M A G A Z INE
s u m m e r
2 0 0 7
SWIZZ
BEATZ
Platinum Producer Goes Solo
S p o ns ored by
Regio n s Ba n k
Also in this issue: Greg Curtis, Chrisette Michele, Liz Rose
9
CONTENTS
SEE chrisette michele ON PAGE 9
President’s Message 4
s e s a c NE W S 5
I n d u s t r y Up d a t e 5
Sw i z z B e a t z 6-7
South x Southwest 8
The Faint 9
Chrisette Michele 9
brian white 10
Angela Hunte
10
liz rose 11
N e w Y o r k M u s i c Aw a r d s 12-13
C h r i s t i a n M u s i c Aw a r d s 14
Ian Eskelin 15
Jason Ingram 15
Lance Miller 16
J a m e s L e e S ta n l e y 16
T V / F i l m Aw a r d s 17
Greg Curtis 18
faces 20
SESA C
M A G A Z INE
s u mm e r 2 0 0 7
SES A C
P a t
C REDITS
Ellen Bligh Jones
A ssoci ate Vic e Pr es iden t, Corpor ate Re lations
shawn williams
MANAG ING e ditor
mary breen
webs ite c oo rdi nator
J o c e ly n H a r m s
co rpo r ate relations Coo rdinato r
Christian Lantry
Cove r Photog rap hy
C r y s tal C avin e s s , P e t e r C r onin ,
D an K i m p e l , K e vin Z i m m e r m an
Con tributing Writers
L at o c k i T e a m C r e at i v e
A r t D i re cti on /Des ign , www.latockit eamcr eati ve.c om
F o r mo re info , ch eck out: www.sesac.c om
SESA C
O F F I C ES
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N as h ville , TN 37203
tel 615-320-0055 / fax 615-321-6290
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t el 212-586-3450 / Fax 212-489-5699
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W elco m e to th e S u m m e r e dition of SES AC
Magazin e . A s t h e te m p e r a t u r e r i s e s o u t d o o r s ,
t h i n g s h e r e a t SES AC a r e h e a t i n g u p a s we l l !
F i r s t , t h e h i t s . SES AC i s cu r r e n t l y ce l e b r a t i n g a
s eve r a l N o. 1’s i n a co u p l e o f d i f fe r e n t fo r m a t s .
O n t h e co u n t r y s i d e o f t h e fe n ce, t h e u n s to p p a b l e
h u s b a n d -a n d -w i fe s o n g w r i t i n g te a m o f S a m a n d A n n i e
Ta te h ave h i t t h e to p o f t h e ch a r t s w i t h “ M o m e n t s ,”
a c a r e e r- b r e a k i n g s o n g fo r C a n a d i a n g r o u p E m e r s o n
D r i ve. S e e m s l i ke o n l y ye s te r d ay S a m a n d A n n i e we r e
ce l e b r a t i n g a n o t h e r b r e a k t h r o u g h s o n g w i t h R o d n ey
A t k i n s a n d h i s N o. 1, “ I f Yo u’r e G o i n g T h r o u g h H e l l
( B e fo r e T h e D ev i l E ve n K n ow s).” M e a nw h i l e, o n t h e
h i p - h o p s i d e, SES AC S o n g w r i te r o f t h e Ye a r N a te
“ D a n j a” H i l l s i s e n j oy i n g a l i t t l e t i m e a t t h e to p w i t h
t wo s e p a r a te N o. 1’s , N e l l y Fu r t a d o’s “ S ay i t R i g h t ” a n d “G i ve i t to M e,” r e co r d e d by s u p e r s t a r
p r o d u ce r/ a r t i s t T i m b a l a n d. H i s wo r k w i t h t h o s e a r t i s t s a n d h i s m u l t i - p l a t i n u m s m a s h e s w i t h J u s t i n
T i m b e r l a ke h ave h e l p e d H i l l s r i s e to t h e fo r e f r o n t o f t h e R & B/ h i p - h o p s ce n e, a n d h i s s u cce s s
cr e a te d t h e f i r s t s h a r e d S o n g w r i te r o f t h e Ye a r aw a r d i n SES AC ’s l o n g a n d i l l u s t r i o u s h i s to r y.
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B r y a n - M i c h a e l C ox , w h o s e s o n g w r i t i n g a n d p r o d u c t i o n wo r k o n M a r y J . B l i ge’s T h e B r e a k t h r o u g h
– m o s t n o t a b l y o n t h e h u ge h i t , “ B e W i t h o u t Yo u” - b r o u g h t h i m h i s m o s t s u cce s s f u l ye a r ye t .
A n o t h e r b i g w i n n e r a t t h i s ye a r ’s N ew Yo r k A w a r d s w a s s o n g w r i te r/p r o d u ce r S w i z z B e a t z, w h o s e
n ew a l b u m, O n e M a n B a n d M a n, i s a m o n g t h e ye a r ’s m o s t h i g h l y a n t i ci p a te d r e l e a s e s .
SES AC a l s o h o n o r e d i t s Ch r i s t i a n s o n g w r i te r s i n N a s hv i l l e n a m i n g J a s o n I n g r a m S o n g w r i te r o f t h e
Ye a r. O u r f a m i l y o f o n -s cr e e n co m p o s e r s we r e r e ce n t l y h o n o r e d a t t h e a n n u a l SES AC Te l ev i s i o n
a n d F i l m C o m p o s e r s D i n n e r a n d A w a r d s i n L A . SES AC ’s te l ev i s i o n co m p o s e r s we r e p a r t i cu l a r l y
p l e a s e d to h e a r t h a t t h e co m p a ny h a s e n te r e d i n to a l i ce n s e a g r e e m e n t w i t h D i g S o u n d, I n c ., a
r evo l u t i o n a r y ve r i f i c a t i o n a n d r e p o r t i n g s e r v i ce co m p a ny fo r t h e te l ev i s i o n p r o d u c t i o n m u s i c
i n d u s t r y. U n d e r t h e te r m s o f t h e a g r e e m e n t , D i g S o u n d w i l l b e g i n w a te r m a r k i n g m u s i c t r a ck s
m a r ke te d to te l ev i s i o n b r o a d c a s te r s fo r s e l e c t SES AC p u b l i s h e r a f f i l i a te s , a n i m p o r t a n t a n d
e xc i t i n g n ew d eve l o p m e n t .
O n e o f my f avo r i te p a r t s o f a ny SES AC A w a r d s p r e s e n t a t i o n i s w a tc h i n g t h e cr owd r e a c t a s
s n i p p e t s o f aw a r d -w i n n i n g s o n g s a r e p l aye d. T h e r e’s a l w ay s a w ave o f r e co g n i t i o n a n d i m p r o m t u
d a n c i n g fo r e a c h s o n g, r e m i n d i n g u s t h a t , eve n i n a cr owd o f s e a s o n e d m u s i c i n d u s t r y t y p e s ,
t h e m u s i c s t i l l m ove s u s a n d p r ov i d e s t h e s o u n d t r a ck to w h i c h we l i ve. A t a r e ce n t B r u n c h &
Tow n e H a l l M e e t i n g h e l d a t SES AC ’s M u s i c R ow h e a d q u a r te r s , Te n n e s s e e R e p. M a r s h a B l a ck b u r n
( R -T N ) b r o u g h t t h a t p o i n t h o m e, u p d a t i n g a l a r ge g a t h e r i n g o f s o n g w r i te r s , l a b e l h e a d s a n d
o t h e r i n d u s t r y e xe cu t i ve s o n l e g i s l a t i o n a n d t h e i m p a c t o n i n te l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y a n d p r o te c t i n g
co py r i g h t s . B l a ck b u r n a s s u r e d a t te n d e e s t h a t a l l e f fo r t s a r e b e i n g p u t fo r t h to co m b a t p i r a c y
a n d i l l e g a l d ow n l o a d i n g a n d t h a t l e g i s l a t i o n i s b e i n g cr e a te d i n t h e n a t i o n’s c a p i to l to p r o te c t
s o n g w r i te r s a n d t h e i r r oy a l t i e s . SES AC i s t h e r e eve r y s te p o f t h e w ay a n d w i l l co n t i n u e to t a ke a
l e a d e r s h i p p o s i t i o n i n t h i s i m p o r t a n t , o n g o i n g b a t t l e to p r o te c t i n te l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y a n d e n s u r e
t h e v a l u e o f o u r s o n g w r i te r s’ wo r k s .
