“Most people think in order to validate yourself as an artist, you have to write your own songs. I commend the guys that do. I've done it. But I also think that you can pick great songs outside that you didn't write that can help your career.” PeopleThinkingWritingDoneHelpingArtistGuySongOrderCareersPicksWrite Your Own Author:Jake Owen
“Some artists will tell you that's all they want to do is write their own music, and that's great, but George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, they didn't write everything they recorded, and they've had major, major careers. I think it's all about the best song.” ThinkingWantWritingArtistSongCareersMajorsBrooksKenny Author:Jake Owen
“It wasn't until I moved to Nashville that I realized what an amazing community it is. It's the thing I've been missing my whole career, the feeling of being able to sit around with a guitar and have people know each other's songs and know songs from people who've influenced all of us. When I moved here pretty early on Vince Gill started calling me to do guitar pulls, and I thought, gosh, this is just like heaven on earth down here.” PeopleKnowsWholeFeelingsAbleEarthSongHeavenCommunityCareersMissingCallingMovedGuitarI RealizedNashvilleHeaven On Earth Author:Sheryl Crow
“When you have a song on the radio your career and your life changes maybe for the better and maybe for the not so good depending on how it's going that day.” SongCareersRadioLife Changing Author:Loudon Wainwright III
“I've never really suffered complete and utter writer's block, really. I equate it with sex: in the beginning of my career, I was writing five songs a week; now, I occasionally write a song. But it's an exciting moment when it happens!” WritingMomentsHappensSongSexCareersFiveWeekExcitingBlockWriter's Block Author:Loudon Wainwright III
“When I was writing songs or performing or producing or dabbling in movies or even putting my career on hold to go to art school, I was just following my muse. A woman who did that then was criticized for having no direction. Today they call it versatility.” WritingArtTodaySchoolSongCareersFollowingPerformingMuseWriting SongsArt SchoolVersatilityDabbling Author:Jackie DeShannon
“So, through all that early professional career I would occasionally do a musical, a pantomime or a play with songs. The next stop would be a Shakespeare, or an Ibsen, or a play by a brand new writer who had never done anything in the theater before.” DonePlayWould BeSongNextCareersTheaterMusicalBrandsBrand NewProfessional CareerPantomimeIbsen Author:Trevor Nunn
“I'd always thought that if I could get sober and stay sober, I would be able to have a career making music. My drug and alcohol addiction was the one thing holding me back. I had finally gotten the tools to stay sober, and it was just a matter of writing the songs.” IfsWritingMatterWould BeAbleSongCareersOne ThingDrugToolsAddictionAlcoholIf I CouldSoberDrugs And AlcoholAlcohol Addiction Author:Macklemore
“I'm better at producing than I am at being a songwriter, but it doesn't change the fact that I still have a desire to play and write songs. I've never wanted to be a career musician. But I still love to play and write. It's a big part of who I am.” WritingStillsPlayFactsBigsWantedDesireSongCareersMusicianWho I AmSongwriters Author:John Congleton
“For music, I always just played music myself - and, I had rock bands and wrote songs and put bands together that were loud, but not especially good. That was sort of the place music had in my career.” TogetherSongCareersRocksBandLoudRock Bands Author:Michael Cerveris
“The highlight of my career? That's easy, Elvis recording one of my songs.” SongEasyCareersHighlights Author:Bob Dylan
“I have always considered myself a fast learner. I try to retain and absorb as much information and knowledge about the [music] business as I can. I don't want to just sit back and have other people do the hard work for me. I try to be involved in every process of my career as possible. I run my own social media, record, and try to vocal produce myself as much as possible, write my own songs, style myself, and learn the business side. If I didn't do acting or music, I was going to school for business. God has put me on this path and I can honestly say I wake up every day doing what I love.” PeopleIfsWantWritingTryingI CanHardRunningSchoolSongSocialProcessSidesMy OwnActingCareersPathRecordsMediaStyleInformationProduceHard WorkInvolvedWake UpSocial MediaHonestlyVocalMusic BusinessLearners Author:Asher Monroe
“There were times in my career when I would try to write songs like Bob Dylan... Artists get hooked up in that. To be a follower, you lose.” WritingTryingArtistSongLosesCareersFollowersBobDylanHooked Author:Del Shannon
“As a member of Guess Who, I think 'No Time' was the best thing we ever did. It was a pivotal song in our career.” ThinkingSongCareersMembersBest ThingsPivotal Author:Burton Cummings
“Baby boomers helped me a great deal in my career. They launched me. They were there for me to sing my song to. And I'm not saying I'm better than anyone, but I think they turned that anti-authority baby boom mentality into their own enemy. Now I identify very closely with their children.” ThinkingChildrenSongDealsEnemyCareersBabyAuthorityMentalityBoomersBaby BoomerBaby Boom Author:George Carlin
“I didn't really do many business ventures throughout my career because I would have an idea and then before I'd have a chance to make something of it, I'd see someone else do it. I just liked to watch my fellow artists become entrepreneurs and be people who can inspire the next generation. I did that more with my songs.” PeopleIdeasArtistSongNextChanceCareersWatchesGenerationsInspireFellowsEntrepreneurVentureNext Generation Author:Nas
“I don't really write journals and stuff and then adapt them to music, it's completely within the form of the song. My great obsession and basically the bane of my existence is caring probably too much about every word, but it's too late to change my career path.” WritingFormSongStuffExistenceCareersPathToo MuchLateCaringObsessionToo LateJournalBaneCareer Path Author:Emily Haines
“When I was writing songs, I always thought I'd make more of a career out of the drawings, the comics even more than the music.” WritingSongCareersDrawingWriting Songs Author:Daniel Johnston
“I've had a very different career than a lot of other musicians. I went through the major labels. I was signed to two major labels and bands. I've toured with Aerosmith, and I've had records on the charts, songs in the movies. If you had checklist of things a person wants to accomplish in music...I've done a lot. And I don't mean that in an egotistical way; I never take it for granted. But you can't think outside the box unless you know what's in the box.” IfsThinkingKnowsWayWantMeanPersonsTwoDifferentDoneSongCareersRecordsBandMajorsMusicianBoxesAccomplishGrantedLabelsEgotisticalOutside The BoxThink Outside The BoxChecklistsAerosmith Author:Michael Angelo Batio
“I've always felt profoundly about what's going on in the world on a daily basis. What I hadn't felt was that I was at a point in my writing career where I could write about these things in songs and do it well.” WorldWritingWellsSongFeltCareersBases Author:PJ Harvey