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Thanks for being with us today. Songwriters Parade is a publication designed for professionals in the music industry as well as those who need to know what happens in the business of music. We have seen it all and lived it all. By being a subscriber to Parade of Stars/Songwriters Parade, you will get tips on getting your music exposed to those who can help you and expose your music to producers who are looking for songs to fit the artists they are preparing to record. Visit our new website at: www.songwritersparade.com. You can also e-mail us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . We have a password that changes each month. In the regular issues of Songwriters Parade, you’ll get new listings from independent labels as well as listings of major label artists that are reviewing material for future recordings. The cost is very affordable @ $80.00 for six months or $129.00 for a full year. Details are on the website. All credit cards work. So do checks and money orders. All renewals get a 10% discount. I think you’ll agree this is a small price if you are serious about writing, or if you desire to be in the music industry in the future. A self-addressed stamped envelope gets you a print sample. Thanks in advance.

Chuck Chellman, Songwriters Parade
America's Music Source

e-NEWS Articles

1.     Chellman On The Streets Of Nashville - Click Here
2.     You Should Have Been There (Best Live Events) - Click Here
3.     Lattimore Brown Visits Nashville - Click Here
4.     Music Industry Looses Legend - Click Here
5.     EAR CANDY!!....  SINGLES & ALBUMS OF THE MONTH?  - Click Here

"Get up, Get into it, Get involved”…(James Brown)
“You are not born to fit in. You are born to stand out!"….(Singer Steve Green)
“Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced”……Writer James Baldwin

Chellman On The Streets Of Nashville

The ASCAP annual awards were great. ASCAP writer of the year, Ashley Gorley is very deserving of the honor. Ashley is the writer of “Start A Band” and Trace Atkins’s monster “You’re Gonna Miss This.” The Songwriter/Artist award went to Alan Jackson for his hits, “Good Time” and “Country Boy”. More than 1,500 songwriters, industry VIP’s and artists attended the gathering. EMI Music was the Publisher of the Year.

Over the years, ASCAP has made great strides in country music. They consistently woo writers and publishers with statistics about making more money by joining them because they are a not-for-profit corporation. The ASCAP national board of directors has an equal number of publishers and writers. It is very democratic. This is not to say the BMI and SESAC are bad. Each one has their strong points.

We always look forward to the annual Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. This year, the honorees are Kye Fleming, Mark D. Sanders and the late Tammy Wynette. Craig Wiseman was honored as NSAI’s Songwriter of the Decade. Taylor swift was named Artist/Songwriter of the Year. Toby Keith was honored as Artist/Songwriter of the Decade. Toby certainly deserves the award, especially since he has been constantly overlooked by the CMA and other award shows. We’re happy for him.

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You Should Have Been There! (Best Live Events)

The CMA Award Show on television is always bizarre. This year was no exception. Some of us have a hard time figuring why we need to be all things to all people. Remember, this is the Country Music Association and they should take this global exposure to promote country acts. It really stings when we accuse the CMA of prostituting the genre that is its namesake. For instance, the final appearance for Brooks & Dunn; why do they need ZZ Top for window dressing? Why does award-winning Jamey Johnson need Kid Rock? Why does Vince Gill need Daugherty? Why does Kenny Chesney need Dave Matthews?

The CMA is trying to broaden “country’s” appeal, we realize that. However, I would have liked to have seen a Joe Nichols, Trisha Yearwood or other working country acts get some of the action. Taylor Swift’s popularity has really gone over the top. Taylor is extremely lucky to have hitched her career to Scott Borchetta. I don’t think any other label executive could have brought this mediocre voice to the top the way Borchetta has. Sugarland continues to impress.  Jennifer Nettles has the most intriguing vocal quality. Jennifer has her own vocal groove going. Brad Paisley continues to rock on in his own humble way. “In Color” wins the Song of the Year, written by Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller & James Otto.

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Lattimore Brown Visits Nashville

Legendary R&B singer “Sir” Lattimore Brown visited Nashville last week with his manager, New York-based Red Kelly. Red Kelly is a credit to the business by not letting us forget about the R&B legends; not only the artists, but also the people involved in the careers of these wonderful artists. Be sure to visit Red’s website when you have a few minutes. www.souldetective.com. I was fortunate enough to have Lattimore Brown on the now-defunct Renegade Records label years back. He was a very easy act to work with in the studio and Lattimore is a wonderful human being.

Unfortunately, he was trapped by Hurricane Katrina in Biloxi, MS and lost his wife by a heart attack during the storm. Lattimore survived by catching a low hanging limb on a tree and climbing up the tree to safety.  But, prior to getting in touch with Red Kelly, all of us in the music community here thought Lattimore Brown had been dead for years in Arkansas. Not so. He is very much alive and well. When Red brought Lattimore to visit with me, it was a wonderful blessing. 