N E W S
I m m i n e n t I m a g i n at i o n
Songwriting in Future Tense
It used to seem so simple; a songwriter would craft words and music; a publisher would
play it for an A&R executive; an artist would record and the song would succeed or fail in
the marketplace. Thanks to the well-publicized shrinkage of the record business, naysayers
might have us believe the outlets for songs have shrunk. But it doesn’t take a quantum
physicist to observe that new media signifies a dramatic upswing for savvy songwriters.
TALENT TRUTHS
While having songs recorded by major artists becomes an even more questionable
option, this is an era of the multi-hyphenate: the artist/writer, the writer/producer, and
the artist/writer/producer/entrepreneur. Creative songwriters can be in the business of
doing what record companies used to do: finding, nurturing and promoting artists. It’s a
cross-generational universe – a songwriter with a legacy has much to impart to developing
talent. The music business is the artist development business.
MARKETING THE MUSE
With
the rise of digital technology,
“Singers and
specifically
ProTools,
independent
songwriters need
recording artists can now compete
to understand
sonically with major record releases.
That
said, marketing and promoting
what MARKETING is…”
becomes the responsibility of the artist.
– SES AC ’s Tr e vo r G a l e
“It’s all about ‘DIY: Do It Yourself’ these
days,” observes Trevor Gale, SESAC’s
Vice President, Writer/Publisher Relations. “The smartest thing writers and artists can do
for their career these days is take charge of their own artist development. They should
know exactly who they are from a musical, stylistic and visual standpoint. Songwriters
need to understand what marketing is, and above all, know who they are as creative
artists. They should be as diligent in developing their marketing skills as they are their
songwriting because when you have your image and your branding in place, that’s when
the record labels get interested.”
AIRWAVE ACCESS
“Television is the new radio,” goes the modern catchphrase. Owing to its origins as both
a video and audio format, songs have always been a part of television. With the invention
of the home theater and the multiplication of cable television channels, this need has
dramatically expanded. For emerging artists and bands, having a song connected to a
television show offers crucial exposure to a key market. The sync fees and PRO payments
can be substantial, but the visibility is even more valuable.
INDIE FILMS
There is a point in the production of a film where the music supervisor hits the proverbial
“wall of pain.” It happens late in post, sometimes even in the weeks preceding the final
mix of the film, when the songs the director has chosen don’t fit the budget. The music
supervisor then must locate songs of a similar style and quality that can be licensed less
expensively – a boon for new songwriters and artists. Like anything else in the music
business, the key is to network, especially with up and coming producers and directors
who may be working on no-budget or low-budget independent features.
INTERNATIONAL OPPS
As Angela Hunte notes in this magazine, moving from Brooklyn to London fast tracked
her career. While it might not be feasible to make such a monumental move, taking
periodic songwriting trips to other music centers can widen the market considerably. And
in this era of instant computer communication and transferable sound files, it is no longer
necessary for songwriters to be on the same continent -- let alone in the same room -- to
collaborate.
END NOTE
In the age of the Internet, nothing is lost: An obscure piece of vinyl from a bygone era is
the framework for tomorrow’s hit record. A songwriter can post a track on YouTube or
Myspace, command an international audience, and in turn sell it to fans on iTunes. It’s truly
an instant marketplace for new music.
Yes, the axis is shifting, but in 50+ years of the modern music business, the only things
that haven’t changed are the power of a song to profoundly influence people’s lives and
the destiny of songwriters to determine the future of music.
By Dan Kimpel
SESAC Hosts Towne Hall
Meeting & Brunch
A gathering of music industry executives and songwriters converged at SESAC’s Nashville
headquarters for the annual Towne Hall Meeting And Brunch to hear Rep. Marsha
Blackburn (R-TN) discuss the latest updates on legislation and the impact on intellectual
property and protecting copyrights. Blackburn assured the the Towne Hall attendees that
all efforts are being put forth to combat piracy and illegal downloading and that legislation
is being created in the nation’s capitol to protect songwriters and their royalties.
ELLEN BLIGH JONES PROMOTEd
TO ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT,
C O R P O R AT E R E L AT IONS , SESA C
Ellen Bligh Jones has been promoted to the position of Associate
Vice President, Corporate Relations. Formerly Senior
Director, Corporate Relations, Jones has been with SESAC
for 11 years and will continue to oversee the performing rights
organization’s advertising, promotion, sponsorships, website,
online marketing and corporate magazine. Jones will report
directly to Pat Collins, President/COO, SESAC.
Pictured (left to right): Mike Dungan (Capitol Records), Pat Collins (SESAC),
Tim Wipperman (Equity Music Group), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN),
Fletcher Foster (Universal South), Dennis Lord (SESAC), songwriter Annie
Tate, SESAC’s Tim Fink and songwriters Monty Powell and Brian White.
t e l 0207 616 9284 / fax 0207 563 7029
W W W. SESA C . C O M
S W I Z Z
B E AT z
P latin u m
P r od u c e r
Th underous grooves and hook rich hits:
fo r w e ll ov e r a d e cad e , s ongw r it e r and
p r od u c e r Swizz B e atz ha s p u m p e d th e
paramet ers of moder n ur ban mus ic. Now, with his
solo debut, One Man Band Man, the maestro raises the bar even higher
as a recording artist. Swizz throws down the proverbial gauntlet with his
debut single, “It’s Me Snitches,” as he proclaims, “When I drive beats I’m
the one man band man.”
Beyond the bravado is the reality: Swizz Beatz has produced tracks for
a roster of artists that includes Cassidy, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, DMX,
T.I., Eve, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, Mashonda (his wife), Gwen Stefani,
and Beyonce, to the tune of over 100 million CDs sold. Forthcoming
projects with Britney Spears, Kelly Rowland, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Lil’
Kim, Marc Anthony, Eminem, Ashanti, and Whitney Houston add up to a
monumental work load. Swizz also produced the street single for the new
Tupac Shakur album, Pac’s Life.
G o e s
Solo
Ruff Ryders Records’ first chart-breaking hit, DMX’s “Stop, Drop,” was
one of Swizz’s productions. Swizz worked with DMX as a live DJ as
well, amping up monumental crowds that numbered upward of 50,000.
Controlling the frenzy, working the house: these are the lessons that
Swizz learned to channel into his electrifying studio alchemy.
In 2001, at the age 23, Swizz Beatz was named President/CEO of his own
record label, Full Surface Records, a joint venture with Clive Davis of J
Records. His business acumen has since led him in other entrepreneurial
directions: He is a partner in Kidrobot, the premier creator and retailer
of limited-edition art toys and apparel. He owns Coyote Bay Night Club
(CBNC) in Scottsdale, AZ; and the Exotic Car Dealership located at
Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. And belying the title of one of his new CD
tracks, it’s not all just “Money in the Bank” as Swizz has devoted himself
to working on international peace ventures with the United Nations. An
avid collector of art, Swizz Beatz is a visual artist who has studied with
Peter Maxx.
