OD,
You can't sit and wonder "What if's." There are always a million of them. Why didn't I take a few minutes after putting my guitar up, and sit with Bob Doyle and Garth Brooks when they asked about "Can't Blame Nobody?" No, I said "I'm hanging on to the song for myself as an artist." Hindsight? Incredibly stupid. Who did I think I was? I had no big hits. I was just a guy a lot of people seemed to be interested in and the people who were advising me, Ron Muir, told me that is what I should do. I'm "STILL" holding on to the song. 28 years later.
BUT....
At the time, Garth was just another one of thousands of singers in town. Working a boot place. Having come here two years before, hitting the wall, and turning around and going home after one day. Bob Doyle, his manager, was just another guy who quit his job at ASCAP, took out a second mortgage on his home to manage Garth. Many people had done just that same thing. And their singers, their songs, their publishing companies, their production companies, their advertising agencies, etc. all failed. You still see them around town. Working at car washes, managing resturants, driving for UBER.
At the time, Garth was just another one of thousands of singers in town. Working a boot place. Having come here two years before, hitting the wall, and turning around and going home after one day. Bob Doyle, his manager, was just another guy who quit his job at ASCAP, took out a second mortgage on his home to manage Garth. Many people had done just that same thing. And their singers, their songs, their publishing companies, their production companies, their advertising agencies, etc. all failed. You still see them around town. Working at car washes, managing resturants, driving for UBER.
Everyone has THE NEXT BIG THING.
So I can't begin to tell you WHY things haven't turned out differently for me. It is just part of the way it is. The thing for me, is that I come here and talk to all of you, get to begin each day fresh, looking at Nashville through outside eyes. A pretty cool thing to do. And I can actually HELP people.
Today I'll be meeting with a Momanger, and her two clients. Her son, who is 17 and a singing partner female who is 16, who are in town touring Belmont college, where my daughter graduated. They are part of Matt Casey's NETN group, and came into town to check it all out. I actually vouched for them yesterday and got them on Sam's Jams. I was not able to stick around to see them, had some other stuff I had to do, but I'll meet them today.
And the story will be about the same. They are 16 and 17. They have played all over their area and are the big kids on campus at their school. They have "almost passed auditions" on all the talent shows. They have done their own CD and have YOU TUBE videos up and running. They have hundreds or thousands of "likes" and people are ALWAYS telling them (and her) that they are "ABSOLUTELY ON THEIR WAY BECAUSE THEIR STUFF IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THAT ON THE RADIO!!!!"
Yeah. I know.
This is why I focus on the INSIDE of the artist. The writer. I try to get them to look at their lives, and build their songs around reality. To find the best that inside them, and to HELP other people along the way. To worry about POSITIVELY AFFECTING THE OVERALL COMMUNITY of artists, writers, songs, etc. THAT IS WHAT IS IMPORTANT. How they act, behave, and conduct themselves AWAY from just writing songs. That is what is important.
You never know what steps you should have or COULD have made that would have changed it all. You just take it as it comes, get as much information as you can,, and make the best decisions you can.
About all you can do.
MAB
PS: But at least it has some of you talking again That is a good thing.
PS: But at least it has some of you talking again That is a good thing.
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