as ?Girls Go Wild? from her Heart to Mouth album, and has already released a handful of songs, including ?The One That You Love,? ?How Low Can You Go,? and ?One Last Time? from her forthcoming release, Churches, which will be available this December.  

SUMMARY:
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is musician, songwriter, arranger, and producer Van Dyke Parks. Best known for his work with Brian Wilson on The Beach Boys? legendarily ill-fated Smile album, Parks has released a number of solo albums, scored several films, arranged countless sessions, and worked with a long list of artists, including The Byrds, Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, Little Feat, U2, Fiona Apple, Joana Newsom, and many others. 

PART ONE:
Scott and Paul chat about why they're approaching this episode a little differently than usual, the saga of The Beach Boys' Smile, and why Paul should stop checking stuff out from the library. 

PART TWO:
Our in-depth interview with the legendary Van Dyke Parks

ABOUT VAN DYKE PARKS
Van Dyke Parks is one of the more unique American musicians, songwriters, arrangers, and record producers to emerge in the 1960s. Born in Mississippi, he attended the American Boychoir boarding school in Princeton, New Jersey, in his formative years. His first career was as a child actor, appearing on over 100 episodes of various TV shows, including his role as ?the kid from downstairs? on The Honeymooners. He did theater and appeared in films, including The Swan with Grace Kelly and Alec Guinness, before going on to study music at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, where he briefly studied with Aaron Copland. In the early 1960s Van Dyke began playing acoustic guitar, and moved to the West Coast where he and his brother Carson performed on the coffee house circuit as a duo known as The Steeltown Two. He landed his first arranging job with ?The Bare Necessities? for Disney?s The Jungle Book in 1963 before a brief stint as an MGM recording artist in the middle of the decade.  

He is perhaps best known, however, for his collaborations with Brian Wilson with whom he worked as a lyricist on The Beach Boys? ill-fated Smile album. The pair revisited their work with the release of Brian Wilson Presents Smile in 2004. Though the Smile recordings weren?t released at the time, Van Dyke signed with Warner Bros. Records and, in 1967, released his album Song Cycle, an ambitious debut that incorporated a wide range of traditional American musical influences with experimental recording techniques. 

He went on to produce the debut albums by Ry Cooder and Randy Newman, and took a job as an executive at Warner Bros. Records in the 1970s. He became enamored with calypso music in that era, releasing a couple of albums as an artist showcasing the genre, and producing The Esso Trinidad Steel Band. Toward the end of the decade he began composing film soundtracks before returning in the 1980s with two albums of original material, Jump!, which explored the Uncle Remus and Br?er Rabbit stories, and Tokyo Rose, which explored the intersection between Japanese and American culture in the context of a trade war. In the 1990s, he and Brian Wilson teamed up once again to release the album Orange Crate Art. His most recent full-length album as a solo artist is 2013?s Songs Cycled. The long list of musicians Van Dyke has worked with includes The Byrds, Tim Buckley, Harry Nilsson, Little Feat, Steve Young, Phil Ochs, Frank Zappa, Ringo Starr, U2, Fiona Apple, Joanna Newsom, Skrillex, and many others.  

Thanks for checking out this very special bonus episode. Today we?re pleased to feature a great podcast called Basic Folk, by sharing one of their episodes in our feed. Fellow members of the American Songwriter podcast network, Basic Folk is a unique show that features honest conversations with a variety of musicians. The proceedings are anchored by public radio host Cindy Howes and guest host, singer/songwriter Lizzie No. They bring the warmth, the humor, and most importantly, insightful questions to a genre that is often misunderstood. Their definition of ?folk? is extremely broad, so they?ve featured interviews with people such as Tom Rush, Jonatha Brooke, and even some past Songcraft guests, including Lori McKenna, Bridget Kearney of Lake Street Dive, and Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls. The interview we?re sharing with you today features Cindy?s chat with Wesley Schultz of The Lumineers. The two-time Grammy nominees have released three studio albums, starting with the triple platinum self-titled debut which featured now-classic songs such as ?Hey Ho? and ?Stubborn Love.? Subsequent releases have featured Top 10 Billboard rock singles such as ?Ophelia,? ?Angela,? and ?Gloria,? making The Lumineers one of the most popular artists in the folk-oriented Americana genre. We chose to feature this particular episode based on Wesley?s in-depth analysis of songwriting, including the first comparison we?ve ever heard on songwriting and playing golf as similar disciplines. Interesting interview, so check it out. Wesley Schultz. The Lumineers. Basic Folk. Good stuff! 

 

SUMMARY:
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is Rami Yacoub, one of the most influential Swedish songwriters and producers of the last two decades. He joins us in a few moments to talk about his career, from early Britney Spears classics such as ?Baby One More Time,? to boy band hits such as One Direction?s ?What Makes U Beautiful,? to recent smashes such as Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande?s double platinum chart topper ?Rain on Me.?  

PART ONE:
Scott and Paul chat with Nashville-based songwriter Arlis Albritton (cuts by Jamey Johnson, Luke Bryan, and others) about the upcoming St. Augustine Songwriters Festival, which Arlis founded. 

PART TWO:
The guys pay tribute to a few recently-departed music legends: The Rolling Stones' Charlie Watts, Don Everly, and the great Tom T. Hall, who was a guest on the 67th episode of Songcraft - a conversation that turned out to be his final interview. 

PART THREE:
Our in-depth interview with hitmaker Rami Yacoub. 

