Tin Pan South concluded its silver anniversary with veteran songwriters on Friday and Saturday night (March 31-April 1).
Early schedules published Keith Stegall would perform alongside Dreamlined Entertainment and Notting Hill Music writers Leslie Satcher, Kevin MaC and Brad Crisler at The Bluebird Cafe. In his stead, Grand Ole Opry members Dailey & Vincent appeared after a 7:30 p.m. appearance on the historic stage.
Satcher, who signed to Notting Hill in 2015, previewed new tunes from a forthcoming album she recorded from Muscle Sholes. Alongside “Who I Belong To,” the Texan also performed her Martina McBride hit “When God Fearin’ Women Get The Blues” and the title track to her latest album Gypsy Boots.
Fellow hit writer Crisler offered his Brooks and Dunn cut, “Hillbilly Deluxe,” in consort with his respective Rascal Flatts and Tim McGraw titles, “When The Sand Runs Out” and “Some Things Never Change.” New tune “How To Lose It All” was played from Brett Eldredge’s forthcoming project.
MaC offered a unique energy to his titles, one about a minivan and another about his dog’s passing. Dailey and Vincent offered their “Love Will Light The Way.”
Saturday brought out the big guns during the Country Music Hall of Fame rounds at 3rd & Lindsley. The early round included the Hall’s previous Poets & Prophets, Bobby Braddock, Mark D Sanders, Matraca Berg and Roger Cook.
Sanders regaled the crowd with “Heads Carolina, Tails California” (Jo Dee Messina), “Blue Clear Sky” (George Strait), “It Matters To Me” (Faith Hill) and “Money In The Bank” (John Anderson).
Berg tantalized with “You And Tequila” (Kenny Chesney), “Wrong Side Of Memphis” (Trisha Yearwood) and what the songwriter noted as her highest-grossing song “XXX’s and OOO’s (An American Girl)” (Trisha Yearwood) before wrapping with “Strawberry Wine” (Deana Carter).
Behind a keyboard, Braddock performed his cuts from Tracy Lawrence (“Time Marches On”), Billy Currington (“People Are Crazy”) and George Jones (“He Stopped Loving Her Today”) after conceding the tempo of Toby Keith’s “Talk About Me” made it much too complicated to recite and play. Braddock then cue’d a karaoke track of the title, stood and recited the hit.
English writer and Nashville resident for decades, Cook, performed a medley of many of his Top 10 ’60s-’80s cuts on ukulele. His turn at the mic included a Strait cut, “I Want To Dance With You,” and Don Williams title, “I Believe In Love.” The songwriter also treated the audience to his Crystal Gayle cut “Talking In Your Sleep.”
The fun continued Saturday, late with Al Anderson, Gretchen Peters, Roger Murrah and Tom Douglas at 3rd & Lindsley, while Bekka Bramlett, Billy Burnette, Bruce Gaistch and Dennis Morgan at Douglas Corner Cafe. Friday also included Bob DiPiero, Richie McDonald and special guests for the CMA Songwriter show at 3rd & Lindsley, competing with Emily West, Jamie O’Neal, KS Rhoads and Stephony Smith at Commodore Grille and Stephen Dorff, Bobby Tomberlin and Audrey Spillman with special guests at The Country.
Category: Artist, Featured, Publishing
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