We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2017 conversation with Vince Gill.

ABOUT VINCE GILL
Multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Vince Gill launched his solo career in the mid-1980s, hitting the Top 10 on Billboard’s country singles chart a remarkable 25 times. All but one of those hits was written or co-written by Gill, and a dozen of his compositions have been nominated for either CMA Song of the Year, ACM Song of the Year, or the Best Country Song Grammy. These include “When I Call Your Name,” “Look At Us,” “Pocket Full of Gold,” “When Love Finds You,” “High Lonesome Sound,” “If You Have Forever in Mind,” “Feels Like Love,” and “Threaten Me With Heaven.” “Go Rest High on That Mountain” won both the CMA Song of the Year and the Best Country Song Grammy, while “I Still Believe in You” won the Best Country Song Grammy, as well as both the CMA and the ACM’s Song of the Year awards. Though he’s won four in total, Vince is the only songwriter to ever win three consecutive Song of the Year awards from the CMA. He has won more Grammy awards, with over 20 trophies, than any male country performer in history. These include two Best Country Song wins, as well as a 2017 win for Best American Roots Song for “Kid Sister,” which was recorded by Gill’s band, The Time Jumpers. He has won eight ACM awards and 18 CMA awards, including Vocalist of the Year five years in a row and Entertainer of the Year two years in a row. Other highlights from his long list of hit singles include the #1 hits “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away,” “One More Last Chance,” and “Tryin’ to Get Over You.” In addition to writing his own material, Vince’s songs have been recorded by Loretta Lynn, Bob Seger, John Denver, Mary Chapin Carpenter, John Prine, Willie Nelson, Michael McDonald, LeAnn Rimes, and Alabama, who topped the country charts with his “Here We Are.” Vince was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005, and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2014, he was named a BMI Icon, one of only twelve country writers ever honored with the prestigious award.

The All-American Rejects frontman discusses the evolution of his songwriting process and what it means for him to embrace his art.

PART ONE
Paul and Scott talk about their upcoming music-themed road trip.

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with Tyson Ritter of The All-American Rejects

ABOUT TYSON RITTER
Tyson Ritter is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and primary lyricist of The All-American Rejects. Formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in 1999, the band quickly rose to prominence in the early 2000s with their infectious blend of pop-punk and emo rock. Their self-titled debut album, released in 2002, featured the hit single "Swing, Swing," which propelled them into the mainstream. It was followed by the 2005 album Move Along, which achieved three chart-topping singles - "Dirty Little Secret," "Move Along," and "It Ends Tonight." In 2007 the group earned the ASCAP Vanguard Award. The following year saw the release of the When the World Comes Down album, featuring the smash hit "Gives You Hell” - the band’s most successful single to date, reaching number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The All-American Rejects’ fourth studio album, Kids in the Street, was released in 2012, showcasing a more mature sound while still retaining their signature style. After taking a hiatus, the band returned to the studio in 2024. Their most recent single, "Sandbox," was released earlier this year.

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2019 conversation with Valerie Simpson of Ashford & Simpson.

ABOUT VALERIE SIMPSON

Six-time Grammy nominee Valerie Simpson is best known as one half of the songwriting, production and performing duo of Ashford and Simpson, which she formed with musical partner and eventual husband Nick Ashford after they met at a church in Harlem, New York, in the early 1960s. After early successes with Aretha Franklin’s recording of “Cry Like a Baby” and Ray Charles’ recordings of “Let’s Go Get Stoned” and “I Don’t Need No Doctor,” Nick and Valerie signed with Motown Records, first as songwriters, where their early successes included the hit singles “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Your Precious Love,” recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. They soon began both writing and producing for the duo, with hits such as “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” “You’re All I Need to Get By,” “Good Lovin’ Ain’t Easy to Come By,” and “What You Gave Me.” Additional writing and production credits at Motown came with hits by The Supremes, The Marvelettes, The Miracles, Gladys Knight, and Diana Ross, who found success with “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” “Remember Me,” “Surrender,” and a remake of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” that topped both the pop and R&B charts. In addition to writing #1 hits such as Quincy Jones’s “Stuff Like That” and Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” after their Motown period, Ashford and Simpson began releasing their own recordings as a duo, landing nearly 40 songs on the Billboard R&B singles chart. Their list of Top 10 hits as artists, includes “It Seems to Hang On,” “Found a Cure,” “Love Don’t Make it Right,” “Street Corner,” “Outta the World,” “Count Your Blessings,” “I’ll Be There For You,” and “Solid.” Ashford and Simpson were the recipients of the ASCAP Founder’s Award, which is the highest honor bestowed by the organization. They were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, named among Rolling Stone Magazine’s 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, and provided the inspiration for the establishment of the Soul Train Ashford & Simpson Songwriter’s Award. Following Nick’s untimely death in 2011, Valerie has continued to write, record, and even appear on Broadway in the acclaimed musical Chicago.

