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...
Dec 07, 2021•1 hr 6 min
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...
Nov 23, 2021•1 hr 13 min
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....
Nov 09, 2021•1 hr 11 min
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 arti...
Oct 26, 2021•1 hr 9 min
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...
Oct 12, 2021•1 hr 8 min
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 rec...
Sep 27, 2021•1 hr 18 min
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'r...
Sep 14, 2021•1 hr 14 min
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 questi...
Sep 07, 2021•1 hr
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 A...
Aug 30, 2021•1 hr 10 min
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 t...
Aug 16, 2021•1 hr 8 min
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 ...
Aug 03, 2021•1 hr 25 min
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...
Jul 20, 2021•1 hr 13 min
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 B...
Jul 06, 2021•1 hr 4 min
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 ...
Jun 22, 2021•1 hr 10 min
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 constructi...
Jun 08, 2021•1 hr 18 min
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. Pa...
May 25, 2021•59 min
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 te...
May 11, 2021•1 hr 14 min
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 Buff...
Apr 27, 2021•1 hr 32 min
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 i...
Apr 13, 2021•1 hr 12 min
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, an...
Mar 30, 2021•1 hr 12 min
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 Sta...
Mar 16, 2021•1 hr 18 min
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 fo...
Mar 02, 2021•1 hr 15 min
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 Se...
Feb 16, 2021•1 hr 8 min
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 day...
Feb 02, 2021•58 min
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 th...
Jan 19, 2021•1 hr 27 min
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 Car...
Jan 06, 2021•1 hr 23 min
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 201...
Dec 25, 2020•15 min
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.
Dec 24, 2020•18 min
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.
Dec 24, 2020•17 min
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,”...
Dec 23, 2020•1 hr 12 min
