Tommy Lee James. Photo: Olivia James
In the past 25 years, Still Working Music songwriter Tommy Lee James’ songs have found success when paired with some of the industry’s most dazzling vocalists, among them Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, Reba, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, and Ronnie Dunn.
James penned Reba’s 1995 hit, “And Still,” and the 1998 juggernaut duet from Reba and Brooks & Dunn, “If You See Him/If You See Her.”
“That’s one of those songs where total calculation paid off,” he says. “We heard that Ronnie and Reba were looking for a duet. I got together with [co-writers Terry McBride and Jennifer Kimball] and we wrote a song expressively for Brooks & Dunn, and Reba. We wrote it like, ‘If he said this, then she would say this,’ and we played it for them and that was it. It was really easy.”
McBride’s “Wrong Again,” Yearwood’s “Nothing ‘Bout Memphis” and “This Is Me You’re Talking To,” Aguilera’s “Beautiful People,” and Ronnie Dunn’s “Bleed Red,” are also in James’ musical arsenal, as are Tim McGraw’s “She’s My Kind Of Rain,” Blake Shelton’s “My Eyes,” Cyndi Thompson’s “What I Really Meant To Say” and Taylor Swift’s “Untouchable.”
“I do take range into consideration,” he says of crafting songs for vocalists with a substantial vocal span and power. “There is something about a song jumping from a verse to a chorus. It gives it that American Idol thing where it just hits.
“I usually target a bit when I write, just to keep me in the ballpark of what I’m writing for. I think when I have a specific artist in mind like a Celine or Trisha or Martina, I try to hear their voices singing it and it gives you inspiration and you follow that lead a little bit.”
James has crafted songs for an array of artists from country, pop and rock. He penned two songs, “They Don’t Know About Us,” and “Loved You First,” for British boy band One Direction’s 2012 Take Me Home project. “God Only Knows” found a home on rock guitarist Orianthi’s 2009 album Believe.
Tommy Lee James. Photo: Olivia James
James grew up in Virginia, listening to his relatives play bluegrass music and poring over Buck Owens and Glen Campbell songbooks. Music of all genres emanated from his transistor radio, as it did from television programs including American Bandstand, Hee Haw and The Ed Sullivan Show.
James began writing songs at 13, not long after he had joined his first band.
“My dad made me promise that I wouldn’t play in any place that served alcohol, and that I wouldn’t grow my hair long,” James says. “By 17, I was playing in a band in a bar and my hair was down to my shoulders and I was getting home at 2 a.m.”
After studying piano and voice in college, and influenced by the music of the Eagles and J.D. Souther, James was intent on pursuing a recording career in Nashville. Before long, he switched his focus to songwriting.
“I totally had blinders on about being an artist. I was writing songs for my artist thing. You think you are on one road but you are really on another road. My artist thing didn’t work out for the country market, but it was cool to start writing songs and realize how important that was.”
Still Working Music’s Barbara Orbison served as a prominent mentor in James’ career before her death in 2011.
“For 21 years when I worked with her, she opened up so many doors for me. She took me to that next level and believed in me in the good years and not so good years. She was not afraid to spit out my name in any room to anybody.”
James’ creations have taken him from Virginia to Nashville to London, where he penned Dion’s “Didn’t Know Love” with fellow Nashville writer Jessi Alexander and Francis Anthony “Eg” White, a producer and writer for Adele.
“That was more of a pleasant surprise,” James says. “Eg did this amazing demo of it and was producing for Celine at the time, so that’s how it happened. I love that song and she’s amazing. You almost expect a Celine song to be like a chest-pumping, ‘My Heart Will Go On’ song, but this is a little more subdued, a little more Adele-ish.”
On April 14, he will release the album The Wontons, with the album title taken from the name of a fictitious band his daughter created. James played nearly all the instruments on the album (with the exception of drums), sang all vocals, and wrote all of the songs for the album, which he describes as “early ‘80s, jangly guitar, garage pop.”