ABOUT RAMI YACOUB:
As a songwriter and producer, Rami Yacoub has been involved in some of the biggest pop hits of the last twenty years. Raised in Sweden by Palestinian parents, Rami?s first massive international hit was Britney Spears? ?Baby One More Time,? which he co-produced with Max Martin. He and Martin went on to score additional hits with Spears, including ?Oops?I Did it Again,? ?Stronger,? and ?I?m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman.? Additionally, he wrote and produced The Backstreet Boys? Top 10 single ?Shape of My Heart? and NSYNC?s ?It?s Gonna Be Me,? which was the group?s only single to reach #1 on the Billboard pop chart. After co-writing P!nk?s ?U + Ur Hand,? he found massive success writing and producing for One Direction, including the hit singles ?What Makes U Beautiful,? ?One Thing,? ?Live While We?re Young,? and ?Kiss You.? Additional hits Rami has written include ?Starships? and ?Pound the Alarm? by Nicki Minaj, ?One Last Time? by Ariana Grande, ?Unstable? by Justin Bieber, and the double platinum #1 hit ?Rain on Me? for Lady Gaga, which was one of more than half a dozen songs he co-wrote for her critically acclaimed Chromatica album in 2020. The long list of artists who?ve recorded Rami?s songs includes Demi Lovato, Celine Dion, Carl Rae Jepson, 5 Seconds of Summer, Avicii, All Time Low, Selena Gomez, Jason DeRulo, and Madonna. 
 

SUMMARY
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is Poo Bear, who is known for his extensive collaborations with Justin Bieber, including the multi-platinum hits ?Where Are U Now,? ?What Do You Mean,? and ?Despacito (Remix),? as well as for hits such as ?Caught Up? by Usher, ?I Can Transform Ya? by Chris Brown, and ?10,000 Hours? by Dan + Shay. He joins us i to chat about his multi-platinum career as a behind the scenes writer, and his recent work as an artist. 

PART ONE
Scott and Paul chat about their elevator encounters with Ice Cube, Common, Kenny Loggins, Kelly Rowland, and Jermaine Jackson, and why random run-ins don't always result in amazing songwriting partnerships. 

PART TWO
Scott's in-depth interview with Jason "Poo Bear" Boyd

ABOUT POO BEAR
Song of the Year Grammy nominee Poo Bear is perhaps best known for his collaborations with Justin Bieber, including the multi-platinum hits ?All That Matters,? ?Where Are U Now,? ?What Do You Mean,? ?Company,? ?Yummy,? and ?Intentions,? as well as ?Despacito (Remix)? (with Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee) and ?I Don?t Care? (with Ed Sheeran). Other hits from the Poo Bear songbook include ?Anywhere? and ?Peaches and Cream? by the R&B group 112, ?Caught Up? by Usher, ?My Petition? from Jill Scott?s Grammy-winning Beautifully Human album, Chris Brown?s ?I Can Transform Ya? and ?She Ain?t You,? and Dan + Shay?s ?10,000 Hours.? 

His catalog has registered sales of over 350 million records worldwide, dozens of multi-platinum certifications, and 100 billion streams and counting. He has collaborated with The Rolling Stones, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, P!nk, Faith Evans, Dr. Dre, Lupe Fiasco, Drake, Snoop Dogg, Yo Gotti, Rick Ross, Skrillex, DJ Khaled, Mariah Carey, Billie Eilish, Steven Tyler, and many others.

Not limited by any one genre, Poo Bear?s songwriting can be found on everything from J Balvin?s Latin Grammy award-winning Energía to Zac Brown Band?s #1 country album The Owl. As an artist, he co-founded the rootsy project Bear and a Banjo, which released a self-title debut in 2020 that was produced by T-Bone Burnett. Further stepping out from behind the scenes, Poo Bear?s most recent release is the single ?The Day You Left.? 

Part One:
Paul and Scott pay tribute to ZZ Top's Dusty Hill, talk about bands with unchanging lineups, delve into the particulars of magnificent Songcraft beards, and take a closer look at Billboard's Christian music charts.  

Part Two:
Our in-depth conversation with David Crowder

ABOUT DAVID CROWDER:
David Crowder is a phenomenally successful singer, songwriter, and musician in Christian music. He first rose to prominence with The David Crowder Band, which introduced church communities to songs such as ?O Praise Him,? ?Here is Our King,? and ?How He Loves,? which has earned nearly 60 million streams on Spotify. The five-time Grammy nominee began a genre-bending solo career under the mononymous stage name Crowder in 2012, and has released four albums and a string of Top 10 singles including ?I Am,? ?Come As You Are,? ?Forgiven,? ?All My Hope,? ?Red Letters,? and ?Let it Rain.? Other staples from the Crowder songbook include ?Open Skies,? ?Everything Glorious,? ?This I Know,? and ?I?m Leaning on You.? Crowder has collaborated with a range of artists, including Chris Tomlin, Tauren Wells, Riley Clemmons, Maverick City Music, Marty Stuart, and Emmylou Harris, and has earned 16 GMA Dove Awards. His most recent album, Milk & Honey hit #1 on the US Christian charts, and the lead single ?Good God Almighty? became his first song to hit #1 on all four Billboard Christian music charts. 

SUMMARY:
Our guests on this episode of Songcraft are Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, best known for co-writing and producing nearly every Janet Jackson hit. They?ve worked with a who?s who of artists, earning them 26 Billboard #1 R&B hits, 16 Billboard #1 pop hits, more Producer of the Year Grammy nominations than anyone in history, and a place in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. We?ll chat with them about their varied career, and their new first-ever album under their own names, entitled Volume One. 

PART ONE:
Fan mail and the hardest job in the world.

PART TWO:
Scott and Paul chat about the idea of the celebrity producer, and how Jam & Lewis might have set a new mold. 