Among the reasons Lattimore visited Nashville (after a 40-year absence) was to pay respect to his departed friend, guitarist Johnny Jones. Johnny Jones was a legendary R&B guitarist who was a strong influence on Jimi Hendrix, George Yates and other great guitarists. We’ll be attending an event that will honor Johnny on Nov. 2nd.

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Music Industry Looses Legend

The music industry just lost a legend. Noted producer/label owner Shelby Singleton is dead at 77 of brain cancer. We were great friends and he was my old boss at Mercury Records. Shelby had been suffering just a short time and it was kept under wraps. We spoke with his sons about 10 days ago and they told us of the illness, even though Shelby was still working every day. Nobody expected him to go so quickly but he had a seizure of some sort and never came out of it. Shelby Singleton was a true renegade who never cared what Chet Atkins, Owen Bradley, or any of the other established producers were doing. He always did it his way and the results were fabulous. Brother John Singleton and son Sidney still work in executive positions at the Sun Records office. Steve is employed at BMI. John Singleton will take over leadership of the company. It is definitely a music family.

Shelby’s idol was the late record mogul Don Pierce, owner of Starday Records. Don was my boss at Starday. Having those two guys as teachers is a true blessing. They were both alike; never afraid to take chances and neither feared the Nashville establishment. Shelby brought me to Nashville in the fall of 1964 to National Promotion Director at Mercury Records’ country division. The job was short lived because Shelby was having an ongoing battle with the Chicago main office. I was the guy in the middle then took a job offer from Don Pierce. The job at Starday was wonderful. We were the largest independent manufacturer of country/bluegrass and gospel records in the country.

Singleton brought many guys to Nashville, among them were Jerry Reed, Ray Stevens, guitar whiz Jerry Kennedy and many others. Can you imagine a producer cutting three #1 records in the same day with three different artists? Shelby did it with Ray Stevens, Leroy VanDyke and Joe Dowell. Shelby was the guy who took a chance on Roger Miller after RCA struck out. His first record with Shelby was “Dang Me” followed by “England Swings”, etc.  He also recorded on his Plantation Records label, “Harper Valley PTA” Who can forget his R&B hits of “Wild Mountain Berries” and “Reconsider Me”?  Through all these hits, Jerry Kennedy was Shelby’s able assistant. Shelby brought then-young Kennedy to Nashville from Shreveport. You can hear his hot guitar licks on practically all of Shelby’s hits. His guitar work on VanDyke’s “Walk On By” and Roger Miller’s “Dang Me” are simply classic. There was a gathering of friends and employees last Friday evening and it was great seeing all the folks that had involvement with Shelby. His funeral Saturday afternoon was wonderful. Shelby filled the house.

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EAR CANDY!!....

BEST SINGLES OF THE MONTH
(Our reviews are largerly based on Songwriting)

”Work Hard, Play Harder”, Artist: Gretchen Wilson, Label: Redneck Records
 Yep……. It is our gal Gretchen. We’re her biggest fans. This single is a goodie to kick off her new label, Redneck Records! “Work Hard, Play Harder” is written by Gretchen, John Rich and Vicky McGehee. Gretchen had production assistance from Blake Chancey. The song is indeed clever, yet easy to understand. We love it because it is not complicated and it probably describes Gretchen to a “T”. We are happy to see that promo whiz Denise Roberts is involved with getting this gem out there into the public. We hope it becomes a smash.

“Kick Down The Door”, Artist: Kate Russell, Label: Urunga Records, Producer: Kate Russell, Website: www.myspace.com/katerussellonline
This record is a killer. The song is written by Kristy Jackson & Georgia Middleman. The story line is very simple. As Kate sings, she wants a man who will “kick down the door” or do anything to get to her. This record will need some strong promotion to get it heard on mainstream radio. If that can happen, you’ll hear a lot from Kate Russell. Kate is a great artist and we’ve been fans for a long time. We wish her well. Go to the website and check out the record.

“Chasin’ Girls”, Artist: Rodney Atkins, Label: Curb, Producer: Ted Hewitt & Rodney Atkins, Website: www.curb.com
Rodney Atkins and Ted Hewitt are definitely knee deep into commercial music. Their success just keeps on rolling. “Chasin’ Girls” can be added to Rodney’s’ string of hits. Rodney’s song material is never complicated. His fans find it easy to relate to and this cute number is no different. We hope you’re hearing on your local station.

ALBUMS OF THE MONTH? ONES YOU SHOULD BUY AND TAKE HOME?

“New Orleans Set”, Artist: Les Kerr, Label: O.N.U Records, Producer: Les Kerr, Website: www.leskerr.com
We love getting into independent labels. Mainly because the music is real and has sincere feel. So many of the major labels produce really sterile music, as the production becomes the real star of the show. With this, we introduce you to the new Les Kerr album with great personal joy. The title is a neat into to the music. The very first cut, “Smile upon Your Soul” really picks up the passion to visit New Orleans. In the lyric Les describes the scrumptious food, smells and other great things about the Crescent City. We absolutely love every cut. It really becomes a travel-log. So, it you’ve been to New Orleans, you can relate to this. If you’ve never been, this album will give you 12 good reasons to go and enjoy. Since all the songs are written by Les, you can rest assured the messages in song are authentic. It really gets local with hearing “Camellia Grill”, “Streetcar in the Rain”, “New Orleans in the Spring”, “Jingle Bells (Christmas in New Orleans)” and the ever popular Café Dumond. We’re happy Les brought this to our attention. Go to his website and make your purchase. It would also make a great gift item for friends and family. I’m really happy Les has decided to live in this area. He keeps a lot of people happy…….including me!!

