Stories Behind the Songs Chris Blair

Jenn Schott joins us today on the Listening Room stage for this week's episode of Stories Behind the Songs!

Jenn is a true TLR OG, she's been playing our stage since the Franklin and 2nd Avenue days. 

She’s a seasoned songwriter here in Nashville, and it was so cool to hear more about her journey to where she is now and her many incredible accomplishments - cuts with Tim McGraw and Mickey Guyton, playing the Ryman stage, and a placement on NSAI’s “Top 10 Songs I Wish I’d Written” list, to name a few. She recently got a cut on Rascal Flatts’ most recent album release, How They Remember You, with “Feel It In The Morning.” 

It was awesome to hear how Jenn went from handing out resumes on Music Row to being the VP on the board of NSAI. In this episode, she offers up some excellent advice for aspiring songwriters that was passed down from one of her journalism professors at Mizzou. Here’s the takeaway - don’t wait to make the move to Nashville; follow your gut and do it now. 

If you enjoyed this episode, give us a follow and check out Jenn’s socials to keep up with what she’s got going on.  

We also want to shout-out our sponsors Sennhesier, Imperfect Aesthetician, and Alclair In Ears – if you’re looking for a good set of in-ear monitor make sure to take advantage of 10% off by placing an order at alclair.com/sbtsongs!

Alright, let’s go - here’s Jenn Schott. 

Podcast Show Notes:

Jenn's Instagram - @JennSchott

Jenn's Website - JennSchott.com

And follow us, Stories Behind the Songs, here:

Listen/Subscribe/Follow - HERE  

SBTSongs TikTok - @SBTSongs  

SBTSongs Instagram - @SBTSongs  

SBTSongs YouTube - @SBTSongs  

Chris Blair's Instagram - @ChrisBlairMusic  

Chris Blair's Website - ChrisBlair.com  

The Listening Room's Website - ListeningRoomCafe.com  

TLR's Instagram - @ListeningRoomCafe  

TLR’s TikTok - @ListeningRoomCafe  

#SBTSongs


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sbtsongs/support

Justin Ebach is this week’s guest on Stories Behind the Songs. Justin has done so much so far in his songwriting career – he was named SESAC songwriter of the year TWICE and won the CMA Triple Play Award in 2019. If you’re not sure what that is, a CMA Triple Play Award is given to songwriters who have secured three #1 hits within a 12-month period. This is insanely impressive and not easy to accomplish. We are going to dive into those three number ones and more on this week’s episode!

Justin has so many cuts and a good handful of those made it to number one – a few of his number one hits include “Here Tonight” by Brett Young, “Down to One” by Luke Bryan, “Good Girl” by Dustin Lynch, “Singles You Up” by Jordan Davis, and “When I Pray For You” by Dan and Shay. 

Justin takes us behind the scenes of so many cool stories in this episode and we can’t wait for you to hear them.

Give us a follow to stay up to date when new episodes drop with some of Nashville’s greatest and let us know what you think! If there are any specific stories, artists, or songwriters you’d like to hear – shoot us a DM! We love connecting you with the Stories Behind the Songs.

We also want to give a special shout-out to our sponsors Sennhesier, Imperfect Aesthetician, and Alciar In Ears – if you’re looking for a good set of in-ear monitor make sure to take advantage of our code “SBTSONGS” at checkout for 10% off!  

Alright – let's get into it... This is Justin Ebach!

Podcast Show Notes:

Justin's Instagram - @EbachMusic

And follow us, Stories Behind the Songs, here:

Listen/Subscribe/Follow - HERE  

SBTSongs TikTok - @SBTSongs  

SBTSongs Instagram - @SBTSongs  

SBTSongs YouTube - @SBTSongs  

Chris Blair's Instagram - @ChrisBlairMusic  

Chris Blair's Website - ChrisBlair.com  

The Listening Room's Website - ListeningRoomCafe.com  

TLR's Instagram - @ListeningRoomCafe  

TLR’s TikTok - @ListeningRoomCafe  

#SBTSongs


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sbtsongs/support

This week we’ve got Michael Lotten with us on Stories Behind the Songs. Michael moved to Nashville when he was around 22 from Missouri and started off working in restaurants and playing in cover bands.

He’s going to talk about the song that got him his first publishing deal in town “Alcohol You Later” by Mitchel Tenpenny, writing with Tenpenny before either of them had deals, and the many cuts that followed.

You’ll hear the stories behind “Mommas House” for Dustin Lynch, “Money on Me” and “Last Drive Down Main” for Morgan Wallen, and “Mistake” for Chris Lane. We dig into the meaning behind Mistake and look closer at the lyrics – this one was so cool to take apart and dissect.

Michael also talks about his most recent cut which was just released on March 1. We take a deep dive into this one too looking at some of the lyrics that took this song from the writer’s room to Keith Urban...

Check out Michael Lotten in the liner notes below and give us a follow if you enjoyed this episode and tell your friends! It’s because of your support that we are able to sit down on the Listening Room stage and dive deeper into the stories that make up some of country music’s best songs.