PART THREE:
Our in-depth interview with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis

ABOUT JAM & LEWIS
With 26 Billboard #1 R&B hits and 16 Billboard #1 pop hits to their credit, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are perhaps the most influential and successful songwriting and production duo in modern music history. With a total of 41 Top 10 hits in the US, Jimmy and Terry were named ASCAP Songwriters of the Year a record-breaking nine times. They are perhaps best known for their work with Janet Jackson, beginning with the Control album, which earned the duo a Grammy for Producer of the Year. Between 1986 and 1994 they scored thirteen #1 songs with Janet on either the R&B or pop chart, including ?What Have You Done For Me Lately,? ?Nasty,? ?When I Think of You,? ?Control,? ?Let?s Wait Awhile,? ?Miss You Much,? ?Rhythm Nation,? ?Escapade? ?Love Will Never Do (Without You),? ?The Best Things in Life Are Free,? ?That?s the Way Love Goes,? ?Any Time, Any Place,? and ?Again,? which earned Jimmy, Terry, and Janet an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. 

Jimmy and Terry got their start as musicians with Morris Day and the Time, the Prince-produced band whose biggest hit was the Jam and Lewis-penned ?Jerk Out.? They made the transition to a successful songwriting and production team working with the S.O.S. band, which landed a #2 R&B hit with ?Just Be Good to Me.? From there, they made their mark on pop and R&B hits for decades to come. In addition to their work with Jackson, the duo wrote and produced the #1 pop singles ?Human? by Human League, ?Romantic? by Karyn White, ?Thank God I Found You? by Mariah Carey, and the Boyz II Men singles ?On Bended Knee? and ?4 Seasons of Loneliness.? Additional R&B chart toppers include ?Encore? by Cheryl Lynn, ?Fake? by Alexander O?Neal, ?Everything I Miss at Home? by Cherelle, ?Sensitivity? by Ralph Tresvant, and the Johnny Gill singles ?Rub You the Right Way? and ?Wrap My Body Tight.? 

Other highlights from their catalog include New Edition?s ?If It Isn?t Love? and ?I?m Still in Love With You,? ?No More Drama? by Mary J. Blige, Robert Palmer?s hit pop cover of their Cherelle single ?I Didn?t Mean to Turn You On,? and recordings by Gladys Knight & The Pips, Barry White, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Usher, Spice Girls, Aretha Franklin, Charlie Wilson, Ledisi, Sting, Elton John, Beyonce, Rihanna, Rod Stewart, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Gwen Stefani, Willie Nelson, and many others.

Always versatile, the duo has earned Grammy awards for Best R&B Album for Chaka Kahn?s Funk This, Best Gospel Song for Yolanda Adams? ?Be Blessed,? and Best Dance Recording for Janet Jackson?s #1 pop and R&B hit ?All For You.? Additional Jackson hits that were written and produced with Jam and Lewis include the Janet and Michael Jackson hit ?Scream? and the #1 singles ?Together Again,? ?I Get Lonely,? ?Doesn?t Really Matter,? and the Nelly duet ?Call On Me.?

In total the team has earned over 100 gold, platinum, multi-platinum and diamond album certifications from the RIAA, have received more Producer of the Year Grammy nominations than anyone in history, earned the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award, and were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. They?ve recently released their first album under their own names, which is called Volume One. 

SUMMARY:
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is Georgia native and Best Americana Album Grammy nominee Brent Cobb. The self-described songwriter-singer joins us to chat about his dual career as an artist and as a behind-the-scenes tunesmith for Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney, and others. 

PART ONE
Paul and Scott dissect the difference between a guitarist and a guitar enthusiast. 

PART TWO:
Scott's in-depth interview with Brent Cobb

ABOUT BRENT COBB:
Georgia native Brent Cobb began his music career in Los Angeles working with his cousin Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings. He later found himself in Nashville where he landed a staff songwriting deal and started getting his songs recorded by artists such as Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney, and many others. He eventually signed an artist deal with the Elektra Records imprint Low Country Sound, scoring a Top 20 country album with Shine On Rainy Day. The LP earned a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album. His follow-up release, Providence Canyon earned Brent a spot touring with Chris Stapleton. His most recent release, Keep ?Em On They Toes, marks his return to Georgia and his most personal album to date. We recently caught up with Brent via phone where he called in from a semi-quiet corner of a hotel hallway at Disneyworld where he was vacationing with his family. 
 

SUMMARY:
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is Richard Marx, who is best known for writing and recording hits such as ?Don?t Mean Nothing,? ?Hold on to the Nights? and ?Right Here Waiting.? But that?s only part of the story. As a songwriter, Marx has written #1 hits for other artists, ranging from Kenny Rogers to Josh Groban to NSYNC to Keith Urban. He?s sold more than 30 million albums as an artist, earned the Grammy Song of the Year as a writer, and, with the publication of his new memoir on July 6th, is now an author with many amazing stories to tell.    

PART ONE:
Scott and Paul talk about the new Songcraft T-shirts, and wonder if Richard Marx is perhaps in an elite club whose only other members are the Bee Gees. 

PART TWO: 
Our in-depth 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 ?Dance With My Father,? which Richard wrote with the song?s performer, Luther Vandross, and which earned the pair the prestigious Grammy Song of the Year award in 2004. Additionally, Richard has scored three major hits with Keith Urban: the Top 5 ?Everybody,? and the #1 singles ?Better Life? and ?Long Hot Summer.?  

Despite all his songwriting success, however, Marx is best known as a singer and performer who today jokes about his 80s hairstyle and of-the-era drum sounds. But the songs are undeniable, all of which Marx wrote and produced himself. His debut self-titled album yielded four Top 5 singles: ?Don?t Mean Nothing,? ?Should?ve Known Better,? ?Endless Summer Nights,? and ?Hold on to the Nights.? His follow-up, 1989?s Repeat Offender, was even more successful, going quadruple-platinum and earning two number one Billboard pop singles, ?Satisfied? and ?Right Here Waiting,? in addition to the Top 5 ?Angelina.? More hits followed, including ?Keep Coming Back,? ?Hazard,? ?Take This Heart,? ?Now and Forever,? and ?Until I Find You Again.? 