Surprisingly, Swizz called on outside producers – Buckwild, Just Blaze, Vibe and vision: all of the factors in full display on Swizz Beatz’ solo debut.
Snags, Eric McCain and The Individuals – to collaborate on beats and songs In addition to the guaranteed party bangers, fans are sure to note the
for the majority of his debut, preferring instead to maintain his perspective reflective theme of the piano-driven “The Funeral,” and “Part of the Plan,”
which features
as an artist. And
a s a mp le of
Swizz is proud to
“Pa rt of the plan i s not to m ake it in this wor ld t h e B r i t i s h
note that these
band, Coldplay.
contributors will / So pa rt of my plan i s to make it in this wo r ld”
Recorded
over
retain their own
a
three-year
period,
One
Man
Band
Man
includes
strong
measures
of
publishing rights in addition to advancing their reputations as producers
by contributing to what is destined to be a hit album. Swizz Beatz shows lyrical intimacy. It might be surmised that even with his ongoing roster of
respect: he notes that he doesn’t need credits on other writers’ songs hit productions and beats cast across the known universe, Swizz Beatz
has chosen other elements to reveal as an artist. When he remembers,
simply because they appear on his CD.
“Arguing with my brother to see who pick the mouse up/walked by
Born Kasseem Dean in 1978, Swizz grew up in the music business. His open up the oven door to heat the house up” it is clear that Swizz
father, Terrence Dean, had his own firm, Terrence Dean Entertainment Beatz’ reality wasn’t always trophy cars and shiny bling. Personal
Management, and Swizz’s uncles, Waah and Dee Dean, founded the label revelations shine through: Husband, father, entrepreneur, producer
Ruff Ryders Records, where, at 16, Swizz began using his talents to craft and visionary -- all lead to Swizz Beatz’s undeniable destiny as a hit
tracks as an in-house producer. Swizz Beatz relates that relocating from songwriter, producer and recording artist. The Bronx to Atlanta influenced his musical sensibilities, as did the drum
By Dan Kimpel
and bass riddims of reggae and his mother’s old school records he heard
in his crib.
W W W. SESA C . C O M
Sou th x
Sou th w est
T
h
e
F
a
i
n
t
C hanging A nd Evolving
From Birth. Since then? Lots of concerts,
regular meetings to discuss ideas and
jamming.
SES AC fe at u r ed m any of m u s ic ’ s n e w & hott e s t m u s ic at th e S X S W M u s ic Confer enc e in Au s tin , T X . T h e m u s ic
fe s tival ha s g rown eno r m o u s ly ov er th e la s t fe w y e a r s and SES AC ha s m aintain ed a high profil e at th e e v ent
with s tanding - roo m - only s howca s e s and oth er fe s tiv e e v ent s th ro u gho u t th e w eek .
“The process of writing for us has
changed, and is still changing,” says
bassist Joel Petersen, who along with
drummer Clark Baechle and singer
Todd Fink (who are brothers) started
the group in 1994. “That’s something
that’s defined us as a band, that constant
changing and evolving.”
If you’re one of the mo re impressive
indie r ock act s around , gaining
fans and s ales with e ach su cc essive
rele ase, how do you go about continuing to build
that momentum? The answer, in the case of Omaha’s
The Faint, is a tried and true one: Very carefully.
|1|
|2|
|3|
Such maxims are about the only clichéd thing about the
five-piece group, which has evolved from the new waveinspired pop of first album Media in 1998 to the darker,
electronic-influenced 2001 release Danse Macabre to the
band’s last album, 2004’s subtle move to edgy rock Wet
The group, which now includes guitarist
Dapose and keyboardist Jacob Thiele, emerged from
Omaha’s mid-‘90s burgeoning indie-rock scene alongside
friends Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) and Cursive.
The newly-determined group developed a core set of nine
songs and started playing area coffee shops, basements,
punk clubs and bars while struggling to find their own
sound. In true punk fashion, they rebelled against the
prevailing punk ethos and momentarily went in a “lite
rock” direction to distinguish themselves.
including Oberst, but eventually they managed to settle
on a coherent, indie-rock sound; as a result, local
powerhouse Saddle Creek Records signed them and
released the well-regarded Media album. Still, the band
felt something was missing, and by adding keyboards
for their second effort, 1999’s Blank-Wave Arcade, they
inevitably began a transformation into a peppier, more
dance-oriented sound. The Faint has continued to rethink and deepen its approach throughout its career.
“Part of what excites us is trying to reflect how we’ve
changed over time, which keeps us out of the trap of
writing the same kinds of things all the time,” he notes.
“At times it’s also frustrating, though, because it takes us a
long time to write a song, waiting for that spark.”
The band is now in the midst of building a recording
studio in a building they own. “The plan is to record what
we have, then stand back and see what we think.” As for
the fans starved for new product, Petersen is sympathetic
but remains committed to The Faint’s standards. “It has
been awhile,” he laughs, “but now we feel like, ‘What’s
another year?’”
By Kevin Zimmerman
The general aimlessness cost the band several members,
T h e T i m e I s Right F o r
Chrisette Michele
|4|
We lcome to th e a rtist ry and world of Chr isett e
Miche le, a Long Island-bred singer, songwriter, pianist who is receiving critical and early
|5|
concert pianist, and mother is a singer
and choir director.
audience acclaim for the release of her much-talked about debut album on Def Jam Records.
Perhaps not since the emergence of neo-soul chanteuses Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, and Alicia
Keyes has the industry seen a talent as well-crafted, with vocals full of emotive conviction
and character as those being displayed by Chrisette.
The singer/songwriter was first introduced to audiences via guest vocal appearances on
hip-hop tracks by Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Nas, singing the hook to his infectious single,
“Can’t Forget About You.”
Pairing notable rap talent with highly-soulful vocalists is nothing new. The hip-hop soul
collaboration has been a working formula priming an artist like Chrisette to come strong
with a collection of songs that are a mixture of R&B, Hip-Hop, Soul, Jazz and Pop music.
|6|
|7|
|8|
| 1 | The Little Radio stage at the South x Southwest Music Conference was the scene of the action on Friday as SESAC affiliate El-P brought the audience to their
feet with a no-holds-barred show. | 2 | Songwriter/producer extraordinaire Swizz Beatz entertains a packed house at The Fader party. | 3 | SESAC staffers Josh
Feingold (front row, left) and Jamie Dominguez (front row, right) hang out with members of the band The Faint who performed to a standing-room-only crowd at
Eternal during the festival. | 4 | Catherine and Allison Pierce of The Pierces perform during the music conference. | 5 | Terrance Campbell (left) and Dan Keyes of
Young Love during their DJ set at the SESAC-sponsored Spin Magazine party at Stubb’s BBQ. | 6 | SESAC hosted one of the hottest gatherings at the South x
Southwest Music Conference. The Gray Kid gets the crowd riled up with a blistering performance at the SESAC-sponsored Day Stage. | 7 | SESAC’s James Leach
(far left), Jamie Dominguez (second from left) and Josh Feingold (far right) chat up members of the group HYMNS. | 8 | Red Hunter of Peter & The Wolf performs.
“I wrote every song on the album, with the exception of one or two,” she continues. “We
ended up with about 60 tracks. When you write that many songs—you feel like each one
of them is one of your children. In the end, though, I felt so fulfilled, and like all different
sides of me are portrayed on my album; which is why we ended up calling the album, I Am.
In December of ’06, Chrisette was put to work alongside one of the best in the business,
Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds. The pair had written some half-dozen songs, two of which
made Chrisette’s album—the result being the first single, a very poignant and acousticguitar driven poetic ballad called, “Your Joy.” Other collaborators on I Am are will.i.am,
John Legend and a host of others.
