More door to door

For a girl who had been back-and-forth between Nashville and Los Angeles for years on end, I had not been back to Music City for some time. I was eager to get back to Nashville, which I had heard grew so much: approximately 85 people a day are moving in!

So, last month, I made plans to speak at Belmont, to produce a writer’s workshop for The Record Shop, and to conduct several interviews for my video series, Door to Door.

Belmont was so much fun! I had 100 students in front of me eager to find out what I had to share. Prior to my trip, I had been introduced to Giovanni Sean of The Record Shop and, with his help, put on a one-day workshop at Sony Studios for his community. These day-long workshops are really my favorite thing to do. I get to give information that can really help someone on their journey. There is nothing better than seeing a face light up when someone get the tools they need to push forward.

For my Door to Door Series, I sat down with Ben Glover, Jamie Houston and Stephony Smith.

All three are very successful writer/producers. Ben is mainly in the Christian marketplace, Jamie straddles Pop and Country, and Stephony has a hold on the Country market. I signed both Jamie and Ben when they were just starting out and I gave them the foundation they needed to succeed and it still supports them today. I could not be prouder.

I met Stephony in 2002 at one of my Writers Camps, five years after the release of her huge single “It’s Your Love” by Tim McGraw featuring Faith Hill. She was signed out of our Nashville office. At the ACM’s the next year, her song swept the top awards.

I was taken aback by how many people thanked the writer so profoundly. That night nobody forgot the part that Stephony played in the song’s success. It was so validating for her as a songwriter to receive praise for an oftentimes faceless job. And that’s why I really love Nashville: they respect their songs and their songwriters in a way that no other city in this industry does.

Boy, do I miss that town. I should have bought property 30 years ago when Jamie Houston advised me it would be a good investment!

The picture above is with me and the band Levon, who Jamie developed, produced and co-wrote. Lucky girl, they sang for me!

Enjoy the videos!