In addition, Richard?s songs have been integral to a number of successful film soundtracks. He earned a Grammy nomination for his contributions to St. Elmo?s Fire; scored a Top 10 pop hit with ?Surrender to Me,? which Ann Wilson of Heart and Robin Zander of Cheap Trick recorded for the movie Tequila Sunrise, and wrote ?At the Beginning,? a hit duet for the film Anastasia that Richard performed with Donna Lewis. 

Over the course of his career, Richard?s songs have been recorded by Barbra Streisand, The Tubes, Sarah Brightman, Monica, Natalie Cole, Michael Bolton, Paulina Rubio, Emerson Drive, Chicago, Billy Ray Cyrus, Vince Gill, Kenny Loggins, LeAnn Rimes, Celine Dion, Julio Iglesias, Berry Manilow, Daughtry, Vertical Horizon, Lifehouse, Dave Koz, Jennifer Nettles, Ringo Starr, and many others. 

His memoir, Stories to Tell, is available July 6 from Simon & Shuster. 

SUMMARY:
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is musician, rapper, poet, activist, and singer-songwriter Michael Franti, who is best known for his work with his group Spearhead. He joins us to discuss the evolution of his music, the creation of hits such as ?Say Hey (I Love You)? and ?The Sound of Sunshine,? and his most recent album, Work Hard & Be Nice. 

PART ONE:
Scott and Paul get into some serious grammar nerd stuff about implied punctuation in lyrics, how incorrect sentence construction often works better in lyrics, and what the heck Bryan Adams really had in mind when he wrote "Heaven."

PART TWO:
We chat about our friends at Pearl Snap Studios, address Scott's "Zoom yelling," and tee up for the main event...

PART THREE:
Scott's in-depth interview with Michael Franti

ABOUT MICHAEL FRANTI
Socially conscious and genre-bending artist, musician, rapper, poet, activist and singer-songwriter Michael Franti launched his career with early groups such as Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy, whose debut release was listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. He went on to form Spearhead, which evolved from hip-hop to incorporate influences including jazz, soul, funk, rock, reggae, and folk. The 2008 Michael Franti & Spearhead album All Rebel Rockers was his first to hit the Top 40 on the Billboard album charts on the strength of the single ?Say Hey (I Love You),? which was also a Top 20 hit on the pop chart. He went on to release a string of albums that hit the Rock Albums Top 5, including The Sound of Sunshine, All People, and SoulRocker. His most recent album is called Work Hard & Be Nice, which was released during the pandemic in the summer of 2020. In addition to his work as an artist and activist, Michael is the owner of a yoga resort hotel in Bali called Soulshine, from which he joined us for this interview.
 

Summary:
Our guest on this episode of Songcraft is Marty Dodson, who has written #1 singles such as ?Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven? for Kenny Chesney and ?Must Be Doin? Something Right? for Billy Currington. The Nashville hitmaker joins us to discuss his songwriting journey, and give us further insight into Songtown, the songwriter community he co-founded to provide quality resources for aspiring professionals.  

Part One:
Scott and Paul talk about their favorite music podcasts of the moment.

Part Two:
Our in-depth interview with Marty Dodson.

About Marty Dodson:

One of the rare Nashville songwriters who actually grew up in Nashville, Marty Dodson changed careers as a young adult to dedicate himself to his passion for writing songs. Much of his success came in the country world with singles such as Rascal Flatts? Top 10 hit ?While You Loved Me,? Carrie Underwood?s ?Songs Like This,? Kenny Chesney?s multi-week #1 hit ?Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven,? Charlie Worsham?s debut single ?Could It Be,? Blake Shelton?s ?Doing it to Country Songs.? and two Billy Currington chart-toppers, ?Must Be Doin? Something? Right? and ?Let Me Down Easy.? 

Never one to limit himself to a single genre, Marty has also collaborated with Tom Higgenson of the rock band Plain White T?s, which recorded two of his songs, and has had his compositions recorded by everyone from Joe Cocker, who had an international #1 with Marty?s ?Fire It Up,? to Cho Yong Pil, a South Korean superstar who had a multi-week #1 with Marty?s song ?Bounce.? 

In addition to his writing, Marty is the co-founder of Songtown, a creative community of aspiring writers that provides blog posts, webinars, podcasts, and even books, including two co-authored by Marty: Song Building: Mastering Lyric Writing, and The Songwriter?s Guide to Mastering Co-Writing.

SUMMARY: 
Bridget Kearney and Rachael Price of the band Lake Street Dive join us to talk about a career that?s earned them top 20 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, a half dozen singles on the AAA chart, massive critical praise, and a brand new album on Nonesuch Records called "Obviously" that elevates the band?s pop, rock, R&B, and jazz influences into a perfectly unique blend that's equal parts retro and contemporary. 

PART ONE:
Paul & Scott read listener mail, talk Patreon perks, and tell you how to get your very own Songcraft T-shirt! 

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Rachael and Bridget of Lake Street Dive

ABOUT LAKE STREET DIVE:
Lake Street Dive?s tight harmonies and wide-ranging tastes in pop, rock, R&B, and jazz blend together to create a cohesive sound that celebrates retro influences with a contemporary attitude. Formed at the New England Conservatory of Music in 2004, the group has released seven studio albums, issued two EPs, and charted a half dozen singles on Billboard?s Adult Alternative Airplay chart including ?Call Off Your Dogs,? ?Good Kisser,? ?Shame Shame Shame,? and ?Hypotheticals.? The latter is off their most recent album on Nonesuch Records, titled Obviously. The group has appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, Conan, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and NPR?s Tiny Desk series. They?ve earned many millions of YouTube views with their innovative interpretations of covers songs, as well as with originals such as ?What I?m Doing Here,? ?You Go Down Smooth,? ?Mistakes,? ?Side Pony,? and ?Bad Self Portraits.? Lead singer Rachael Price and bassist Bridget Kearney join us to talk about their songwriting process and the evolution of the band. 
 