We also want to give a special shout-out to our sponsors Sennhesier, Imperfect Aesthetician, and Alclair In Ears – if you’re looking for a good set of in-ear monitor make sure to take advantage of our code “SBTSONGS” at checkout for 10% off!

Let’s get to it – this is Michael Lotten.

Podcast Show Notes:

Michael's Intagram - @MichaelLotten

And follow us, Stories Behind the Songs, here:

Listen/Subscribe/Follow - HERE  

SBTSongs TikTok - @SBTSongs  

SBTSongs Instagram - @SBTSongs  

SBTSongs YouTube - @SBTSongs  

Chris Blair's Instagram - @ChrisBlairMusic  

Chris Blair's Website - ChrisBlair.com  

The Listening Room's Website - ListeningRoomCafe.com  

TLR's Instagram - @ListeningRoomCafe  

TLR’s TikTok - @ListeningRoomCafe  

#SBTSongs


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sbtsongs/support

We’ve got UK artist Twinnie with us this week on the podcast! Twinnie is from England and made the move to Nashville just last year to pursue a career in country music. She comes from a long background of performing from growing up on stages in musical theatre to acting in movies and backup dancing for iconic artists like Robin Thicke and Pharell Williams.  

Twinnie is going to dive into how she started her career in Nashville, making connections wherever she could – Jamey Johnson being one of those connections – and takes us into the stories behind her songs, The Way I Loved You, her EP Just Like Earle (based off of Goodbye Earle by the Chicks), and her most recent release Take a Break. We talk about the importance of relationships and how they have formed her into who she is today...

Twinnie was also just named 2024 Next Women of Country – she takes us to the moment when she found out about it, how she thought she was being asked to just play a show, but was pleasantly surprised that it would be much more than that... If you’re not sure what it is, CMT’s Next Women of Country highlights a lineup of women who are making great music and accomplishing awesome things in the industry. They highlight women across all of the CMT screens, providing them with several other opportunities throughout the year... Twinnie is more than deserving of this honor – keep an eye out for her!

Apart from touring and writing music, Twinnie has started her own non-profit called “I Know A Woman” designed to connect female artists to opportunities in the industry. It was a joy sitting down with Twinnie and we can’t wait to see what she has coming up next.

Make sure to stream Twinnie wherever you find your music and give us a follow if you enjoyed this episode. We want to know your feedback! If there are any stories, questions, or artists you’d like to see on the podcast, let us know! Shoot us a DM on instagram or tik tok @sbtsongs and we will do our best to incorporate your suggestions!

We also want to give a special shout-out to our sponsors Sennhesier, Imperfect Aesthetician, and Alciar In Ears – if you’re looking for a good set of in-ear monitor make sure to take advantage of our code “SBTSONGS” at checkout for 10% off!   

Let’s get to it – this is Twinnie!



Show Notes:

Twinnie's TikTok - @TwinnieOfficial

Twinnie's Instagram - @TwinnieOfficial

Twinnie's Other Links - Here!



And follow us, Stories Behind the Songs, here:

Listen/Subscribe/Follow - HERE  

SBTSongs TikTok - @SBTSongs  

SBTSongs Instagram - @SBTSongs  

SBTSongs YouTube - @SBTSongs  

Chris Blair's Instagram - @ChrisBlairMusic  

Chris Blair's Website - ChrisBlair.com  

The Listening Room's Website - ListeningRoomCafe.com  

TLR's Instagram - @ListeningRoomCafe  

TLR’s TikTok - @ListeningRoomCafe  

#SBTSongs


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sbtsongs/support

We’ve got Josh Phililips with us on the Listening Room stage for this week’s brand new episode of Stories Behind the Songs.

Josh's journey began listening to the artists that he now has regular cuts with including Jason Aldean and Brantley Gilbert. His career began singing at biker bars in North Carolina until he landed a spot playing local gigs with Luke Combs. What would soon become a collaborative duo, Josh and Luke started taking monthly trips to Nashville where they frequently played at some of Nashville’s bars like Winners and Losers. Josh talks about how outside of Winner's bar Luke said to him, “Man, our angels are working overtime.” Co-written by Josh Phillips, Luke Combs, and Josh Thompson, “Angels Workin’ Overtime” now has over 35 million streams on Spotify. Josh and I talk about this song in our conversation, as well as how this was a pivotal moment in his career.

After flipping an early 20th century farmhouse with his wife, Josh wrote “Dirt Cheap,” and we discuss how this song went from a frustrating indefinite hold to becoming a Cody Johnson (and TLR!) favorite. (If you love “Dirt Cheap,” thank Josh’s wife, Jordan - it was her idea to send the song to Cody in the first place!)

In this episode, Josh and I also go through the exciting process of his first publishing deal at Warner/Chappell Music, co-signed with Brantley Gilbert. We wrap it up with some hard-earned advice from Josh to aspiring writers - keep doing what you’re doing - and to himself - keep playing that guitar.

If you enjoyed this episode, give us a follow and check out Josh’s socials to stay current with what he’s got in the works. We also want to shout-out our sponsors Sennhesier, Imperfect Aesthetician, and Alclair In Ears – if you’re looking for a good set of in-ear monitor make sure to take advantage of our code “SBTSONGS” at checkout for 10% off!