He recorded the album over a six-month period at Roy Orbison Jr.’s home studio, and says the process “brought me back to the love of music.”
“In some ways I’ve always been a frustrated artist,” he says. “When you’ve been writing songs for 30 years, your creativity level is going to go up and down. We’re not machines. You have to be engaged to do your best work. If I’d have had a record deal in 1981, it’s the record I would have wanted to make, if I knew then what I know now. I wanted it to sound like a bunch of 16-year-olds in their garage, figuring out what to play on their guitars. The one thing I miss from music from the ‘60s and ‘70s is there was a naivety about music that drew you in.”
Recently, James’ songwriting has expanded into the EDM market. His track “Are You With Me,” recorded by Easton Corbin, was remixed by Belgian DJ Lost Frequencies in 2014. The track topped the music charts in 17 countries. Since then, James has been writing more music and sending it to EDM markets. In a full-circle move, James says his vocals are featured on an upcoming track from German DJ Thomas Gold.
“[Are You With Me] totally blew up and got me interested in that market,” James says. “Nice to keep it interesting.”
Industry Ink: Jessi Colter, Songs And Stories For St. Jude, Maranda McGeary, Nashville Rising Star
/by Lorie HollabaughJessi Colter To Share Stories At Country Music Hall Of Fame
Songs And Stories For St. Jude Set For April 5
The BIG 98’s 5th Annual Songs and Stories for St. Jude with the Music City Hitmakers Symphony will take place at City Winery on April 5 at 7 p.m. Performers include Chris DeStefano, Brett James, Hillary Lindsey, Jessi Alexander, Rivers Rutherford and Marcus Hummon. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased at songsandstoriesbig98.eventbrit
Maranda McGeary Joins G7
McGeary comes to G7 after marketing roles at MillerCoors, Revolution Pictures, and Universal Music Group Nashville. Most recently she has been running the marketing and brand consultancy she founded in January 2016, working with clients including the CMA Foundation and Red Light Management.
Nashville Rising Star Series 9 Launches
Nashville Rising Star is excited to announce Series 9 of their songwriter open mic contest, which is open to writers of all genres. The competition will be held at Kings Cool Springs beginning March 29 and will be held subsequent Wednesdays for nine weeks. The grand prize winner, who will be selected by a combination of audience (at the venue and online) and music industry votes, will receive $500 cash and other prizes.
Exclusive: Songwriter Tommy Lee James Celebrates 25 Years, Preps ‘The Wontons’ Release
/by Jessica NicholsonTommy Lee James. Photo: Olivia James
In the past 25 years, Still Working Music songwriter Tommy Lee James’ songs have found success when paired with some of the industry’s most dazzling vocalists, among them Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, Reba, Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, and Ronnie Dunn.
James penned Reba’s 1995 hit, “And Still,” and the 1998 juggernaut duet from Reba and Brooks & Dunn, “If You See Him/If You See Her.”
“That’s one of those songs where total calculation paid off,” he says. “We heard that Ronnie and Reba were looking for a duet. I got together with [co-writers Terry McBride and Jennifer Kimball] and we wrote a song expressively for Brooks & Dunn, and Reba. We wrote it like, ‘If he said this, then she would say this,’ and we played it for them and that was it. It was really easy.”
McBride’s “Wrong Again,” Yearwood’s “Nothing ‘Bout Memphis” and “This Is Me You’re Talking To,” Aguilera’s “Beautiful People,” and Ronnie Dunn’s “Bleed Red,” are also in James’ musical arsenal, as are Tim McGraw’s “She’s My Kind Of Rain,” Blake Shelton’s “My Eyes,” Cyndi Thompson’s “What I Really Meant To Say” and Taylor Swift’s “Untouchable.”
“I do take range into consideration,” he says of crafting songs for vocalists with a substantial vocal span and power. “There is something about a song jumping from a verse to a chorus. It gives it that American Idol thing where it just hits.