PART ONE:
Scott & Paul chat about making records, and dive way too deep on how every Songcraft guest is connected.

PART TWO (30 minute mark):
Our in-depth interview with Todd Snider

ABOUT TODD SNIDER:
Celebrated 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 of the Top 50 Albums of the Year. He also formed the group Hardworking Americans, and published a memoir called I Never Met a Story I Didn?t Like: Mostly True Tall Tales. His songs have been covered by Garth Brooks, Gary Allan, Mark Chesnutt, Tom Jones, Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver, Elizabeth Cook, Warren Haynes, Loretta Lynn, and Elvis Costello. His experimental new funk-influenced album is called First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder.

SUMMARY:
Dan Nigro has already taken 2021 by storm as the co-writer and producer of Olivia Rodrigo?s global smash hit ?Drivers License.? He joins us to talk about his development as a writer, his success with Freya Ridings and Conan Gray, and how he?s experiencing this moment as pop music?s new songwriting superstar. 

PART ONE:
Scott and Paul chat about how oddly "adult" pop music was in the '80s.

PART TWO:
Our in-depth interview with Dan Nigro

ABOUT DAN NIGRO:
Songwriter and producer Dan Nigro is having a major moment. Olivia Rodrigo?s debut single ?Drivers License,? which he co-wrote and produced, made her the youngest artist in history to debut at the top of the Billboard pop chart. A global sensation, the song not only stayed on top of the US chart for two full months, but reached number one in the UK, Japan, and more than 20 other countries. It set a new streaming record on Spotify with over 15 million plays in a single day. 

Prior to his years-long overnight success, Dan began his musical life as the leader of indie rock band As Tall as Lions before transitioning to songwriting and producing. His resume includes ?Cameo Lover? by Kimbra, ?Mercy? by Lewis Capaldi, ?Castles? by Freya Ridings, ?So Hot You?re Hurting My Feelings? by Caroline Polachek, and ?Heather? by Conan Gray. In addition to those songs, which have nearly 300 million combined views on YouTube, Dan has written and/or produced for Sky Ferreira, Kylie Minogue, Billy Idol, Little Boots, Carly Rae Jepsen, Zella Day, Finneas, and many others. His latest single, Olivia Rodrigo?s ?Deja Vu,? was released less than two weeks prior to this episode and is already a Top 10 pop hit, indicating that the team of Rodrigo and Nigro is here to stay. 

SUMMARY: 
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and four-time Grammy nominee Nancy Wilson of Heart joins us to chat about self-penned classics such as "Crazy on You," "Magic Man," "Barracuda," and "Never," as well as her work scoring films, and her upcoming debut solo album, You and Me. 

PART ONE: 
Paul and Scott chat about demos, their friends at Pearl Snap Studios, the grand finale of their Women's History Month series, why Nancy Wilson paved the way for little girls to aspire to great guitar heights, and what one Heart song each of them plans to blast after the interview. 

PART TWO: 9:02 mark
Our in-depth interview with Nancy Wilson

ABOUT NANCY WILSON:
Four-time Grammy nominee and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Nancy Wilson is best known for her work in the band Heart, which she and her sister Ann helped propel to rock superstardom in the 1970s, thanks to self-penned classics such as ?Crazy On You,? ?Magic Man,? ?Dreamboat Annie,? ?Barracuda,? ?Little Queen,? ?Heartless,? ?Straight On,? ?Dog & Butterfly,? and ?Even It Up.? In the mid-1980s they reinvented themselves as mainstream radio hitmakers with a string of successful singles, including ?What About Love,? ?Never,? ?These Dreams,? ?Nothin? at All,? ?Alone,? ?Who Will You Run To,? ?There?s the Girl,? ?All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You,? and ?Stranded.? 

Though she has sold over 35 million albums worldwide as a member of Heart, Nancy?s songwriting efforts extend beyond the confines of the band. She has written songs and scores for films, including Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky, and Elizabethtown. She is also a founding member of the bands The Lovemongers and Roadcase Royale. Though she previously released a solo acoustic set called Live At McCabe?s Guitar Shop, Nancy?s debut studio album as a solo artist, You and Me, will be released on May 7th.   

Jackie DeShannon is best known for her hit records ?What the World Needs Now is Love? and the self-penned ?Put a Little Love In Your Heart.? The Songwriters Hall of Fame member and five-time Grammy nominee who won the coveted Song of the Year Grammy for ?Bette Davis Eyes? joins us to chat about her remarkable career. 

PART ONE
Scott and Paul chat about their new theme song, Grammys lost and won, further reflections on Women's History Month, and why Paul's daughter is a little confused by Paul Stanley of KISS. 

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with the legendary Jackie DeShannon

ABOUT JACKIE DeSHANNON

Jackie DeShannon was one of the first women in pop music to write and record her own material. As an artist, Jackie is best known for her recording of the Burt Bacharach and Hal David classic ?What the World Needs Now is Love,? as well as for her self-penned ?Put a Little Love in Your Heart,? which was a Top 5 hit for her before being revived 20 years later to become a hit once again for Al Green and Annie Lennox. The five-time Grammy nominee who won the coveted Song of the Year Grammy for ?Bette Davis Eyes? composed several classics, including ?Dum Dum,? a hit for Brenda Lee, ?Breakaway,? a hit for both Irma Thomas and Tracy Ullman, ?When You Walk in the Room,? which was covered by The Searchers, and ?Don?t Doubt Yourself Babe,? which was included on the debut album by The Byrds.