“Urban Legend”, Artist: Roy Vogt, Label: RVM Records, Producer: Roy Vogt, Website: www.royvogt.com
 It is always great to hear wonderfully creative music. Roy Vogt has been a wonderfully creative bass player for all his professional life. Roy is on the faculty of Belmont University and gives bass instruction at the Nashville Jazz Workshop. When we got this album, it was like a being kid in a candy store. Roy has surrounded himself with really strong players. In between each cut on the album, Roy does a small solo interlude that sets up the next piece. The opening cut, “Miss Sippi” is a cool number that hits an immediate groove and provides good listening for the next six minutes. Then comes the first interlude, followed by the title track, “Urban Legend”. Throughout this offering, it is really nice hearing the vibes of Jerry Tachoir, who is legendary in his own right. “Weatherman” is dedicated to the late Austrian keyboard giant, Joe Zawinul. Zawinul was keyboardist and writer of several Cannonball Adderley’s hits in the ‘60s and then formed his own group, Weather Report. “Mojave” is a quiet piece that sends many beautiful messages. Roy finishes off the album with a super groove tune, “The Gables”.

“Old Things New”, Artist: Joe Nichols, Label: Universal Records South, Producers: Mark Wright & Brent Rowan, Website: www.joenichols.com
 Joe Nichols is arguably one of the top three singers in the business and he keeps getting better. This album is tremendous in many ways. Aside from Joe’s vocals and the strong production of Brent Rowan and Mark Wright, the song material throughout is unusually strong. Joe and his team chose the best songs from some of the best writers. His most recent hit, “Believers” is an Ashley Gorley, Wade Kirby and Bill Luther collaboration. “Cheaper than a Shrink” is hilarious. It was written by ace hit writer Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon and Jamey Johnson. The title cut is written by Bill Anderson, Paul Overstreet and Buddy Cannon. It would take pages and pages to explain all the good things that happen in this wonderful package. However, it you are into writing songs and  want to measure how your songs stack up, get this album and go through it. Listen to each song. There could be an education here for you. This album is a complete winner.

“It’s My Time”, Artist: O.B. Buchana, Label: Ecko Records, Producer: John Ward, Website: www.eckorecords.com
 Soul music is certainly alive and well, thanks to the efforts of Ecko Records in Memphis. O.B. has built up a solid following over the years and his catalog on Ecko Records is really strong. If you like this album, and you should, you know where you can get a lot more of Buchana’s music. On his new album, we love the opening cut, “Groove Thang”. It really sets the stage for the rest of the music that follows. There are several strong cuts. Among them are “You’ve Been So Good To Me”, “We Know It’s Wrong” and “Ooh Wee!”  However, as a warning, if you are playing this album with children in the crowd, you may want to skip over “Slow Lick It” for obvious reasons. Here again, John Ward shows his strength both on production, playing and writing solid Southern Soul material.  We loved “Did You Put Your Foot In It?” Mr. Sam is the duet partner on this one.  It could become a big hit. The duets with Mr. Sam and Ms. Jody are really good. I’m glad to add another Ecko to my collection.

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******* As in our other E-News issues, we have featured some jazz and blues albums. Most of the session players here in Nashville are jazz lovers. They play country sessions and tour with country acts for the money. A lot of them play nightspots and festivals with jazz groups when time allows. It takes a very competent musician to play jazz. These folks are more than competent. We’ll continue to review jazz and blues albums in the future.

 ******** If your company has albums they are proud of, allow us to review the product. It could help since this publication is distributed worldwide.

Please continue to honor the integrity of music. It makes no difference what kind of music you’re involved with. Continue to do what you do best. Continue working toward your strengths. Continue to listen to your heart. Continue to listen to those whom you respect. There are two kinds of music: good and bad. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had a great (or bad) start in the music life. It doesn’t matter if you’ve stumbled time and again – or even fallen flat on your face. What matters most is how you finish. The writer who hangs on in there for the long haul with talent and dreams has a chance. Believe in yourself. Make it happen. Keep the faith in your abilities and those who are around you.

We would like to be with you on a regular basis through the biweekly Songwriters Parade. Check us out at www.songwritersparade.com. If you need a website to help you spread the word about your work, we’d suggest you consider www.BeareWare.com. Peter Beare and his staff are the professional's choice and most affordable in America.

Chuck Chellman, Publisher
Songwriters Parade
"America's Music Source"

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