“I usually target a bit when I write, just to keep me in the ballpark of what I’m writing for. I think when I have a specific artist in mind like a Celine or Trisha or Martina, I try to hear their voices singing it and it gives you inspiration and you follow that lead a little bit.”
James has crafted songs for an array of artists from country, pop and rock. He penned two songs, “They Don’t Know About Us,” and “Loved You First,” for British boy band One Direction’s 2012 Take Me Home project. “God Only Knows” found a home on rock guitarist Orianthi’s 2009 album Believe.
Tommy Lee James. Photo: Olivia James
James grew up in Virginia, listening to his relatives play bluegrass music and poring over Buck Owens and Glen Campbell songbooks. Music of all genres emanated from his transistor radio, as it did from television programs including American Bandstand, Hee Haw and The Ed Sullivan Show.
James began writing songs at 13, not long after he had joined his first band.
“My dad made me promise that I wouldn’t play in any place that served alcohol, and that I wouldn’t grow my hair long,” James says. “By 17, I was playing in a band in a bar and my hair was down to my shoulders and I was getting home at 2 a.m.”
After studying piano and voice in college, and influenced by the music of the Eagles and J.D. Souther, James was intent on pursuing a recording career in Nashville. Before long, he switched his focus to songwriting.
“I totally had blinders on about being an artist. I was writing songs for my artist thing. You think you are on one road but you are really on another road. My artist thing didn’t work out for the country market, but it was cool to start writing songs and realize how important that was.”
Still Working Music’s Barbara Orbison served as a prominent mentor in James’ career before her death in 2011.
“For 21 years when I worked with her, she opened up so many doors for me. She took me to that next level and believed in me in the good years and not so good years. She was not afraid to spit out my name in any room to anybody.”
James’ creations have taken him from Virginia to Nashville to London, where he penned Dion’s “Didn’t Know Love” with fellow Nashville writer Jessi Alexander and Francis Anthony “Eg” White, a producer and writer for Adele.
“That was more of a pleasant surprise,” James says. “Eg did this amazing demo of it and was producing for Celine at the time, so that’s how it happened. I love that song and she’s amazing. You almost expect a Celine song to be like a chest-pumping, ‘My Heart Will Go On’ song, but this is a little more subdued, a little more Adele-ish.”
On April 14, he will release the album The Wontons, with the album title taken from the name of a fictitious band his daughter created. James played nearly all the instruments on the album (with the exception of drums), sang all vocals, and wrote all of the songs for the album, which he describes as “early ‘80s, jangly guitar, garage pop.”
He recorded the album over a six-month period at Roy Orbison Jr.’s home studio, and says the process “brought me back to the love of music.”
“In some ways I’ve always been a frustrated artist,” he says. “When you’ve been writing songs for 30 years, your creativity level is going to go up and down. We’re not machines. You have to be engaged to do your best work. If I’d have had a record deal in 1981, it’s the record I would have wanted to make, if I knew then what I know now. I wanted it to sound like a bunch of 16-year-olds in their garage, figuring out what to play on their guitars. The one thing I miss from music from the ‘60s and ‘70s is there was a naivety about music that drew you in.”
Recently, James’ songwriting has expanded into the EDM market. His track “Are You With Me,” recorded by Easton Corbin, was remixed by Belgian DJ Lost Frequencies in 2014. The track topped the music charts in 17 countries. Since then, James has been writing more music and sending it to EDM markets. In a full-circle move, James says his vocals are featured on an upcoming track from German DJ Thomas Gold.
“[Are You With Me] totally blew up and got me interested in that market,” James says. “Nice to keep it interesting.”
