Keep it to Yourself

I’m a Christian and I write Christian songs. It’s a job that is often considered a ministry – not unlike Christian artists, pastors and other church staff. I know that my art is viewed, by many, as emerging from a narrow dogma rather than from honest, everyday life experiences. Because of that perception, we “professional believers” face an ongoing credibility crisis in regard to our work and its authenticity. I become increasingly aware of this reality every time a “secular” artist releases a song with spiritual overtones that impacts a world I will likely never reach with my overtly Christian message. Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take the Wheel,” Brooks & Dunn’s “Believe” and Rascal Flatts’ “He’s Not the Leaving Kind” readily come to mind. Because the Country fans don’t perceive the artists to be laden with an agenda, they receive these songs of faith as relevant extensions of who the performers are in real life. And they relate those experiences to their own lives.

My family is comprised of good, church-going people. They can probably quote the lyrics to each of the songs listed above - verbatim. I’m impressed. But when they ask me what songs I’ve had recent success with, they stare blankly when I answer. I tell them that I’ve had a couple of songs in the top 20 recently and still – more blank stares. I don’t get upset with them for not staying on top of the Southern Gospel charts, but once again, I realize how marginalized our little corner of the music market really is. My family doesn’t relate to the cheatin’/drinkin’ crowd, but apparently, when given the option of Pop/Rock, Country, or Southern Gospel music, they’ve chosen the genre that they most readily associate with and it ain’t Southern Gospel.

Are they turned off by us constantly “preaching to the choir,” or is our product simply sub-standard? Is Southern Gospel perceived as a novelty or a quaint relic from gentler days gone by? Does the “professional Christian” label handicap us? Are we so heavenly minded that we’re no earthly good? Whatever the reason for its lack of relevance, the reality that so few listen forces me to rethink it all. If we are called to be salt and light in a dark world, how do we best influence that world when we can’t even influence our church world? I have more questions than answers. All I really know is that I’m growing increasingly uncomfortable with the status quo. If I’m going to pour my life into writing songs, I’d like to know that someone is listening and maybe even touched by them. We can either “keep it real” or keep it to ourselves.

Ladder Day Saint

I look at this every day. This small chair and ladder are on a bookcase in my office. I see more than 2 pieces of art. For me, they symbolize life itself. The ladder stands for work – climbing, striving, reaching, and achieving. The chair represents rest – letting go, repose, confidence, and trust. The ladder reminds me of the importance of diligence. The chair reminds me to be patient and to reflect. But beyond those more obvious symbolisms, the chair represents God’s grace and my faith. It reminds me to be still and know that He is God. It says that there is nothing I can do to gain God’s love for me, and nothing I can do to make Him love me any less. So take a load off. The ladder speaks of works and reminds me of the importance of “laboring in the vineyard,” but doing so with the knowledge that my toil will not get me one rung closer to heaven. I have them side-by-side on the shelf. They are both important for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20) and, “…it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose” (Philippians 2:13). I wish I could say I completely grasp the balance of faith and works, but until I do, I’ll work a while and rest a while.

Puff Ditty

I’ve been hearing lots of rumblings in the blogosphere about the lack of quality songwriting in Southern Gospel music. For the most part, I don’t disagree. It’s forced me to look at my own catalog of songs and question their depth. That’s a good thing to do from time to time. I’ve come to a conclusion based on my eating habits. I love a good steak as much as the next guy. I don’t eat them every night – thanks to NutriSystem. But when I do, I savor every bite. Of course I have to have some form of potatoes along side – the humble tuber compliments any meal. And a salad should certainly be a part of the dinner – with more dressing than salad. I can take or leave the bread and a bite or two of dessert with a cup of coffee suits me just fine. Other days I crave chilidogs and onion rings from Sonic – hence the NutriSystem!

So it occurred to me that a steady diet of any one thing gets boring. I wouldn’t appreciate that steak nearly as much if I had it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I sometimes want lighter fare. Something I can just snack on while driving down the road.