Jackie appeared with The Beatles on their first American tour in 1964 and has collaborated with a wide range of artists including Randy Newman, Jimmy Page, and Van Morrison. Her songs have been covered by Marianne Faithfull, Ella Fitzgerald, Glen Campbell, The Everly Brothers, Cher, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Dolly Parton, Rick Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Michael McDonald, and Taylor Swift. Jackie was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010. 

Summary: Grand Ole Opry legend Jeannie Seely. a Grammy winner who placed nearly 30 singles on the Billboard country charts as an artist, joins us to chat about her craft as a BMI award-winning songwriter whose compositions have been recorded by Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Irma Thomas, Rhonda Vincent, Faron Young, Connie Smith, Dottie West, Willie Nelson, and others. She talks about co-writing with Randy Newman and Glen Campbell, shares her perspective on Nashville?s songwriting community as the former spouse of Hall of Fame songwriter Hank Cochran, tells us what she learned from Porter Wagoner, and sheds insights on the challenges women of her generation faced while making their way as respected country songwriters.   

PART ONE: The guys chat about Paul's recent songwriting success with artist Lauren Daigle and look ahead to what they have planned for Women's History Month.

PART TWO: Our in-depth interview with Jeannie Seely.

ABOUT JEANNIE SEELY:

Singer, songwriter, producer, actress, author and radio show host Jeannie Seely has been a staple of the Grand Ole Opry cast for more than five decades, and is now the Official Ambassador for the Opry. She rose to prominence with the #1 hit ?Don?t Touch Me,? a multi-million selling single written by her ex-husband, songwriting legend Hank Cochran, that earned her a Grammy award and recognition from Billboard, Cashbox and Record World magazines as the Most Promising Female Country Artist. Earning the nickname Miss Country Soul, Seely placed nearly 30 songs on the Billboard country chart, including ?It?s Only Love,? ?A Wanderin? Man,? ?I?ll Love You More (Than You Need),? ?Can I Sleep in Your Arms Tonight Mister,? the Grammy-nominated Jack Greene duet ?Wish I Didn?t Have to Miss You,? and the self-penned songs ?Farm in Pennsyltucky? and ?He Can Be Mine.?

Before she hit the charts as an artist, Jeannie found early pop songwriting success with ?Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand),? a pop and R&B hit for Irma Thomas that she co-wrote with Randy Newman. Soon, country artists such as Connie Smith and Dottie West began recording Jeannie?s songs. Since then, her compositions have been recorded by Willie Nelson, Ernest Tubb, Ray Price, Little Jimmy Dickens, Tex Williams, Merle Haggard, Lorrie Morgan, Doyle Lawson, and Faron Young, who scored a Top 10 pop hit with ?Leaving and Saying Goodbye,? which earned Jeannie a BMI award.  

Recording for the Monument, Decca, MCA and Columbia labels, Seely is credited with breaking barriers for women in country music, and the four-time CMA Awards nominee hasn?t slowed down. She hosts her own radio show on Willie?s Roadhouse on SiriusXM, and co-wrote ?Like I Could,? a recent bluegrass chart topper recorded by Rhonda Vincent. Her recent albums include Written in Song, which spotlights her own compositions, and American Classic, her most recent album which features ?Not a Dry Eye in the House,? a duet with Willie Nelson that was released on Jeannie?s 80th birthday in 2020.    

Our guest is Diane Warren, an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Grammy winner with 11 Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song. The Songwriters Hall of Famer and ASCAP Founders Award winner is known for a long list of hits, including ?Rhythm of the Night,? ?Blame it On the Rain,? ?Because You Loved Me,? ?Don?t Turn Around,? ?Unbreak My Heart,? ?I Don?t Wanna Miss a Thing,? and ?How Do I Live.? She joins us to talk about her wide-ranging career, and her upcoming first-ever studio album, The Cave Sessions, Vol. 1.   

PART ONE:
Scott and Paul chat about the Bruce Springsteen Super Bowl commercial, authenticity, Willie Nelson's reggae album, and Lady Gaga's meat dress. 

PART TWO:
The guys pay tribute to Songwriters Hall of Famer (and former Songcraft guest) Jim Weatherly who passed away recently. Hear all about Scott's connection with the "Midnight Train to Georgia" writer that goes back many many years.  

PART THREE: Our in-depth interview with Diane Warren

ABOUT DIANE WARREN
Songwriters Hall of Famer Diane Warren is an Emmy, Golden Globe, and Grammy winner (with a total of 15 Grammy nominations to her credit) who has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is perhaps one of the most successful pop songwriters of all time. Her long list of Top-10 pop hits includes ?Rhythm of the Night? by DeBarge, ?I Get Weak? by Belinda Carlisle, ?Nothing?s Gonna Stop Us Now? and ?Set the Night to Music? by Starship, ?Who Will You Run To? by Heart, ?I Don?t Wanna Live Without Your Love? and ?Look Away? by Chicago, ?Blame it on the Rain? by Milli Vanilli, ?How Can We Be Lovers? and ?When I?m Back on My Feet Again? by Michael Bolton, ?I?ll Be Your Shelter? and ?Love Will Lead You Back? by Taylor Dayne, ?If I Could Turn Back Time? and ?Just Like Jesse James? by Cher, and ?When I See You Smile? by Bad English.