ACM Awards Promise Plenty Of Interesting Pairings
/by Lorie HollabaughBrett Eldredge and Old Dominion have been added to the previously announced list of performers on the show, and presenters taking the stage this year include Lauren Alaina, Bobby Bones, Kane Brown, Savannah Chrisley, Todd Chrisley, Kacey Musgraves, Nancy O’Dell, Jake Owen, Kellie Pickler, Darius Rucker, Elliott Sadler, Miss America Savvy Shields, and Bubba Wallace.
The official red carpet pre-show for the “52nd Academy of Country Music Awards” will live stream exclusively on Twitter on April 2, starting at 6 p.m. ET.
Rascal Flatts Reveals Tracks, Songwriters On New CD ‘Back To Us’
/by Lorie HollabaughWith 12 of the 13 songs produced by the group and spearheaded by bassist Jay DeMarcus, the album includes a collaboration with Lauren Alaina, “Are You Happy Now,” a tune penned by Dan + Shay, Cary Barlowe, and Jesse Frasure, “Hopin’ You Were Lookin’” and the Chris Stapleton-Luke Laird penned “Vandalized.” Producer busbee also contributes a track he wrote and produced, “Hands Talk” to the deluxe album.
Rascal Flatts will perform the album’s lead single, “Yours If You Want It” at the 52nd ACM Awards live from Las Vegas on April 2 on CBS.
Back To Us – Track List:
Yours If You Want It – (Andrew Dorff, Jonathan Singleton)
Back To Us – (Cary Barlowe, David Hodges, Josh Thompson)
I Know You Won’t – (Steve McEwan, Wendell Lee Mobley, Neil Thrasher)
Hopin’ You Were Lookin’ – (Cary Barlowe, Jesse Frasure, Shay Mooney, Dan Smyers)
Dance – (Joe Don Rooney, Blair Daly, Troy Verges)
Are You Happy Now (with Lauren Alaina) – (Jay DeMarcus, Gary LeVox, Joe Don Rooney, Sean McConnell)
Love What You’ve Done With The Place – (Benjy Davis, Shay Mooney)
Kiss You While I Can – (Jay DeMarcus, Steven Lee Olsen, Greg Wells)
Vandalized – (Luke Laird, Chris Stapleton)
Our Night To Shine – (Gary LeVox, Chris DeStefano, Travis Hill)Deluxe Edition – Tracks Exclusive To Amazon:
Hands Talk – (Gary LeVox, busbee, Jon Nite)
Thieves – (Jay DeMarcus, Gary LeVox, Scooter Carusoe, Chris DeStefano)
Roller Rink – (Nick Brophy, Jeffrey East, Jennifer Hanson)
Lee Brice Joins SESAC
/by Jessica NicholsonLee Brice. Photo: Ryan Smith
Singer-songwriter Lee Brice has signed with SESAC for representation.
As an artist, Brice’s chart-topping singles include “I Drive Your Truck,” “Drinking Class,” and “Love Like Crazy.” He has penned songs including his own “I Don’t Dance,” in addition to Garth Brooks’ “More Than A Memory,” Tim McGraw’s “Still,” and Eli Young Band’s “Crazy Girl.”
“Lee is one of the most skillful lyricists and admired vocalists in country music,” said SESAC chairman and CEO John Josephson. “His creative versatility and wide-ranging lyrics not only resonates with his many fans but also his peers across the industry. We’re very proud to welcome Lee to the SESAC family.”
“I’m proud to be part of the SESAC family. John and the SESAC team are doing great things on behalf of artists and songwriters, and I’m thrilled to be part of their family of creatives,” says Lee.
MTSU’S WMOT Roots Radio Affiliates With VuHaus For Video Outlet
/by Jessica NicholsonThe partnership is officially being launched today, March 28, at 5 p.m. CT, with a live performance of the Americana/folk band The Stray Birds from the Aurora Nashville studios in downtown Nashville that will be broadcast at wmot.org and vuhaus.com/nashville.
