With an ACM Top New Female Vocalist win and nearly 20 Canadian Country Music Awards, the chart-topping Carolyn Dawn Johnson chats about everything from her songwriting successes to her artist career to her co-writing with Chris Stapleton. PART ONE Paul and Scott dive deep on their opinions about the recently-announced Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction class of 2024. PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Carolyn Dawn Johnson. ABOUT CAROLYN DAWN JOHNSON Canadian-born singer, songwriter, producer, and musician Carolyn Dawn Johnson moved to Nashville in the mid-1990s and started getting ..read more

Folkie Americana indie hero Drew Holcomb joins us to chat about the songwriting process and which of his songs he's not a fan of!  PART ONE Scott and Paul debrief the experience of recently seeing the 74-year-old Bruce Springsteen perform with the energy of a teenager PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Drew Holcomb ABOUT DREW HOLCOMB Memphis native Drew Holcomb first broke through on the national scene with the 2011 album Chasing Someday, credited to his band Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors. Subsequent studio albums, such as Good Light, Medicine, Souvenir, and Dragons hit the Top ..read more

Grammy winners and astonishingly fabulous musicians Chris Thile, Sean Watkins, and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek join us to chat about their fresh approach to songwriting on their most recent album, Celebrants.  PART ONE Paul and Scott chat about musical virtuosity, Beyonce, Ricky Skaggs, and the blending of musical genres.  PART TWO Our in-depth conversation with Nickel Creek ABOUT NICKEL CREEK GRAMMY Award-winning trio Nickel Creek—mandolinist Chris Thile, violinist Sara Watkins, and guitarist Sean Watkins—formed a group as young children in Southern California and honed their c ..read more

Ninety-eight-year-old Songwriters Hall of Famer Alan Bergman chats with us about a wide-ranging career that started with Johnny Mercer and continues to today.  PART ONE Paul and Scott talk about the Abba Voyage virtual concert and scare themselves with the possibilities of digital technology.  PART TWO Our in-depth interview with Alan Bergman ABOUT ALAN BERGMAN Alan Bergman and his late wife Marilyn joined forces professionally in the 1950s to create one of the most successful songwriting teams of all time. Though both musicians, the pair are best known as lyricists, and they foun ..read more

SUMMARY: Norah Jones joins us to chat about her new album Visions and the evolution of her songwriting since she took the world by storm in 2002. Afterward, stick around for a very special conversation with Tish Melton. The 18-year-old songwriter discusses her new Brandi-Carlile produced EP and more.  PART ONE: Paul and Scott reflect on Norah Jones's unique place in the musical world, the central role of patience in the delivery of a great song, the Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs Grammy performance, Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, and the beauty of cross-generational musical collaboration ..read more

Blackberry Smoke frontman and primary songwriter Charlie Starr goes deep on his music's Southern roots and wide-ranging appeal. PART ONE Paul and Scott talk Pearl Jam's no single, how travel defines fanhood, and why Blackberry Smoke are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to playing live.  PART TWO Our in-depth interview with Charlie Starr ABOUT CHARLIE STARR Charlie Starr is a guitarist, vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the Atlanta-based Blackberry Smoke. Building a dedicated fanbase over the past two decades, Blackberry Smoke has perfected a gritty Southern brand of root ..read more

90-year-old blues legend Bobby Rush joins us for a wide-ranging and revealing conversation about songwriting, music, life, and so much more! PART ONE: Scott and Paul chat about Scott's experiences at the Grammy awards, including running into Ted Danson, Jason Isbell, Verdine White, and others. Plus seeing the Killer Mike drama go down and getting soaked in the biggest storm in recent Los Angeles memory!  PART TWO: Our in-person an in-depth conversation with living legend Bobby Rush ABOUT BOBBY RUSH:  One of the last of the golden era blues artists, 90-year-old Bobby Rush has been ..read more

SUMMARY: Audley Freed founded the band Cry of Love before going on to become a well-known guitarist for the Black Crowes, the Dixie Chicks, Sheryl Crow, and many others. He sits down with Songcraft at his Nashville home to go deep on his own fandom, the kind of musician he tries to be, and how his riffs have kickstarted some great songs.  PART ONE: Paul and Scott geek out over the new Black Crowes single and review that band's role in their friendship, give some background on this historically unique Songcraft episode, and much more. PART TWO: Our in-depth conversation with Audley Freed ..read more

SUMMARY: Songwriters Hall of Famer JD Souther joins Scott and Paul for an in-depth interview to kick off the New Year!  PART ONE: Paul and Scott welcome two very special guests (ages 8 and 5) to help set the tone for the new year. Plus they reveal the clever message a listener sent in to win the Stax Christmas LP from the last episode.  PART TWO: Our in-depth conversation with JD Souther ABOUT JD SOUTHER: JD Souther is perhaps best known for writing or co-writing ten songs recorded by the Eagles, including “Victim of Love,” “The Sad Café,” “How Long,” and the #1 hits “Best of My L ..read more

SUMMARY In this very special holiday episode of Songcraft, we're taking it back to Christmas at Stax, featuring conversations with some of the luminaries of the storied Memphis label that dominated Southern soul music in the 1960s and 70s. You'll hear from Deanie Parker, William Bell, and Carla Thomas as we celebrate the season and close the book on another year at Songcraft.  PART ONE Paul and Scott reflect on 2023, talk Grammy nominations, and tease upcoming episodes for 2024. PART TWO Interview segments with Deanie Parker, William Bell, and Carla Thomas about their original holid ..read more