Chrisette also attended Five Town’s
Performance Arts College, studying
jazz vocal performance while majoring
in music. “It was there where I was
exposed to a lot of jazz,” she says,
having received numerous accolades
in singing competitions throughout
New York City.
Yet, all of this extensive background
and exposure to the musical arts came
full circle when signed to a recording
deal—after sending her demo out
to a number of record labels. “I got
my deal very much the same way
Mariah Carey got her’s.” A&R exec
Shalik Berry and his assistant found
Chrisette’s demo in a growing pile of CDs. Impressed with what they heard, the A&R
department soon had her auditioning for L.A. Reid.
“So, I didn’t have to go through a whole lot for a deal,” Chrisette recalls. “It’s so rare
that it happens that way anymore!”
By David A. Mitchell
Being around talented musicians and great singers is nothing new to Chrisette. “I got a lot
of music in my genes,” she exclaims. Her father is a pianist and singer, her grandmother is a
Watching Brian White
In a world of pop songwriters, rock songwriters and country
songwriters, Brian White is simply a songwriter. Since
arriving in Nashville in the early ‘80s with a pocketful of
gospel songs he’d composed in his role as a youth minister,
White has written hits for a wide range of Christian and
gospel artists, and he’s currently matching that success on
the country side of the fence, enjoying the kind of crossgenre chart presence that puts quality before category.
“I want to be a good songwriter,” White says. “I don’t want
my craft to be judged by, ‘Did you write this style or this
style?’ Why can’t I just do it all? I just got some songs put
on hold for a Latin group, and the next day I’m plunking out
a bluegrass tune. I don’t feel like I have to be one thing or
the other.”
toward the country side left some of his colleagues scratching
their heads. “My publisher’s been great. Instead of saying I
should write this or that, they basically say, ‘You just write.’
The great thing is that I’ve not been pigeonholed.”
White’s publisher has every reason to be supportive of his
eclectic leanings. With his many successes with Brentwood/
Benson, his Christian publishing company, and a growing hit
list on the secular side with BMG Music Publishing, both of
his catalogs are now under one roof following a corporate
merger between the two companies.
White put himself on the country music map in 2003, cowriting the Top-5 single “Rough and Ready” for Trace Adkins.
A steady stream of cuts followed with artists like Terri Clark,
Neal McCoy and Blackhawk, and the songwriter hit paydirt
recently, co-writing the 5-week #1, “Watching You,” with
rising country star Rodney Atkins.
Whatever style he’s writing in, White writes hits. Back in
the ‘90s, he spent much of his time touring with his popular
Christian rock ensemble, Brian White & Justice (later
renamed Crowd of Faces to avoid confusion with rising Whether he’s writing gospel, pop or country, or working
country star Bryan White). But when he was home, the on his latest project – producing independent country artist
singer/songwriter kept busy writing for inspirational acts. Charlie Allen – you can be sure that Brian White is keeping
Artists who have cut White’s songs include Avalon, 4 Him, one eye out for the next challenge.
Point of Grace, Brian Littrell, Selah, The Crabb Family, All
Star United, Greg Long, Larnelle Harris and Jaci Velasquez. “If somebody walked up to me right now and said, ‘Hey man,
In addition, he recently found success with British superstar, Velvet Revolver is getting ready to make a record and I can
hook you up with Slash,’ I’d go, ‘Wow, let’s do it,’” White
Sir Cliff Richard.
says. “I just want to write a great song.”
With 11 #1 hits and two Dove Awards under his
contemporary Christian belt, White admits that his move
By Peter Cronin
Li z R o se i s St ill L i z R o se
Back in th e ‘90s, in her former inca rnation as one of Music Row ’s mo st
respect e d songpluggers, Liz Rose was successfully pitching other writers’ songs to every kind of singer under
the sun. Here in the 21st century, however, Rose has turned the whole thing upside down. These days she’s rapidly emerging as
one of the brightest lights on the Nashville songwriting scene, with a growing reputation as a crafty-and-creative collaborator for
a wide ranging list of co-writers, and with a specialty in songwriter/artists.
“I’ve kind of found my niche, which is writing with artists,” Rose says. “I think it really started with the Taylor Swift thing.”
One of country music’s hottest rising stars, the 17-year-old Swift co-wrote every song on her Platinum debut, eight of them
with Rose’s help.
“With Taylor, I just kind of listen to what she’s saying, write it down and go, ‘You just said this,’” Rose says. “I’m the editor
for Taylor, the person in the room that makes sure it gets written down while she’s saying it. She is really amazing.”
After years of success with her own publishing company, King Lizard Music, Rose began to turn the tables,
joining forces with Nashville publisher Jody Williams in 1999, who purchased King Lizard and hired Rose
as songplugger/songwriter. Her first commercial breakthrough came in 2002 when “Elisabeth,” a song
she’d written about her niece’s struggle with neurofibromatosis (a genetic disorder causing tumors to
grow on nerve tissue), was recorded by Billy Gilman. Cuts from artists like Trisha Yearwood and Lisa
Brokop served as a prelude to three simultaneous country hits – Gary Allan’s “Songs About Rain,” Chely
Wright’s “Back Of The Bottom Drawer,” and Lee Ann Womack’s “The Wrong Girl” – in 2004.
Angela Hunte: Secret Sounds
In a business where it seems everyone begs to be noticed, Angela Hunte prefers art, not ego, as a calling card. “I didn’t
want to be a product of the industry,” Hunte avows, “I just wanted to be able to do my craft. It’s hard because you can
fall prey to so many different things, whether it’s being a namedropper or having to be loud to get attention. I’ve always
had a word-of-mouth type of career.”
Good news travels fast; the EMI-signed songwriter has racked up a notable sheaf of cuts, including “Do Somethin’” for
Britney Spears, “Showstopper” for Making the Band’s Danity Kane (a SESAC Award-winning song) and tracks with MisTeeq and UK diva, Ms. Dynamite. Hunte is a triple threat: a songwriter, producer and a singer, whose smoky vocals are
featured on Diddy’s “Hold Up” from Press Play. David Morales’ classic club anthem, “Feels Good,” also features Hunte’s
potent lead vocals. “My voice is really weird,” she laughs. “At one point I almost stopped demoing songs because my
voice is such a character.”
A native New Yorker whose family has roots in Trinidad, as a little girl Hunte envisioned living in Europe. Her dream came
true when she signed with EMI, and set up songwriting shop in the UK. “There wasn’t anything out there I wasn’t a part
of: Simon Cowell and Pop Idols, Amy Winehouse -- all of those people. I would have never gotten close to Britney if I
hadn’t been in Europe at the right place and the right time. I got my discipline over there: you come in, write the song,
make the artist feel comfortable and do the backgrounds. I lived in the UK for two years and now I go over two weeks
out of every month. London is where I get my creative vibe on.”
Hunte explains how she became a SESAC affiliate. “I researched. I wanted to be with someone who was going to think
for me, not just collect the money, and who could introduce me to people. I went to a seminar that SESAC was having
and I had about 5,000 questions for SESAC’s Trevor Gale. He said, ‘I want you as a writer and I’m going to do everything,’
That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
Working on projects with emerging artists, as well as studio endeavors with Britney Spears, Cassie and other high profile
artists keeps Hunte’s calendar full. She’s also envisioning recording her own project. “For me to be an artist, it would have
to be the right time and the right place and the energy would have to be different: more open to musical songs. But Alicia
Keys and other artists have made me realize that people are ready for a change.” Hunte concludes with this thought. “I
don’t want to be a person who talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk. I want to create a legacy, and it’s going to take
another 40 to 50 years. And when I’m gone I want them say, ‘That girl was crazy, but she sure could write a song.’”