“WMOT is thrilled to join VuHaus as an affiliate to present Americana music and artists with partner World Cafe in Nashville,” says Val Hoeppner, executive director of WMOT Roots Radio. “At WMOT, we are building a culture of discovery, and this partnership will further our efforts to bring attention to Nashville artists and the sound that is distinctly our Middle Tennessee heritage.”
Radio and online broadcast, WMOT has been a charter member of National Public Radio (NPR) since 1969, serving as the region’s only Americana music channel. The 100,000-watt professional station, housed in the Center for Innovation in Media inside the university’s Bragg Media and Entertainment Building, changed formats last September from its classical, jazz and news-talk focus to Americana in a partnership with Music City Roots, a Nashville-based firm that provides programming for both radio and television.
Last October the station teamed with the NPR-distributed World Cafe from WXPN in Philadelphia to create a new Nashville-headquartered content hub, World Cafe Nashville, focusing on expanded coverage of music and artists from Nashville and the South. Currently WMOT airs World Cafe each night at 10 CT. The program was launched in 1991 and features a mix of artist interviews and in-studio performances from almost every musical genre.
“In launching World Cafe Nashville with NPR Music as a southern hub for World Cafe, we were delighted to partner with a great local station in WMOT,” says Roger LaMay, general manager of WXPN and chair of the VuHaus board of directors. Extending this commitment to exposing the incredible music of Nashville and the region to a video channel on VuHaus is an important next step.”
Deana Carter Celebrates 20th Anniversary Of ‘Did I Shave My Legs For This?’ With Vinyl Release
/by Lorie HollabaughDeana Carter is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her multi-platinum selling 1996 debut album Did I Shave My Legs For This? by re-releasing the album in a special vinyl edition, beginning March 31.
Fans will have the opportunity to purchase a limited-edition bundle which will include an autographed copy of the vinyl album along with a vintage t-shirt and autographed guitar.
Following its release, Did I Shave My Legs For This? climbed to the top of the country charts and sold over five million copies worldwide. The album was nominated for three Grammys and features the chart-topper “Strawberry Wine,” which won the CMA Single of the Year trophy. Carter penned six of the 11 songs on the album, including “Count Me In” and “How Do I Get There.”
All fan packages and purchase information are available at umgn.us/DCUMGNPR.
Did I Shave My Legs For This? Track Listing
Side One
1 I’ve Loved Enough to Know
2 We Danced Anyway
3 Count Me In
4 If This Is Love
5 Love Ain’t Worth Making
6 Before We Ever Heard Goodbye
Side Two
1 How Do I Get There
2 Strawberry Wine
3 That’s How You Know It’s Love
4 Did I Shave My Legs for This?
5 To the Other Side
Webster Public Relations Signs The Judds
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Judds. Photo: Matthew Rolston and courtesy of OWN.
Webster Public Relations has signed The Judds for publicity services.
“When you think back about the songs that defined the 1980’s in Country Music, the names of Wynonna and Naomi are at the top of the list,” says Webster Public Relations president Kirt Webster. “I was honored to work with them during The Last Encore Tour in 2010 and 2011, and am humbled and excited to announce their signing and once again promote The Judds to the masses!”
Both mother and daughter began their musical journey in Ashland, Kentucky, and lived in California for a brief period during the 1970’s before moving to Nashville. The two quickly found a regular slot on WSM-TV’s The Ralph Emery Show. The duo signed with RCA Nashville in 1983, and made their chart debut by the end of the year with “Had A Dream (For The Heart).”
For the rest of the 1980’s, each single from The Judds released by RCA reached the Top 10 on radio, with 14 singles reaching the No. 1 spot. They have earned six Grammy awards, nine Academy of Country Music awards (including the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award), nine Country Music Association awards, and sold over 20 million units worldwide.
