Garth, Hootie, Blake Shelton: Pensacola Beach Songwriters Fest artists wrote their hits.
There's the old musical question about what makes a tune hit you in the gut ? "Is it the singer or the song?"
For years, I've gone back and forth on this. (I think of music a lot; it's the art form that truly can bring me to tears. Play Yo La Tengo's "Green Arrow" for me when I'm feeling down and I'll prove it.)
But really, it depends, right? Singer or the song?
If it's someone like Van Morrison, Merle Haggard, or (pick your favorite vocalist), they can sing "The Farmer in the Dell" and we're there for it.
And, true story, just minutes ago, my buddy Elvis sent me a link to a new song, "The Great Divide," by my favorite band of the still-new millennium, Wussy. I listened right after I finished the second sentence here. I love the dreamy vocals, but for Wussy, it's always the songs, the sounds, the atmosphere created and the feeling evoked. There will be repeated listens tonight.
You can bet the tunesmiths coming to the Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival, Oct. 1 through Oct. 6, stand on the "song" side. Once they craft their gem, then they can search out the "singer."
The festival will feature 127 songwriters from across the nation, as well as a few international songwriters, performing at 21 venues on Pensacola Beach and in Pensacola.
Earl Bud Lee, who co-wrote Garth Brooks' massive hit "Friends in Low Places" with songwriter partner Dewayne Blackwell, is one of the performers. Remember, "Friends in Low Places" was a massive hit for Brooks, winning both the Academy of Country Music and County Music Association's award for Single of the Year in 1990. Thing is, Lee and Blackwell wrote the song on paper napkins at a party. When the muse calls, follow. Lee has also written for heavyweights such as George Strait, Blake Shelton and many more.
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"The Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival is more than just a music event," said Reneda Cross, festival director. "It's a celebration of creativity and the art of storytelling."
Besides Lee, other headliners for the festival are:
Keith Burns, founding member of the Grammy-nominated group Trick Pony who has written for artists including Joe Diffie and Hootie & the Blowfish
Thompson Square, Grammy-nominated husband-and-wife duo known for the hit "Are You Going to Kiss Me or Not?"
Andy Griggs, country artist and songwriter who has two No. 1 country hits, and five Top 5 hits, including "You Won't Ever Be Lonely"
Jamie O'Neal, singer/songwriter known for country hits such as "There is No Arizona" and "When I Think About Angels"
Yes, many who start out as songwriters later become known as performers as well. (Personally, Billy Joe Shaver has always been a favorite of mine. He wrote a lot of the songs for Waylon that helped solidify his reputation as a country "outlaw," including every song but one of Jennings' 1973 album "Honky Tonk Heroes.")
You can add up-and-comer Jessey Adams to that roster of singer/songwriters. The Michigan artist won the 2024 Pensacola Beach Songwriters Festival's National Songwriting Competition, a call-out to songwriters across the globe. She will perform her Grand Prize-winning song, the dark and simmering "When the Drinker Prays" at the festival's awards ceremony on Oct. 5.
The festival will start with a "kickoff" event at the From the Ground Up Community Garden in downtown Pensacola with an open-mic event on Oct. 1. Other special events include a Blues & Bluegrass Beach Bash, Moonlight & Music, Hilton Garden Party and a WSRE-TV "Studio Amped" series, and many others.
For more details, including a complete schedule, including special events, go to pensacolabeachsongwritersfestival.com.
Oh, and speaking of "Farmer in the Dell," I guess I could have said "The Wheels on the Bus," because my grandson Rumpus loves Jonathan Richman's smoking, rocking version. In this case, it's the singer and the song.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Beach Songwriters Fest 2024
