– Rivers Rutherford
I know what he means now more than ever…
I lived in Nashville from 2001 to 2011 chasing the “next big star” dream up and down 16th Ave. I was even lucky enough to get close a time or two. During that time, I taught myself to write songs out of necessity and as fate would have it, I totally fell in love with the craft of songwriting. But in a beautiful turn of life, I took a step back in 2011 to focus on my new love; my growing family.
Then, in 2015 the songs came calling again… actually, it was more like SHOUTING. My dad signed me up for Radney Foster’s Songwriting Revival in Nashville and with great excitement and a bit of reluctance (since my wife had just had our 2nd daughter), I began knocking the rust off my songwriting skills. I was amazed at the difference in lyrical perspective that time, distance, and family brings.
At the end of the Songwriting Revival, Radney pulled me aside, looked me in the eye, and spoke words I will never forget: “I know that you stepped away from writing and I don’t know all the reasons why, but you need to do this. There is absolutely no reason you shouldn’t be writing professionally.”
That’s a divine moment that I couldn’t ignore, especially coming from my songwriting hero!
So here I am, writing the best songs of my life. Inspired by stories of writers like Tom Douglas (House that Built Me) and Brett James (Jesus Take The Wheel) who hit their stride the second time around and Lori McKenna (Girl Crush) who commutes from Boston to Nashville and is making it happen in a crazy awesome way. I’m writing with some of my favorite cowriters from before as well as some incredible new ones, building strong relationships in the music community and honestly, enjoying every moment. I’m not sure exactly where the Good Lord is leading me this time around but I’m excited about the adventure and embracing the challenge of creating the best possible song every time I sit down to write.
I’ll be sharing new songs, blogs and pictures here and I hope you enjoy the journey with me!
– JB