The Judds embarked on their Farewell Tour in 1991, after Naomi’s diagnosis of Hepatitis C forced her to retire from the road. Wynonna launched a successful solo career with her self-titled debut album, earning a 5x multi-Platinum certification and her first three singles reaching No. 1 on the country charts. Naomi focused on her health, beating the disease, writing several New York Times best-selling books and becoming a motivational speaker. The duo has returned to the stage on several occasions since, including the successful Last Encore Tour in 2010-2011 and a Las Vegas residency in 2015.
In Pictures: Miranda Lambert, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Drake White, Chase Rice, Walker McGuire, Liz Rose, Lee Miller
/by Lorie HollabaughBlair And Miranda Discuss Scooby Snacks
(L-R:) Miranda Lambert, Blair Garner, and Blair’s dog, Scooby. Photo: Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert recently sat down for an interview with Blair Garner, host of the syndicated late night radio show, The Blair Garner Show, at the NASH Campus. The two discussed their mutual obsessions with dogs, restoring vintage cars and Airstream trailers, and music. Garner brought his dog Scooby, who lost his lower jaw to a cancerous tumor, in for some questions and a selfie with the singer.
Tim And Faith Celebrate Girl Speak Success
(L-R): Steve Hodges, Luke Jensen, Jenny Shearin, Abi Fishbone, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Ali O’Connell, Lauren Thomas, Josh Easler, Rusty Sherrill, Randy Goodman
Tim and Faith gathered with their new Sony/Arista Nashville family on Monday (March 27) to celebrate 146 first-week station adds for their new single, “Speak To A Girl.”
Drake White Lights ‘Spark’ In New York And Boston
Photo: Andy Hawkes
Drake White brought his high-energy SPARK Tour to sold-out crowds at New York City’s Gramercy Theater on Thursday (March 24) and Boston’s Paradise Rock Club on Friday (March 25). Drake heads south over the next two months with a stop at the Tortuga Music Festival in Ft. Lauderdale on April 9 before the SPARK Tour resumes with back-to-back sold-out shows in Nashville on April 12 and 13 at Exit/In.
Chase Rice Goes Back To Georgia Pub Roots
Photo: Rick Diamond Getty Images
Chase Rice played his first three “Pub Shows” last weekend at select venues throughout Georgia. Rice named the limited series of club dates after his own “Pub 44” backstage hang, re-creating the intimate, feel-good vibe of his early dive-bar-playing days. All three of the weekend shows in Rome, Valdosta, and Columbus, Georgia, were packed to capacity as die-hard fans heard some new material from Rice’s forthcoming studio album for the first time.
Walker McGuire Meets With Westwood One
(L-R): Jordan Walker, George King, Penny Mitchell, Johnny McGuire
Walker McGuire recently stopped by to visit with execs from Westwood One while on a radio tour.
Liz Rose, Lee Miller Petition Copyright Royalty Board
Nashville Songwriters Association International President Lee Miller and Board Member Liz Rose recently testified in a Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) rate proceeding in Washington DC. NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison and past-President Steve Bogard have already testified, seeking higher mechanical royalty rates from digital streaming services.
Katy Epley Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary With Musicians On Call
/by Lorie HollabaughKaty Epley, Executive Vice President of Musicians On Call, is celebrating 10 years with the organization that she helped bring to Nashville. During her decade with the company, Epley has helped Musicians On Call facilitate local visits by artists including Kelly Clarkson, Imagine Dragons, Keith Urban, Charles Esten, Darius Rucker, Kelsea Ballerini, Brantley Gilbert, Hunter Hayes and more. To date, Musicians On Call has played for 100,000 patients, families and caregivers in Nashville hospitals and well over 500,000 nationwide.
“Katy Epley has been the backbone of Musicians On Call for the past 10 years, ” said Pete Griffin, President of Musicians On Call. “No one better exemplifies what MOC stands for and the values we share with the Nashville community than Katy. Her passion, hard work, dedication and kindness have not only made MOC such a strong program in Nashville, but have helped our organization grow to 23 cities nationwide. The entire MOC family is excited celebrate this fantastic milestone with her.”