Show Notes:

Josh's Instagram - @imjoshphillips

Josh's Spotify Link - here

And follow us, Stories Behind the Songs, here:

Listen/Subscribe/Follow - HERE   https://linktr.ee/sbtsongs

SBTSongs TikTok - @SBTSongs   https://www.tiktok.com/@sbtsongs

SBTSongs Instagram - @SBTSongs   https://www.instagram.com/sbtsongs/

SBTSongs YouTube - @SBTSongs   https://www.youtube.com/@SBTSongs

Chris Blair's Instagram - @ChrisBlairMusic   https://www.instagram.com/chrisblairmusic/

Chris Blair's Website - ChrisBlair.com   https://www.chrisblair.com/

The Listening Room's Website - ListeningRoomCafe.com   https://www.listeningroomcafe.com/

TLR's Instagram - @ListeningRoomCafe   https://www.instagram.com/listeningroomcafe/

TLR’s TikTok - @ListeningRoomCafe   https://www.tiktok.com/@listeningroomcafe

#SBTSongs


---

Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sbtsongs/support

Hey friends! We are back with another episode of Stories Behind the Songs and this week we sit down with Chris DeStefano! Chris has written songs for so many amazing artists like Luke Bryan, Chase Rice, Dan and Shay, Carrie Underwood, Chris Young, Morgan Evans, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Jake Owen, Thomas Rhett, Jason Mraz – JUST to name a few... I mean the list goes on and on. Chris is not only an incredible writer, but he is an amazing guitar player and has a great voice... If you’ve never seen him live or play at the Listening Room, you are going to hear exactly what I mean later in this episode when he plays a couple of his songs...

Chris came to Nashville from New Jersey back in 2013 and started to hit the ground running with his first write in town turning into a cut for Eli Young Band. Chris has been dedicated to his music since the beginning spending 10 – 12 hours a day learning guitar and traveling with his choir group growing up... Moving to Nashville was a no brainer for him.

We cover topics like the difference between the songwriting community in Nashville and LA, a deep dive into several of his cuts including “Something in the Water” and “Good Girl” for Carrie Underwood, “I Feel Like Dancing” for Jason Mraz, “Rewind” for Rascal Flatts, and his cut for Chris Young - “End of a Bar”.

Chris takes us into the writer’s room with Carrie Underwood and Chris Young – you’re going to feel like you were there with them that day – these are incredible stories.

We also touch on his publishing company “Winsongs” and Chris discusses how he started it and how it has taken off since, with writers like Emily Shackleton, Jason Duke, and Eric Van Houten on the roster – and all of them have found their way on this podcast.

Give Chris a follow in the liner notes below to stay up to date and give us a follow if you enjoyed the episode – we are able to sit down with amazing songwriters and artists thanks to your support!

We also want to give a special shout-out to our sponsors Sennhesier, Imperfect Aesthetician, and Alclair In Ears – if you’re looking for a good set of in-ear monitor make sure to take advantage of our code “SBTSONGS” at checkout for 10% off!

Alright lets get to it – here is my buddy Chris DeStefano!

SHOW NOTES:

Chris' #1 songs include Carrie Underwood ("Good Girl”, “Little Toy Guns”, “Smoke Break”, “Something in the Water”, Super Bowl LII and 2018 Olympic Games Theme Song “The Champion"), Dan + Shay (“From the Ground Up”, “Nothin’ Like You"), Jason Aldean (“Just Gettin’ Started”), Billy Currington (“Hey Girl”), Brett Eldredge (“Don’t Ya”), Luke Bryan (“That’s My Kind of Night”, “Kick the Dust Up"), Miranda Lambert (“Somethin’ Bad” [w-Carrie Underwood]), Chris Young (“Losing Sleep”, "At the End of a Bar" feat. Mitchell Tenpenny), Morgan Evans (“Kiss Somebody”) and Rascal Flatts (“Rewind”), Tyler Rich “Leave Her Wild” (XM The Highway #1) and Chase Rice ("Eyes On You"), “I Feel Like Dancing” (Jason Mraz)

Some of Chris' Awards include 2022 ACM Album of the Year Nominee - Chris Young (Famous Friends) Producer, 3x CMA Triple Play Award winner, 3x Grammy Award Winning - Carrie Underwood - “Something in the Water”, “Somethin’ Bad”(w/Miranda Lambert) and Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” Album, FBI Citizens Academy Graduate 2018, MCEF (Marine Corpse Executive Forum) Graduate 2021, Depart of Defense JCOC (Joint Civilian Orientation Conference) Graduate 2022 and has been an active Emergency Backup Goaltender for the National Hockey League - Nashville Predators!

Follow Chris on Instagram - @ChrisDeStefano

And follow us, Stories Behind the Songs, here:

Listen/Subscribe/Follow - HERE  

SBTSongs TikTok - @SBTSongs  

SBTSongs Instagram - @SBTSongs  

SBTSongs YouTube - @SBTSongs  

Chris Blair's Instagram - @ChrisBlairMusic  

Chris Blair's Website