I believe that’s the way music is. Some days you sit down and write a song of epic proportion that covers every theological base with a seven-fold “amen” on the end. Anyone who knows me knows I live to do that. Nothing is more satisfying than a huge power ballad that drives another nail in the coffin of doubt. I couldn’t be more pleased with 2 songs I have out there right now – “It’s All About the Blood” (Brian Free & Assurance) that I wrote with Tammy Dunaway, and “Once Upon a Cross” (Mark Trammel Trio) that I wrote with Gina Boe. I would consider those “steak” songs. On the other hand, Jerry Kelso and I wrote the title cut of Triumphant Quartet’s new project, “You Gotta Love It.” I would consider it a “puff pastry.” It’s light and airy and disappears in your mouth about the time you sink your teeth into it. But it’s so much fun and a tad addictive.

I don’t apologize for occasionally writing gospel-lite. My ratio of serious to "lite" leans heavily toward the serious, so I have to consciously make myself lighten up and write a SG ditty ever so often. My publisher begs for fast songs. BEGS….because the artists and producers are begging him. Apparently the fans expect to have fun at a concert – imagine that. I guess they like a tossed salad with their steak too. Anyone who's tried knows it's hard to write a meaty fast song. Seems to be an oxymoron – almost disrespectful of the lyrical content to sling profundities at a skip and a hop. So the best any of us can do with a ditty is get across one salient point and drive it home with a clever hook and bouncy music. Will these songs change the world? Maybe not. Will they make a concert or drive time more enjoyable? Most likely.

Blest Be the Thread That Binds (and rhymes)

Once my family realized that this songwriting thing was, perhaps, a little more than a passing phase, I began getting calls from my younger brother with song ideas (I'm the bobblehead in the middle – he’s the baby). Before I could barely pick up the phone and say, “hello,” Ricky would break into full-throated song (when not in church, he prefers to sing like a mixture of George Jones and Johnny Paycheck) – so you can imagine what I suffered! He rarely had more than a line or 2 and, since he would get most of his ideas while driving his pickup, he had to call me and sing them to me while he still remembered what he had composed.

Ricky is the class clown. Every family has one, or should. He never fails to keep us all entertained at any gathering. But I knew that, for all his bravado, he really wanted to be taken serious for writing a great song. For years I kept hoping and wishing for a THREAD of a workable idea – I really wanted him to be a part of a song, but his offerings were consistently thread-bare. And because we are family he felt no hesitation in telling me I was crazy for passing on his latest/greatest. I let him down easy.

Well, you guessed it…finally he threw out an idea that had a bit of symmetry and sense to it and I paused, thought about it again, and said, “You know Ricky, that just might work.” He was, no doubt, shocked but acted cool about it and told me to work on it and get back to him. Twenty minutes later I had the chorus. I sang it to him over the phone and he loved it. We finally finished it - somewhere between Amory and Smithville, Mississippi - on the back of an envelope - riding in his pickup truck. My company demoed it and it got recorded on its first pitch. The name of the song is, “Three Rugged Crosses” and it’s on The Freemans new project, “Eyes on the Prize.” I’ve not heard the cut yet, but Daryl Freeman tells me it turned out great. Joyce Martin also heard it and loved it. Here’s the chorus:

Three rugged crosses
On one lonely hill
Two men were guilty
But Three men were killed
Three men were buried
And two men are still
Somewhere near those three rugged crosses
On one lonely hill

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to have my brother's first song already recorded. I’m sure Ricky is being fitted for a tux to wear to next year’s Dove Awards as I speak – hope springs eternal.

Check out The Freemans music at their website:
http://www.the-freemans.com/

Beyond The Call...

My family are humble folk. If you read my Mothers Day tribute (“Steel Magnolias”), you know how much I love each of them. And you know that we just lost my aunt and my friend, Barbara Bryant. During her final days she was surrounded by so many family and friends. Their modest home in Okolona, Mississippi was like Grand Central Station – we have a big extended family and we tend to circle the wagons in times of trouble. People brought tons of food daily and the phone rang all the time. It was a bit overwhelming.