But those are just a few highlights from the 1980s. In the ?90s she became a five-time ASCAP Pop Songwriter of the Year, and was named Billboard Pop Songwriter of the Year for three years in a row thanks to writing hits such as ?If You Asked Me To? and ?Because You Loved Me? for Celine Dion, ?Don?t Turn Around? for Ace of Base, ?For You I Will? for Monica, ?The One I Gave My Heart To? for Aaliyah, ?Unbreak My Heart? for Toni Braxton, ?Have You Ever? for Brandy, ?I Don?t Want to Miss a Thing? for Aerosmith, ?I Turn to You? for Christina Aguilera, ?Music of My Heart? for Gloria Estefan, and ?How Do I Live? for LeAnn Rimes, which became the longest-running song in Billboard chart history. 

Warren has earned eleven Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song between 1988 and 2020, including ?Nothing?s Gonna Stop Us Now,? ?Because You Loved Me,? ?How Do I Live,? ?I Don?t Want to Miss a Thing,? ?Til It Happens to You,? which was a collaboration with Lady Gaga, ?Stand Up for Something,? which was a collaboration with Common and ?I?ll Fight? from the film RBG. 

She has continued to have her songs recorded by a wide-range of artists in recent years, including ?Born to Be Somebody? by Justin Bieber, ?I Was Here? by Beyonce, ?Only Love Can Hurt Like This? by Paloma Faith, and ?To Get Here? by Willie Nelson. Other artists who?ve recorded her songs include Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis, Jennifer Hudson, Patti LaBelle, Dionne Warwick, Roy Orbison, Al Green, Rod Stewart, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Bette Midler, Lionel Richie, Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire, Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, KISS, Joan Jett, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jessie J, Demi Lovato, Carrie Underwood, Adele, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, and Whitney Houston. 

A recipient of the prestigious ASCAP Founder?s Award, Warren has recently completed her first studio album, The Cave Sessions, Vol. 1, which features John Legend, Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, Jason Derulo, Ty Dolla $ign, LP, and Darius Rucker who performs the lead single ?Times Like This.? 

In addition to his own albums and mixtapes, artist, songwriter, and entertainer Eric Bellinger has co-written hits such as Chris Brown?s ?New Flame? and Usher?s ?Lemme See,? as well as songs by Justin Bieber, Trey Songz, The Game, and others. Eric joins Paul to chat about his remarkable career that spans pop, hip-hop, and R&B. 

PART ONE
Scott and Paul talk about musicians who are also great athletes and theorize about the connections between sports and music, including Paul's tales of his days playing basketball with Brian McKnight

PART TWO
Paul's in-depth interview with Eric Bellinger

ABOUT ERIC BELLINGER
Singer, songwriter, and producer Eric Bellinger balances his career as a performer with a long list of behind-the-scenes writer credits on hits such as Chris Brown?s ?New Flame,? which topped multiple Billboard charts, ?Lemme See,? an ASCAP-award winning song by Usher that reached #2 on Billboard?s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the Top 40 ?Right Here? by Justin Bieber featuring Drake, and the theme song of the hit film Think Like a Man, performed by Jennifer Hudson, Ne-Yo, and Rick Ross.

The list of other artists who?ve recorded Eric?s songs includes Selena Gomez, Ashanti, Keke Palmer, Brandy, Fantasia, Trey Songz, The Game, Tyrese, Tank, and Teyana Taylor. In addition to ?New Flame,? Eric also earned recognition for his contributions to Chris Brown?s Grammy-winning album F.A.M.E., which included the songs ?Fine China? and ?Love More,? featuring Nicki Minaj. 

With over a dozen studio albums, mixtapes, and EPs to his credit, Eric Bellinger the artist has released singles such as ?Valet? featuring Fetty Wap and 2 Chainz; ?Type a Way? featuring Chris Brown; ?Moist? featuring K Camp, and ?Enough,? which directly addresses racial and societal injustice. His most recent album, a duo project with Hitmaka called 1-800-Hit-Eazy, will be released later this month. 

Nine-time Grammy nominee Ani DiFranco joins Scott and Paul to talk about her career as a fiercely independent singer-songwriter and activist, and share some insights into the social, political, and personal challenges that inspired her honest but hope-filled new studio album, Revolutionary Love. 

PART ONE
Paul and Scott discuss the complicated legacy of genius songwriter/producer and convicted murderer Phil Spector, before paying tribute to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in honor of the MLK holiday. They each choose a favorite song to emerge from the Civil Rights era and consider how King's message informs the artistic world today. 

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with the great Ani DiFranco

ABOUT ANI DIFRANCO
Singer, songwriter, musician, producer, poet, author, spoken-word artist, activist and entrepreneur Ani DiFranco has released more than 20 independent studio albums on her own label, Righteous Babe Records. Though often classified as ?alternative folk,? DiFranco?s musical influences span a range of genres. After relentless touring, she reached a wide commercial audience in the late 1990s and early 2000s with albums such as Little Plastic Castle, Up Up Up Up Up Up, Revelling/Reckoning, Evolve, Educated Guess, and the gold-certified live album Living in Clip. The Grammy winner and nine-time nominee achieved her sole Top 40 hit as a songwriter when Alana Davis covered the DiFranco classic ?32 Flavors? in 1997. 

The prolific and critically-acclaimed performer developed her own uniquely percussive guitar style and has collaborated with a range of artists, including Bon Iver?s Justin Vernon, Bruce Cockburn, Pete Seeger, Utah Phillips, Maceo Parker, and Prince. In addition to releasing her own music, her label has issued recordings by Sara Lee, Andrew Bird, Nona Hendryx, and others. 

Ani was one of the first musicians to receive the Woman of Courage Award from the National Organization for Women, and was honored with both the Woody Guthrie Award and the Southern Center For Human Rights? Human Rights Award. Her memoir, No Walls and the Recurring Dream, was released in 2019 by Viking Books. The New Orleans-based DiFranco?s latest album, Revolutionary Love, is a timely social statement scheduled for release on January 29, 2021. 
  