By David A. Mitchell
With her roots in the Lone Star state, Rose is equally at home writing with the latest country sensation
or collaborating with left-leaning Texas singer/songwriters like her fellow SESAC affiliate Walt Wilkins or
with a smart-pop artist like Maia Sharp. It was with co-writers Sharp and Stephanie Chapman that Rose
celebrated her highest-visibility cut to date with Bonnie Raitt’s hit version of their song, “I Don’t
Want Anything to Change,” recorded for Raitt’s 2005 album, Souls Alike.
“We wrote it just like writing any song, you know?” Rose says. “Stephanie came in with a
great idea, and Bonnie loves Maia. So, of course we were like, ‘Whoo, let’s send this off
to Bonnie!’ And she cut it. My brother Pete turned me on to Bonnie and Emmylou
and Jackson Browne, and that was when I learned about music. I remember seeing
Bonnie open for Jackson Browne in the ‘70s, so to have a Bonnie cut and then meet
her and hang out and have dinner with her…it was just awesome.”
With a new writing room added to her Nashville home, Rose is busier than
ever, happily co-writing all over the map. But she’s particularly excited about
Nikki Williams, a young Sony artist she’s currently working with, and about her
contributions to Unglamorous, singer/songwriter Lori McKenna’s upcoming Warner
Bros. debut.
“I love writing with everybody, but I really love writing with artists,” she says. “I don’t
have the artist/songwriter ego, and it doesn’t have to be about me. I’d rather hear
about somebody else’s life. Mine’s pretty boring.”
By Peter Cronin
New York
| Legacy Award | Dee Snider | 2006 Songwriter of the Year | Bryan Michael Cox, Nate “Danja” Hills | 2006 Song of the Year | “Be Without You” Recorded by Mary J. Blige, Written by: BryanMichael Cox & Jason Perry, Published by: Babyboys Little Publishing Co., Noontime South Inc., W B M Music Corp., Jason’s Lyrics & Reach, Global Tunes | 2006 SESAC Publisher of the Year | W B M
Music Corp. | Top R&B/Hip-Hop/Pop | “Be Without You”, Artist: Mary J. Blige, Songwriter(s): Bryan-Michael Cox, Jason Perry, Publisher: Babyboys Little Pub. Co., Noontime South Inc., W B M Music Corp.,
Jason’s Lyrics, Reach Global Tunes; “Promiscuous”, Artist: Nelly Furtado, Songwriter(s): Nate “Danja” Hills, Publisher: Danjahandz Muzik, W B M Music Corp.; “Sexyback”, Artist: Justin Timberlake, Songwriter(s): Nate
“Danja” Hills, Publisher: Danjahandz Muzik, W B M Music Corp; “My Love”, Artist: Justin Timberlake, Songwriter(s): Nate “Danja” Hills, Publisher: Danjahandz Muzik, W B M Music Corp.; “Buttons”, Artist: Pussycat
Dolls, Songwriter(s): Jason Perry, Publisher: Jason’s Lyrics, Reach Global Tunes; “Say Goodbye”, Artist: Chris Brown, Songwriter(s): Bryan-Michael Cox, Kendrick Dean, Publisher: Babyboys Little Pub. Co., Noontime
South Inc., W B M Music Corp., The Dean’s List, December First Publishing Group Inc.; “Love”, Artist: Keyshia Cole, Songwriter(s): Greg Curtis, Publisher: Cardraygee Music Publishing, Universal Tunes; “Shortie Like
Mine”, Artist: Bow Wow (featuring Chris Brown), Songwriter(s): Bryan-Michael Cox, Publisher: Songs In The Key of B, Noontime South Inc., W B M Music Corp.; “Déjà vu”, Artist: Beyoncé, Songwriter(s): Keli Price,
John Webb Jr., Publisher: Price Tag, JonJonTraxx, Foray Music Inc.; “Victory”, Artist: Yolanda Adams, Songwriter(s): Greg Curtis, Publisher: Cardraygee Music Publishing, Universal Tunes; “Touch It”, Artist: Busta
Rhymes, Songwriter(s): Swizz Beatz, Publisher: Monza Ronza, Universal Tunes; “Show Stopper”, Artist: Danity Kane, Songwriter(s): Angela Hunte, Publisher: Masani El Shabazz, Foray Music Inc.; “DJ Play A Love
Song”, Artist: Jamie Foxx, Songwriter(s): Jason Perry, Publisher: Jason’s Lyrics, Reach Global Tunes; “Come To Me”, Artist: Diddy (featuring Nicole Scherzinger), Songwriter(s): LaShay Chantrese Winans, Mike Winans
Jr., Publisher: Shaywizzy Publishing, Baby Mike Publishing Co., Foray Music Inc., Christian Combs Music; “For You I Will”, Artist: Teddy Geiger, Songwriter(s): Billy Mann, Publisher: Turtle Victory, Sony/ATV Sounds LLC
Music Awards
Songwriter/producer extraordinaires Bryan-Michael Cox
and Nate “Danja” Hills shared top honors when both were
named Songwriter of the Year at SESAC ’s 11th annual New
York Music Awards held May 10th at Manhattan’s gorgeous
Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers. Cox also took home another of
the evening’s big accolades, along with Jason Perry, earning
the Song of the Year award for his smash hit, “Be Without
You.” This year’s event drew over 500 songwriters, publishers
and music industry executives and drew a host of media.
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| 1 | Songwriters of the Year Bryan-Michael Cox and Nate “Danja” Hills celebrate their victories. | 2 | (Left to right): SESAC’s Trevor Gale and Linda Lorence
| 6 | SESAC’s Josh Feingold and Jamie Dominguez with SESAC Legacy award winner Dee Snider. | 7 | SESAC’s Linda Lorence Critelli (far left), Trevor
Critelli, award-winner Angela Hunte, Omar Grant and Big John Platt of Foray Music/EMI Music Publishing. | 3 | SESAC Award winners gather for a group
Gale (second from left) honor WBM Music Corp. as the evening’s Publisher of the Year. | 8 | Kendrick “Wyldcard” Dean visits with SESAC’s Pat
shot at the end of the festivities. | 4 | SESAC’s Josh Feingold, Mates of State duo Kori Gardner, Jason Hummel and SESAC’s Trevor Gale and Stephen
Collins, Cappriccieo Scates and Trevor Gale. | 9 | Songwriter Swizz Beatz (honored this year for his songs “Touch It” by Busta Rhymes and “Check
Swid. | 5 | SESAC honoree Jim Brickman (for his album “Escape”) shares a moment with SESAC’s Pat Rogers at the post-awards party.
On It” by Beyonce) is congratulated on a great year by (left to right): SESAC’s Freddy Gershon, Ira Smith, friend Bert Padell, SESAC’s Stephen Swid,
Pat Collins and Jamie Dominguez. | 10 | Award-winning songwriter Keli Nicole Price (center) shares a laugh with SESAC’s Cappriccieo Scates and
Trevor Gale. | 11 | Powerhouse songwriters Swizz Beatz, Bryan-Michael Cox and Greg Curtis enjoy the party.
W W W. SESA C . C O M
Like many, Ian Es kelin moved to Contemporary recorded Song of the Year as co-writer on
Nashville 13 years ago with little “Me and Jesus,” a single from Stellar Kart’s Word Records’
mor e than a dream to play music project “We Can’t Stand Sitting Down,” which Eskelin
produced. The guy who likes to be “always in motion” finds
full-ti me.
SESA C H ONO R S
CHRISTIAN SONGWRITERS & PUBLISHERS
SESAC named Christian songwriter/producer Jason Ingram as SESAC’s 2006 Christian
Songwriter of the Year at ceremonies held at Nashville’s Sambuca Restaurant.
