I've been writing since I was 5 and my Mom kept the God awful tapes to prove it. That's what Moms do….I've, of course, recorded both my sons in carrying on that timeless tradition. My career has been a crazy journey. I got my first cut at age 38 through the mail. Yea, you read that right… through the mail. Those were the good old days when people still opened their mail and didn't fear being sued by some yahoo who wrote a song for his sister's wedding who thought he was the only one who had thought of saying, "the ring's on the right hand this time". My first cut ended up being a song I wrote by myself, "Take It Back" which ended up being Reba McEntire's first single, off her "It's Your Call" record. The record went triple platinum. When the A&R guy from MCA called and asked to speak to Kristy Jackson about her publishing, I told him she was in a meeting and she'd get back with him. I kept my publishing. Prior to that cut I'd been sending tapes and CDs to trash cans all across America. I stayed indie and never signed with another publishing company. The progress is slower but my publisher likes what I write and she lets me demo what I want. Had another single with another artist on Giant Records….they shot the big budget video, the song debuted with a bullet on Billboard at 64 and three weeks later Giant Records closed its doors. You win some you lose some. In the meantime, I had some indie cuts & needle drops, produced some CDs for me, produced a couple other artists, played some gigs and kept writing and "Take It Back" landed on "Reba's Greatest Hits 3". Fast forward to the fall of 2001, and I like every other songwriter grieved 9/11 through songwriting. I wrote a song called, "Little Did She Know (She'd Kissed A Hero)". It was pitched to the labels in Nashville and we were told that no artist or label would be recording anything about 9/11. (guess Toby Keith, Alan Jackson, and Daryl Worley didn't get the memo). In the meantime, a local DJ in North Carolina played my work tape in Oct. of 2001 and by Nov. 1 it was the number one most requested song on the largest radio stations in New York, WPLJ, BLI, LTE, WALK. Then it took on a life of its own. Here I am on playlists with N'Sync, Matchbox 20 and me. Sony called. Mercury called. Sony offered me a contract. I turned 'em down. I raised over $30,000 for 9/11 charities and was honored by both New York and Pennsylvania State Senates and honored by numerous Mayors in New Jersey. I performed that song for the following 4 years at tons of events and never charged a dime for the performance. I now can get lost just about anywhere in the US and I know a cop, firefighter or EMT in that town who'll come get me. I have a precious and loyal following cause all these people think since I was on the radio that I'm some recording artist….thank you for your support but really I'm just a songwriter. I always give a percentage of CD sales to charity, currently Doctors Without Borders and Habitat For Humanity/Musician's Village New Orleans.
So there you have it.
I've loved, I've lost, I've loved again and I've written about it all. I love God, my family and you (if you've taken the time to read this whole thing). Till next time, I'm off to try and write the single for the next "it kid" so I can make a bunch of money for charity, relax and continue writing in North Carolina and be able to pay for my sons' impending rehab. *lol* In Nov. of 2008, Grammy winner and legendary music icon Patti "Tennessee Waltz" Page, recorded and released "Little Did She Know" on her CD, Best Country Songs....just amazing.