We are putting together the Ultimate songwriter Coffee Table Book. For a writer to be included they must have sold 10 Million or more in sales and or have written a classic standard in any Genre!, Everyone you see on these pages qualifies. We are so Blessed to have the writers we have included and we have many more that we have appointments for over the next few months. These Pictures will change out from time to time and we never put them all up, We have to leave something for the book. LA and I also have video snid-bits on each writer on our youtube channel.
Gary Burr
Phil O'Donnell
Songwriters
Click on Each Writer to go to Thier Page
Karen Staley
By Photographers Dak Alley and LA Marie
Phil O'Donnell is someone we have known for a long time! From seeing him out at songwriters nights to shooting a TV Pilot out at Pucketts in Leipers Fork TN. Phil is a world class record producer as well as a great songwriter. LA and I spent a morning with Phil at his writing office near the 100 oaks area in Nashville TN. We talked about Phil's belief in God and family and his dedication to his craft, and man does it show. Phil has written such hits as "Love Remember" by Craig Morgan, "Back When I Knew It All" by Montgomery Gentry
"She Won't Be Lonely Long" by Clay Walker and Joe Diffie's "Tougher Than Nails". If you see Phil your going to see him in his coveralls, He does have different colors of coveralls now that he's had success, goes to show you can't hide money! but you can stay humble and focused and that's just what our friend Phil has done!
Gary Burr, in the picture above you can see that Gary uses a big pad to write the big hits, if only I'd known that's how you do it Gary! Gary invited us to his Nashville TN home to conduct our interview and what a blast it was! We had no idea how funny Gary can be, you'll see that in the interview section of the book when Gary talks about one of his cuts on the great Garth Brooks. When we arrived we had the pleasure of meeting Georgia Middleman whom Gary had just asked to marry and she accepted. Georgia is a great singer/songwriter in her own right and is currently in a group with Gary and Legendary singer/songwriter Kenny Loggins called Blue Sky Riders, but I'm geting a little off track, Gary has written such great songs as Love's Been a Little Bit Hard On Me" by Juice Newton, "I Think About Elvis" by Patty Loveless, "In a Week or Two" Diamond Rio, and "What Mattered Most" by Ty Herndon. again as with some of the other writers I'm just scratching the surface on what this man has accomplished as a world class songwriter.
Karen Staley had us come over to her home in Brentwood TN to interview her for the book, She had Coffee and Muffins and a fruit plate! Once we got that out of the way we got the lights set up and sat around her beautiful awards room at the piano. She told us about her thoughts on the music industry and how she came to be a writer on "Keeper of the Stars" an ACM Song of the year award winner.
LA and I have always wanted to interview Allen Shamblin, and it was our pleasure last fall to get to go out to his farm outside of Franklin TN and chat with him about his songs and his life. We even got to meet his dog Molly as shown in the above picture. Allen is one of the nicest guys you would ever want to meet, he took the day off to spend with us for the book, how cool was that! We talked about "I Thought He Walked On Water" a number one song cut by Randy Travis, "I Can't Make You Love Me" as cut by Bonnie Raitt which was also nominated for a Grammy, "The House That Built Me" cut by Miranda Lambert also a number one song! Thanks goes out to Bernie Nelson and David Allen for making this day for the book happen. We will have more about Allen in the book! Stay Tuned!
also how she got signed to her first deal and her first Number One song
"A Face in the Crowd" Recorded by Michael Martin Murphy and Holly Dunn and her first taste of a Grammy Nomination! More followed like Faith Hill's Number one song "Take Me As I Am" and "Hey Baby Let's Go to Vegas!. We shot for about an hour and a half and got a lot a great shots including this one above out by the Little Harpeth River!
"A Face in the Crowd" Recorded by Michael Martin Murphy and Holly Dunn and her first taste of a Grammy Nomination! More followed like Faith Hill's Number one song "Take Me As I Am" and "Hey Baby Let's Go to Vegas!. We shot for about an hour and a half and got a lot a great shots including this one above out by the Little Harpeth River!