Wordspring Music (a division of Word Music Publishing) was named SESAC’s 2006
Christian Publishers of the Year.
himself excited to face each day.
Whether his dream included Grammy nominations
and Dove awards is unclear, but earning a spot as a top
songwriter and producer, as well as recording albums and
playing more than 1,000 shows throughout the world is
ultimately where Eskelin has found himself.
SESAC’s Christian Songwriter of the Year, Jason Ingram, realized extraordinary
success in 2006 with his song “Shine”, as recorded by group Salvador. The single
spent an impressive 11 weeks in the Top 5 on the Christian Singles Charts and over
32 weeks on the charts where it continues to reside. “Shine” was the debut single
from Salvador’s Dismiss The Mystery CD.
Other SESAC award winners included such Christian chart-toppers as Tiffany Arbuckle
Lee aka Plumb, Adam Agee of Stellar Kart, Christopher Clonts of Decyfer Down and
Michael O’Brien of NewSong.
“On a whim, I moved to Nashville because I heard they
were giving record deals away,”
“My schedule is filled up with new bands and new signings
and co-writings,” he said. “I feel like sometimes in this
industry, people make a record and they are gone in five
seconds. I wake up every single day excited and blessed
to know I get to do what I do for a living. And that I get to
talk about something important to me, which is my faith,
makes it all that more important to me.” Eskelin’s greatest
challenge, perhaps, is with the songwriting craft itself.
Eskelin landed a record deal, but found the routine didn’t
fit his self-proclaimed “always in motion” personality. “Early
on when I was signed to a record deal, every two years
getting the opportunity to make record, I found that didn’t
fit my creative output,” he said.
Ian Eskelin
R e nai s s anc e Man
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“It never crossed my mind that th e
job e xist ed that you cou ld writ e
songs for other people,” Jason Ingram
said recently, while in the midst of having multiple songs he
penned landing on records of top-selling artists and climbing
the charts to become hits.
For someone who didn’t know the details of having a
songwriting career, Ingram has met and surpassed the
requirements for success. During the past year, he has added
to an already impressive resume by writing and producing
for some of the top artists in Christian music, including
Salvador (“Shine”) and Bebo Norman (“I Will Lift My Eyes”).
His achievements earned him a Dove Award nomination,
the Christian music industry’s top honor, as well as SESAC’s
Christian Songwriter of the Year accolade.
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| 1 | Songwriters/artists Krystal Meyers and Tiffany Arbuckle Lee (aka Plumb) show their songwriting medal. | 2 | Songwriter of the Year Jason
Ingram celebrates his win at the Christian Awards held at Nashville’s Sambuca restaurant. | 3 | SESAC’s John Mullins presents singer/songwriter
Michael O’Brien his awards for his songs “Before The Day” and “Psalm 40” as recorded by NewSong. | 4 | Gospel Music Association’s John
Styll shares a moment with industry executive Rebecca Brown. | 5 | Cody Pellerin (center) gets sideways with his award for “Finish Last” a hit for
Stellar Kart, as SESAC’s Trevor Gale (far left) and John Mullins look on. | 6 | Songwriters Adam Agee and Jordan Messer receive congratulations
from SESAC’s Trevor Gale (far right) on their awards for Stellar Kart’s hit, “Finish Last”. | 7 | Word Music’s Marty Wheeler visits with SESAC’s John
Mullins and songwriter Brian White.
“Christian music can be the greatest lyrical challenge on
the planet. First of all, your vocabulary can be very limited
sometimes by the audience and radio and labels. There
are certain things that work for Christian radio and always
has worked. At the end of the day, it’s Christian because
He then chose to “do it all and see what happens,” he said. of the lyric. The challenge is putting that lyric on there that
Doing it all has meant writing, producing, recording and touches people’s heartstrings.
touring, all in the realm of the Christian music market. Todate, Eskelin has recorded five records (Love and Radiation “Metaphor is the key to great pop music. Sometimes in
was released this spring) with his band All-Star United and Christian music, metaphor can get lost. It is my challenge
everyday to try to talk about my faith using new and exciting
embarked on a world-wide tour.
metaphors.
The All-Star United work is actually a sidebar to Eskelin’s
primary role as a sought-after producer and songwriter in “For me, I want to use some different colors and change the
Nashville. He was among the top nominees at the 38th hue of the sky. It’s a great challenge but I love it.”
annual Dove Awards, the Christian industry’s top honors,
By Crystal Caviness
where he earned five nominations, including producer of
the year. He ended up winning one Dove Award for Rock/
To that end, Ingram has become a highly-regarded and in
demand producer. During the past year, he has produced
for Rush of Fools, a project for which he also wrote seven
songs, including the upcoming next two singles. Also, he
is currently in the pre-production stage with Pocket Full of
Rocks, a band on Word Records.
He and friend Bebo Norman are working on Norman’s
Christmas album. Ingram’s first production credit on
Norman’s Between the Dreaming and The Coming True,
earned Ingram a Dove award nomination this past spring for
the role in played in co-producing the record and co-writing
eight of the album’s 11 songs.
Ingram has recently signed two artists to development deals,
Tenth Avenue North, a band from Florida, and Meredith
Andrews, a singer from Chicago. He will be producing their
initial projects in the coming months.
Ingram’s path to songwriting success began six years ago,
while the musician was touring as the opening act with
Sonic Flood. When the band recorded one of Ingram’s “But at the core of everything is songwriting,” he continued.
“To me, that’s the number one point to everything you do.
songs, Ingram’s musical course changed.
Artists are only as good as the songs. Production is really
just serving a great song well and not messing it up.
“I discovered this new career all of a sudden,” he said.
The career that ensued included writing songs for the likes of “I feel like I’ve been trying to catch a wave for the past few
Rebecca St. James, Joy Williams, Building 429 and Avalon. All years and I feel like two years ago, I caught it, so now I’m
the while, Ingram also served as frontman for The Longing, riding this wave,” he said. “You know it’s not going to last
a band that recorded and toured until this past spring, when forever, but you’re grateful and you enjoy every minute.”
Ingram’s schedule required the musician to give it up.
By Crystal Caviness
“(The band) was the one thing that I realized had to go. I
toured for 10 years and I had a blast. It was just the thing
that was fun but the least productive of everything that I was
doing,” Ingram said.
Jason Ingram
Mak e s I t H app e n
T V / F i l m Awa r d S
L a n c e M i ll e r
K e e p s T h e F a i th
I t ’ s ha r d to call any 3 7 -y e a r - old
a “ p r o m i s ing n e wco m e r , ” b u t th e n
country artist Lance Miller doesn’t fit
easily into many preconceived notions.
Born in the small southern Illinois town of Mount Vernon, Miller
moved to Nashville in 1995 and spent a few years “kicking around
and recording demos,” he says. “I was working a day-job, and
after awhile I felt like I might as well be living in Chicago.”
Although blessed with a strongly emotive voice, it was Miller’s
songwriting that finally got him noticed; his knack for combining
ear-catching contemporary country sounds with more traditional
country themes – via longtime favorite “George Jones and Jesus”
– helped him to get heard around town, and in 1999 secured him
a deal with EMI Music Publishing.
SESAC honore d its ste llar rost er of top film and television compo sers with the annual SES AC Te levision & Fil m
Composers Awards Dinner. T he invitation- only event was held at th e elegant il Cie lo restaurant in Beverly
Hills, Ca., and commemorat ed an inc redible year for SESAC ’s com po sers, with over 100 awa r ds given to affiliates
recognizing e xcelle nce in t elevision and film music compo s ition. on the second season of TV’s “Nashville Star” competition show,
that changed everything.