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott geek out about the Bee Gees documentary, and the nature of being the kind of songwriter who MUST do it, no matter what.

PART TWO:
Dan Wilson chats about how Liam Gallagher of Oasis inspired the first new Semisonic music in years; why his relationship with songs has always been very practical; how his first massive hit was born from a need to mix up the set list; the theory he once had about lyrics that he doesn't have any more; the lesson he learned from writing with Carole King that he's carried through his entire career; why it was a good thing that Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks rejected his song idea; how Rick Rubin informed his approach to music; the gritty details on the two-day process of writing "Someone Like You" with Adele; why Nashville's songwriting ethic impacted his process; the time a song was finalized over pizza with John Legend and Chrissy Tiegen; and how fellow songwriter Teddy Geiger indirectly inspired a most unusual format for Dan's collection of wisdom for writers and musicians. 

ABOUT  DAN WILSON:
Songwriter, 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 earned Dan an Album of the Year Grammy for his production work. Wilson has also found success in Nashville, co-writing Dierks Bentley?s number one hit ?Home? and earning yet another Album of the Year Grammy nomination for Taylor Swift?s Red LP, for which he co-wrote and produced the song ?Treacherous.? 

Dan?s long list of collaborators includes Carole King, Rachel Yamagata, Jason Mraz, Gabe Dixon, Weezer, Keith Urban, Josh Groban, James Morrison, P!nk, Leann Rimes, John Legend, Chris Stapleton, Panic! At the Disco, Cold War Kids, Noah Cyrus, Leon Bridges, Celine Dion, and many others.

In addition to his acclaimed Words and Music by Dan Wilson solo concerts, he launched a social media series called Words & Music in Six Seconds. The series, which focuses on ?forging collaborative relationships, seeking a community, testing out ideas in front of an audience, and writing better songs,? has recently been turned into a deck of 75 cards, designed by Dan, that distill his insights from nearly three decades of writing, performing, and collaborating with the world?s greatest musical artists. You can get your own set and find out more about Dan?s amazing career at danwilsonmusic.com. 

Merry Christmas! What better way to wrap up our 12 Days of Christmas mini-episodes than with ?Christmas Time is Here? from A Charlie Brown Christmas? Today we share an excerpt of our 2017 conversation with Lee Mendelson who produced the classic animated special and wrote the lyrics of the song that has since been covered by Diana Krall, John Legend, Shawn Colvin, R.E.M., Mariah Carey, Tony Bennett, Barry Manilow, Toni Braxon, Lauren Daigle, and many others. Mendelson died on Christmas day in 2019, so we are so grateful to have had the chance to speak with him a couple of years before his passing. We know his memories will warm your heart!

It's Day 11 of our "12 Days of Christmas" daily mini-episodes spotlighting a classic holiday song and featuring an interview with the writer. On this Christmas Eve we reflect on "Breath of Heaven" with Chris Eaton, who co-wrote the song with Amy Grant. It has since been recorded by Vince Gill, Jessica Simpson, Donna Summer, Sara Groves, Melissa Manchester, and many more.

We're counting down the 12 Days of Christmas with daily mini-episodes spotlighting a classic holiday song and featuring an interview with the writer. On this tenth day of Christmas, we explore "Merry Christmas from the Family" with the great Robert Earl Keen. The Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Famer tells Scott and guest host Randy Poe all about the song that set the standard for redneck Christmases everywhere, and has been covered by The Chicks, Jill Sobule, Montgomery Gentry, and others.

PART ONE
Scott and Paul chat about the holidays and Paul's latest Christmas cut by Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr.

PART TWO
The guys catch up with Eagles songwriter and past Songcraft guest Jack Tempchin ("Already Gone," "Peaceful Easy Feeling") about his brand new holiday song and children's book. 

PART THREE
Our in-depth conversation with thirteen-time Grammy nominee and two-time winner Walter Afanasieff who co-wrote and co-produced Mariah Carey hits such as the number one singles ?Can?t Let Go,? ?My All,? ?Hero,? ?One Sweet Day,? and the perennial holiday classic "All I Want for Christmas is You." Additionally, he produced some of the biggest movie soundtrack songs of all time, including ?Beauty and the Beast,? ?A Whole New World,? and ?My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic. 

ABOUT WALTER AFANSIEFF

Thirteen-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 hit #1 on Billboard?s pop chart for the first time in 2019, giving Walter and Mariah the world record for the longest period of time between a song?s original release and its arrival at the top of the chart.  

In addition to his success with Carey, Afanasieff carved out a formidable reputation as a go-to producer of hit movie songs. After co-writing and co-producing the Gladys Knight single ?Licence to Kill? from the James Bond film of the same name, he went on to produce ?Beauty and the Beast,? ?A Whole New World? from Aladdin, ?Even If My Heart Would Break? from The Bodyguard, and ?My Heart Will Go On? from Titanic, which became the best-selling single in the world for 1998. Additionally he produced ?Some Day? from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Academy Award nominated ?Go the Distance? from Hercules.

Other hits from the Walter Afanasieff songbook include ?Can You Stop the Rain,? a #1 R&B single for Peabo Bryson that earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song, ?Missing You Now,? a #1 Adult Contemporary hit for Michael Bolton, ?If You Go Away,? a Top 20 single for New Kids on the Block, Savage Garden?s #1 pop single ?I Knew I Loved You,? and Ricky Martin?s massive global hit ?She Bangs.?

The long list of additional artists Walter has written and produced music for includes Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Destiny's Child, Kenny G, Andrea Bocelli, Johnny Mathis, Kenny Loggins, Barbra Streisand, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony, Babyface, and Josh Groban.