One afternoon – about 2 weeks before the struggle ended – the phone rang and my uncle Marvin answered. The voice on the other end said, “Marvin?” He said, “Yes…” The caller said, “This is Reba” – Marvin paused – quickly trying to figure out which of Barbara’s friends this Reba was….then she said, “Reba McEntire.” In his calm, southern gentlemanly way he responded, “well hey Reba, how are you?” She said that she had been following Barbara’s situation (through a mutual friend) and that she just wanted them to know that she was so sorry to hear about all that was going on, and that she was praying for them, and for their sons. Marvin thanked her for taking time out of her busy schedule to call.

What a decent thing for Reba to do. I liked her before. I love her now.

A Thorn Among Roses

I’m a lucky man. Tomorrow I get to write with Gina Vera. She’s a soft-spoken pastor’s wife from Ohio with a huge voice and a wry wit.


She and I wrote “For the Love of Christ” (Chosen Few) “Tell it All” (Mike Bowling) “A Christmas Prayer” (The Hoppers) and one of my favorites songs that she recorded called “You Don’t Even Wanna Make Me Pray.” It’s a song to the devil and the chorus goes like this:

Step back – get behind me
I’m not the least bit afraid of you
I’m a child of God Almighty
And there ain’t nothing He can’t do
When I call on Him
He rushes in
He’s just one word away
I think it’s fair to warn you
You don’t even wanna make me pray

And if that wasn’t enough, later on I’m recording background vocals with Katie Peach of TK & McRae. She has the voice of an angel and a personality to match.



She and her husband Troy, along with J. P. Miller - formerly the group, First Love, recorded 3 of my songs and made them their first singles - "What a Day That Will Be," "That's When I Got Saved," and "Across the River." So I have a special place in my heart for the Peaches.

Some days this doesn’t feel like work.

For Such a Time as This

I was patriotic when patriotic was cool….you remember, back in the glory days of The Moral Majority. I’m still patriotic today.

For six years I criss-crossed this country with The Life Action Singers performing “America, You’re Too Young to Die.” (that’s me – marching on the far right – how appropriate.) It was a splashy musical/multi-media extravaganza with a hard-hitting God-n-country message (hence the title.) It was the beginning of the Reagan era and the Christian right had just risen from its slumber – and much of the credit belonged to Dr. Jerry Falwell.

Prior to that time, we were convinced that politics was dirty and no place for Christians. Falwell taught us that politics was dirty because Christians weren’t involved. The salt needed to come out of the shaker, and Falwell was in the mood to shake things up. I had the pleasure of meeting the man on 2 occasions. I found him to be kind and soft-spoken - known for his practical jokes. Several of my closest friends worked on his staff. They had nothing but good to say about him. So why is that when you mention his name – even in Christian circles – you either duck or pucker?

I have more theories than I have time. He was controversial on many levels. Controversy is not a bad thing. There was a camera in his face for most of his life. If my every word was recorded for the next 20 years, you could probably build a case against me as well. And while we should always tell the TRUTH - we shouldn’t always TELL the truth. Pearls and swine come to mind. Did he ever go too far? Sure. He admitted it. Did the good outweigh the bad? I think so.

I really believe that in 2007 the church has an inferiority complex. We want to be loved by everyone. We don’t want to appear out-of-step with a “progressive,” modern society. Those whose highest virtue is that of tolerance, and those who find most of their heroes in the 90210 zip code must find it difficult to reconcile the words of our Savior. “you will be hated by all nations because of me” (Matthew 24:9).

Of Music & Motives

I produced an album for a group of singing missionaries yesterday. They were some of the most gracious people I’ve ever worked with. Their talents were nominal, but their motives were pure and made up for what they lacked in musicality. Their only ambition was to make the good news known. These words from Scripture came to mind.

“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” (I Corinthians 1:27)
“So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen” (Matthew 20:16)

It seems that God would rather hear a joyful noise than a self-serving symphony. I forget that. Not that we shouldn’t strive for excellence – the gospel is certainly deserving of such - “I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.” (I Corinthians 14:15). But often we get one or the other. My job is to help with the “understanding” – making sure the music doesn’t detract from the message. But the preparation of the heart is a daily discipline that can’t be learned at a singing school.