Though he didn’t win, Miller says the experience was priceless. “It
reminded me what it was to be an artist again,” he declares. “I’d
gotten a bit complacent by then, almost burned out. I’d become
one of ‘those’ guys who gets called in to sing demos, and it was a
little hard to swallow.”
There were also pressing personal concerns, as Miller and his wife
began thinking of starting a family. “My Dad had kind of quit by the
time he was 35, feeling like an old divorced man with two kids,”
he says. “But I’m glad he instilled in me not to have that attitude.
He’s real proud now.”
As well he should be: riding the wave of the “Nashville Star”
exposure, Miller started landing gigs opening for the likes of
“I was tired of doing cover tunes on what were supposed to be Paul Overstreet and Charlie Daniels, built a friendship with Tim
writers’ nights,” he recalls. “So I started writing what I knew, McGraw – Miller’s playing the second stage on McGraw and Hill’s
“Soul2Soul 2007” tour this summer – and recorded his debut
worked out guitar hooks, and ideas started coming every day.”
album for Warner Bros., Back in the New School, for release later
In addition to such country stalwarts as Jones and Merle Haggard, this year.
Miller also cites his father, Melvin, as a key musical influence;
“This is a whole different ballgame,” he says. “I feel like it’s all
Melvin’s country band had a loyal following and young Lance
been building up to this. I am in the game now – I may not be
soaked it all up.
where I want to be yet, but it feels like I can now do this for many
years
to come. I’m very thankful to get a shot at it.”
A pair of albums on an independent label came and went without
making too much noise; it was a chance meeting with renowned
By Kevin Zimmerman
producer Buddy Cannon, eventually leading to Miller’s performing
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| 1 | (Pictured left to right): SESAC’s Tim Fink, Christophe Beck (“Pink Panther”, “The Sentinel”, “We Are Marshall”) and SESAC’s Pat Rogers. | 2 | (Pictured
left to right): SESAC’s Tim Fink and Pat Rogers, Danny Lux (“Grey’s Anatomy”, “My Name Is Earl”, “Boston Legal” “Strong Medicine”) and SESAC’s Hunter
Williams. | 3 | (Pictured left to right): SESAC’s Pat Collins and Pat Rogers, Paul Buckley (“Will & Grace”) and SESAC’s Hunter Williams. | 4 | (Pictured left
to right): SESAC’s Pat Rogers, Michelle Vice-Maslin (“Guiding Light”) SESAC’s James Leach and Hunter Williams. | 5 | (Pictured left to right): Brett Perry
(“That 70s Show”), Laurie Ann Melanson (“That 70s Show”) and SESAC’s Tim Fink.
T h e Et e r n a l C o n tr a d i ct i o n Of
J a m e s L e e St a n l e y
Thirty-four years, 20 albums and “I’m better than I’ve ever been and I’m 60 years old,” Stanley
thousands and thousands of road said without any hint of ego. “Part (of the reason) is the lack
mil es behind hi m, singer/songwriter James Lee of mainstream success. I was always trying to be better. I
Stanley is close to releasing his latest CD project entitled
Eternal Contradiction. For this seasoned artist, the thrill is
definitely not gone.
got to be the opening act for Bonnie Raitt, Chick Corea,
Robin Trower, the Smithereens, Bill Cosby, Robin Williams,
the Dixie Dregs. I’ve opened for everybody,” he said. “I’ve
learned to entertain an audience. By not being really famous,
I got to go my own way.”
Going his own way may not have brought him household
name recognition and perhaps not the wealth he would
have liked, but it has brought him critical acclaim for more
than 30 years. His solo projects, along with duets with Peter
Tork (of Monkees’ fame), Michael Smith and John Batdorf,
have wowed audiences for years.
Stanley indeed has created a career for himself, filled with
artistry and intelligence. He learned early on, however, that
his mission and that of the mainstream music industry were
misaligned. At the thrust of the industry is ‘let’s hear the hit.’
If you don’t have a hit, there’s no reason to be,” he said. “I
have a compositional voice as valid as any composer that
lives. I would love nothing more than to have a hit, but I
don’t write songs just for the money. I don’t know how to
do that. I write from the heart. … I respond as an artist to
the world I’m in.”
The new album comes in
the midst of a busy time for
Stanley. Less than a week
after Eternal Contradiction was
released on the musician’s
own
label,
Beechwood
Recordings, another project,
that Stanley produced for his
sister, Pamela was released.
A full blown tour to promote “I try to write a lyric that would stand as a poem. I try to
Eternal Contradiction begins write a melody that would work alone. Then I write a guitar
in the fall, followed by the accompaniment, so it would be a guitar (piece) if alone,” he
release in early 2008 a musical said. “That’s the three sides of my art. I write about 20 to 30
that Stanley composed. The songs in a year and it usually takes me two years to make an
musical project will be released album. I tend to take the longest with the lyrics.
with an accompanying CD
storybook detailing the saga “I use (Bob) Dylan as a bar. I use Paul Simon, Hal David, people
of two women whose lives who write great lyrics and I compare it to that,” he said. “If it
parallel each other’s.
doesn’t say exactly what I want, then I keep going.”
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2 0 0 7 S E S A C TELE V I S ION & F ILM C OMPO S ER S AWARD RE C IPIENT S | Top Rated Series | Dennis C. Brown, Two And a Half Men • John Carta, Hannah Montana •
Brad Chiet, Deal Or No Deal, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition • Bob DeMarco, Dr. Phil, Entertainment Tonight • Jason Derlatka, House • Michael Egizi, Dr. Phil, Entertainment Tonight • Jon Ehrlich, House • Danny
Lux, Grey’s Anatomy • Laurie Ann Melanson, That 70’s Show • Brett Perry, That 70’s Show • Leigh Roberts, House • Jonathan Wolff, Seinfeld | Top Performed Theme / Network TV | Jon Ehrlich, House
• Danny Lux, Boston Legal, My Name Is Earl • Leigh Roberts, House • Paul Shaffer, Late Show with David Letterman | Syndicated / Local Television TV | Stephen Arnold, Local News • Bob DeMarco,
The Insider • Michael Egizi, The Insider • Bruce Miller, Frasier, Becker • Jonathan Wolff, Seinfeld, Will & Grace | Performance Awards / Network TV | Dennis C. Brown, Two And a Half Men • Paul Buckley,
Will & Grace • Todd Burns, Dateline NBC • John Carta, The Bachelor • David Catalano, Dateline NBC • Brad Chiet, Deal or No Deal • Jon Ehrlich, House • David Dachinger, Dateline NBC • Jason Derlatka, House •
Hal Goldstein, Dateline NBC • Chris Ingram, All My Children • Andrew Kaiser, Last Comic Standing, Nanny 911, Survivor, The Apprentice, Big Brother • Dean Kraus, Dateline NBC • Danny Lux, The Bachelor, Boston
Legal, My Name Is Earl, Grey’s Anatomy • Laurie Ann Melanson, That 70’s Show • Brett Perry, That 70’s Show • Spyros Poulos, Dateline NBC • Craig Sharmat, America’s Most Wanted • Glenn
Sherman, Dateline NBC • John Swihart, How I Met Your Mother • Brian Tarquin, All My Children • Michelle Vice-Maslin, Guiding Light | Syndicated / Local TV | Stephen Arnold, Local News •
Todd Burns, Access Hollywood, Maury, Montel • David Catalano, Judge Hatchett, Maury, Montel • David Dachinger, Access Hollywood, Maury, Montel • Bob DeMarco, Dr. Phil, Entertainment Tonight,
The Insider, Rachael Ray • Michael Egizi, Dr. Phil, Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, Rachael Ray • Hal Goldstein, Maury, Montel • Dean Kraus, Access Hollywood, Maury, Montel • John Frederick
Lenz, Doc, Sue Thomas FB Eye • Laurie Ann Melanson, That 70’s Show • Bruce Miller, Becker, Frasier • Brett Perry, It’s A Miracle, That 70’s Show • Spyros Poulos, Access Hollywood, Montel • Glenn
Sherman, Access Hollywood, Maury, Montel • Jonathan Wolff, Seinfeld, Will & Grace | Cable Television Performance Award | John Carta, Hannah Montana • Jon Ehrlich, Black:White,
Growing Up Gotti • Maximo Perez, 106 & Park, The Road Show, Style • Danny Lux, Strong Medicine • Leigh Roberts, Black:White, Growing Up Gotti • Craig Sharmat, Comedy Central Presents •
By Crystal Caviness
Pierre Gerwig Langer, Poker Superstars Invitational | Film | Christophe Beck, The Pink Panther, The Sentinel, We Are Marshall • Tom Hajdu, The Hills Have Eyes • Andy Milburn, The Hills Have Eyes
W W W. SESA C . C O M
G r e g C u r ti s R e - i n v e n t e d
Writ er, pr odu cer Greg Curti s is
enjoying a ca reer renaissanc e of
so rts. He’s the first to attest that things were moving
a bit slow for him prior to last year’s chart-topping success
of the song, “Love” as performed by A&M recording artist
Keyshia Cole.
