He has been referred to by Billboard Magazine as "One of Music Row's greatest veteran tunesmiths.” A multi-award-winning songwriter, he has had over 580 different songs recorded and his songs have sold in excess of 19 million records worldwide. He was a co-writer on a song that Chris Stapleton won a GRAMMY for last year for “Best Country Performance of the Year.” This past Friday he released a new album that is a gospel-bluegrass project, plus he has a GRAMMY nomination on his résumé as a producer in the Gospel Roots category. Internationally, he has written no less than nine Number 1 Country hits in Australia! He is even an eight-time Dove Award nominee in the country, bluegrass, and southern gospel categories. As an artist, he has performed worldwide and has had the honor of performing as a soloist many times on the world-famous Grand Ole Opry. Plus, he has sung as background vocalist for Linda Ronstadt on Late Night with David Letterman and NBC’s Today Show.
“When I got to Nashville, I learned there was such a thing as co-writing, and I really didn't know about that.”
“I’m getting older now and… I don't want to go out here known as a co-writer, I want to be known as a songwriter.”
“I've got a song here called ‘I Need a Drink’ that was recorded a few years ago by a family group called The Freemans and they did okay at radio with it but there were actual DJs that wouldn't play the song just from the title.”
“I'm trying to write blue collar kind of gospel stuff that would reach out and maybe touch someone who doesn't normally go to church.”
“We're gonna save our greatest ideas for the opportunity to write with an artist… we get a chance to write with a (Chris) Stapleton, or we get a chance to write with a Steven Curtis Chapman or somebody like that, we're gonna basically save our great titles and ideas for those opportunities.”
“When you get a chance to get in a room with an established writer and someone who's having success you better be bringing them a great idea because they're not gonna share theirs with you.”
“If you're playing the same song two or three times and you're getting the same comments and the same response you probably need to change the song.”
“If you don't have thick skin, you do not want to be a songwriter.”
“Chris (Stapleton) is a great guy. I was the second guy he ever wrote with when he came to Nashville and became very close friends.”
“That's the wonderful thing about music is a great song can live and live and live until it gets its shot.”
“He said, ‘I just want to tell you one thing. You better have a great hook when you walk in there with him or you'll never get back in the room with him again.’ And so, I was just a nervous wreck for a couple weeks.”
“I don't think I've written my best song yet. That's what I'm pursuing.”
“BYOB”
“Hit the Wall”