Those who pursue a platform intrigue me. If we are faithful with the little things God places in our path, He will trust us with bigger things when the time comes. And if a ministry changes lives it needs no advertising. If it doesn’t change lives it isn’t WORTH advertising.

ProTools and AutoTune can make almost anyone sound decent, but ego can’t be fixed in the mix.

Steel Magnolias

With Mothers Day approaching I want to honor the real "steel magnolias" in my life - my mother, my grandmothers and my aunts. So many are now gone. My great grandmother, Lucy Wilson Martin (seated in the center of the black and white photo - surrounded by her sisters) was a fiesty farm wife. Her legend lives on. Her daughter, Pauline (holding my mother) loved her family more than life itself, and we absolutely adored her. She left us just as the new millenium rang in. The recent photo, below, shows my mother on the far right along with my aunts. These are women of rare courage, character and conviction. If I have any compassion - any caring in my heart - I owe it to these ladies. I am so blessed to have them in my life.

A little over 4 weeks ago we said goodbye, for now, to my aunt Barbara (the blond in blue). She fought a brave battle with cancer and suffered more than any of us will ever imagine, but her spirit soared inspite of the the pain. That was, by far, the most difficult thing we've ever endured as a family. She and I shared a birthday. She was the baby of the family and only 13 years older than me. Her example in life, and in death, has changed me. Though shaken, these women of faith held our family, and each other together, in the strong Southern tradition that was passed on to them by a generation I won't let fade from our memory.

As I honor my mother this Mothers Day my heart goes out to my uncle Marvin and my cousins, Lamar and Brad Bryant. I can't imagine facing life without my mother.

This Mothers Day I sing the unsung heroes....those who've knocked on death's door to bring us into this world, and those who've passed through death's door to lead us to the next.

Notoriety & Anonymity

An old friend from South Carolina called yesterday with big news. A lot had changed since we last talked 3 years ago. He said he was in town with one of his band mates, Chris Sligh of American Idol fame. Seems that my friend Don had insisted that Chris try out for A.I. and even drove him from Greenville to Birmingham for the audition. So now that Chris has new-found celebrity they are shopping for deals with all the Christian labels and making the rounds to explore their options. They wanted me to meet them for dinner so I agreed. One of my favorite restaurants, and a safe place for celebrities, is JAlexanders on West End.

I've hung out with a few of the "rich-n-famous" in my day....and for the most part, it's been uneventful. And because I've never really followed American Idol, I guess I underestimated the impact of that one show - but I soon realized that EVERYONE watches it. As soon as we walked in the door a man got up from his table and approached Chris with all sorts of questions. Chris was very polite. We moved to a lounge area while our table was being set up - talked about their meetings of the day - when suddenly a girl sitting a few chairs away just called out Chris' name and proceeded to comment on his singing and how much she loved him, etc., etc. He was gracious and acknowled her remarks. Then we were ushered to our table in the back of the restaurant. It was hilarious! As the 3 of us walked past table after table, people stopped in mid-chew and turned completely sideways - watching us parade past them. Of course, you really can't miss this guy - he's over 6' tall and that trademark hair is even bigger in person.

But all of that aside - we carried on with the usual small talk, laughing, joking and the rest. I tried to give him a "heads-up" on the Christian music industry, along with some "fatherly" advice (at my age they expect it!). I then asked about his songwriting and if he'd ever collaborated. He said he didn't like to collaborate. I asked if he had had a bad experience co-writing. He said he had. I suggested that maybe he should write with someone who was more experienced. He paused, looked thoughtfully away and said, "maybe if it was somebody like a TONY WOOD....I could write with him." I smiled. Then he said, "Now, WHAT is it that you do again...?"

I smiled and said, "you've gotta try the pork tenderloin - it's to die for!"


(check out Chris' band - Half Past Forever)
http://www.myspace.com/halfpastforeveredge

Welcome

Welcome to my blog and my cyber soapbox. As a songwriter I search for the profound hidden within the "everyday," believing that all of life is a metaphor, and that really good stuff lies just beneath the surface.