Prior to Cole’s breakthrough, Greg recalls a period of
intense struggle, even taking a job at Guitar Center hoping
to make ends meet. After all, he has a wife and kids to
support. For years, music had always been his bread and
butter. During his early career, he’d written and produced
for Yolanda Adams on the award-winning Songs from the
Heart album, worked with Kevon Edmonds, played at
Carnegie Hall backing up jazz great Ornette Coleman, and
placed songs for film/TV, including Famous Jett Jackson and
Autumn in New York. He even worked in-house during a stint
as Senior VP of A&R/Staff Producer at Hollywood Records.
Greg realized in order to once again be competitive, though,
he needed to be in a studio where there was a lot of traffic.
He rented space in Burbank, California’s Enterprise Studios,
positioning his long-time friend and renowned engineer
Dave “Hard Drive” Pensado to guide him toward some
new projects; the result, Ms. Keyshia Cole. “From the
moment I heard her voice, I knew something great was
there,” recalls Greg. “As soon as she walked out of the
door, the chords came right to me.”
The song “Love” was a tad different than what most listeners
were getting from mainstream urban radio today. It was a
big, melodic, climatic ballad, that contained live strings, yet
exuded lots of Keyshia Cole street flair and attitude. “When
she started singing the hook, we thought about background
vocals,” recalls Greg. “And then I thought, ‘no, it really just
needs to be you,’ I told her. Singing it by yourself sounds
great. I decided to put backgrounds in the bridge. That’s me
singing all of the backgrounds. [A&M Records Chairman]
Ron Fair produced the string parts that I already played—
but he replaced them with live strings. Ron arranged the
hell out of the song—the building, the climax and her voice
fills the entire track. It sounded so great, and as they say the
rest was history.”
Traveling between residences in Los Angeles and Austin,
Texas, Greg has become one of the industry’s more soughtafter producer-songwriters—not just in Urban music—but
in varying genres such as Pop, Gospel and Country. He
and Keyshia have returned to the fold with another song,
titled, “I Remember,” already slated to be a single from her
forthcoming album.
For his longtime friend, Yolanda Adams, Greg produced
the inspirational track, “Victory,” a song which became a
theme for the film, The Gospel, starring Boris Kodjoe and
Idris Elba. He’s also collaborated with Mark Hudson and
Marc Nelkin on the bluesy, “Sticky Situation,” for UK Idol
Andy Abraham.
Greg recently completed a song which was recorded by
Mary J. Blige for her forthcoming album. For Jive recording
artist JOE, Greg collaborated with fellow SESAC writer
and friend Bryan-Michael Cox on the ballad, “My Love,”
which is currently in stores. Greg was recently enlisted by
Dionne Warwick for two songs on her upcoming Gospel
album, in addition to becoming collaborative partners with
songwriter extraordinaire Carol Bayer Sayer, and more
film placements like with Disney’s The Cheetah Girls.
Greg, a 20-year plus member of SESAC, happily attributes
part of this influx of opportunity to Universal Music
Publishing, a company he signed with just over a year ago.
When discussing the state of R&B and Pop music today, and
how popular tastes appear to be shifting from simply a hiphop musical diet, Greg believes that for him and songwriters
like him, there are more opportunities than there were a
mere three or four years ago: He says, “People are wanting
more! Records aren’t selling the way they used to. When
you buy a CD and there is only one good song out of 14 or
15, that’s kind of disheartening to a person who just spent
$15. Now, they’ll find one song like a “Love,” a “Victory” or
a Mary J. Blige’s “Be Without You” and download or buy
one song if they have to. Those songs have substance. They
are real songs, with real lyrics and meaning. That’s what the
world needs. People want to hear great music again!”
Regions Bank proudly supports this community.
Here at Regions Bank, we’re proud to be a part of this community. And we remain committed to providing
our neighbors with the financial resources they need to be successful. Helping them achieve their goals is
an important priority for us. Visit regions.com or your local branch.
By David A. Mitchell
© 2007 Regions Bank. Member FDIC.
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| 1 | B r ia n White Cele brates #1. (Left to Right) Elijah Atkins, Rodney Atkins, BMG Publishing’s Marty Wheeler, SESAC’s John Mullins, producer Ted Hewitt, Brian White and
SESAC’s Tim Fink take a moment to smile for the camera during the No.1 festivities at SESAC’s Nashville headquarters. | 2 | SES AC H o s t s CD Re l eas e Par ty f o r Ev e r l ife .
Everlife kicked off the release of their CD release with a party at SESAC’s Nashville headquarters. The trio celebrated with SESAC’s John Mullins (far left) and Tim Fink (far right) as well
with a multitude of friends, family and industry well-wishers. | 3 | SES AC HOSTS AMERICANA MUSI C ASSO CI ATION REC EP TION. SESAC rolled out the welcome mat in a big
way for a reception introducing Jed Hilly, the newly named Executive Director of the Americana Music Association. Executives from various facets of Nashville’s music industry gathered
at SESAC’s Nashville headquarters to congratulate Hilly on his new appointment. The Americana Music Association is an organization devoted to the development of Americana artists,
songwriters and music. • Celebrating at the reception were (left to right): SESAC’s Tim Fink, AMA’s Danna Strong, Tamara Saviano and Jed Hilly.
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| 4 | SESAc Latin a Cele br ates Bill board Latin Musi c Week With Awards D inner and S ho wcase. Alvaro Farfan, from Alvani Music Publishing (Maximo
Aguirre Music Publishing,) Claudia Brant and SESAC’s J.J. Cheng. | 5 | TIN PAN SOUTH. Brian White, SESAC’s Tim Fink, Liz Rose, Adam Shoenfeld, SESAC’s Shannan Neese,
John Mullins and Monty Powell gather to commemorate the evening with a photo. | 6 | SES AC Hosts Writers On The Stor m Sh owcas e i n N YC . SESAC recently held
another successful Writers On The Storm showcase. Held at Rockwood Hall, the showcase featured a dazzling display of talent. Pictured (left to right): Jeremy Schonfeld, Kelly Flint,
Heather Eatman, SESAC’s Linda Lorence Critelli & Eren Cannata.
55 Music Square East, Nashville, TN 37203
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