Two-time Grammy winner and songwriting superhero Patty Griffin joins us for a wide-ranging discussion about her craft

PART ONE
Reflecting on the lives of recently-departed songwriters Alan Bergman and Ozzy Osbourne, which might be the only time those two were discussed in the same conversation!

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Patty Griffin

ABOUT PATTY GRIFFIN
Patty Griffin is a singer’s singer and a songwriter’s songwriter. With a catalog of finely-crafted selections that includes “Let Him Fly,” “One Big Love,” “Top of the World,” “Rain,” “Long Ride Home,” “Heavenly Day,” “Up to the Mountain,” “Ohio,” and many others, she has carved out a space as one the most respected artists and songwriters of the last 30 years. The seven-time Grammy nominee and two-time winner blends folk, blues, and other roots music traditions into her own unique style. Patty has received the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting, and her songs have been covered by a long list of artists that includes The Chicks, Solomon Burke, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Miranda Lambert, Kelly Clarkson, Bette Midler, Martina McBride, Maura O’Connell, and others. Patty’s eleventh, and most recent, studio album is called Crown of Roses.

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2023 conversation with Robert De Leo of Stone Temple Pilots.

ABOUT ROBERT DE LEO
Robert De Leo is best known for his work in Stone Temple Pilots. Collaborating with lyricist and vocalist Scott Weiland, Robert wrote or co-wrote the music for many of the group’s classic songs, including “Plush,” “Creep,” “Wicked Garden,” “Vaseline,” “Interstate Love Song,” “Big Bang Baby,” “Down,” “Hollywood Bitch,” and “Between the Lines.” Outside of their music in Stone Temple Pilots, Robert and his brother Dean have also written and recorded songs for their band Talk Show, as well as Army of Anyone, which is a collaboration with Filter frontman Richard Patrick. Since the death of Weiland and subsequent lead singer Chester Bennington, the De Leo brothers and drummer Eric Kretz continue to make music as Stone Temple Pilots with current vocalist Jeff Gutt. At the time of our conversation, Robert had released his debut solo album, Lessons Learned, a deeply personal collection of original songs. Featuring a handful of guest singers, it’s a different sound than listeners might expect from De Leo, exploring the vibes of Laurel Canyon, Americana, roots music, and a healthy dose of one of Robert’s musical heroes, Glen Campbell. In this episode you’ll hear a lot of great new music and gain a deeper appreciation for some of the amazing Stone Temple Pilots catalog as Robert grabs his guitar and breaks down some of those classics in mind-blowing depth. This is one of our favorite Songcraft conversations, and you definitely won’t want to miss it.

Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Dave Mason chats about his early days in Traffic, writing the classic "Feelin' Alright?", working with Delaney & Bonnie, and so much more.

PART ONE
Scott and Paul chat about Dave Mason's unique role in the rock & roll pantheon.

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Dave Mason.

ABOUT DAVE MASON
After recording background vocals with The Spencer Davis Group on such hits as "Gimme Some Lovin'" and "I'm a Man," Dave Mason became a founding member of the British rock group Traffic alongside Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Chris Wood. He wrote some of the band’s best-known songs, including “Hole in My Shoe” and “Feelin’ Alright?” which went on to be covered in a memorable version by Joe Cocker. After touring and recording with Delaney & Bonnie (who recorded Dave’s song “Only You Know and I Know”), he joined an early version of Eric Clapton’s Derek & The Dominos. Dave soon left to pursue a solo career, beginning with the Alone Together album. He has released three Gold-certified solo albums and one Platinum album, Let It Flow, which featured the hit “We Just Disagree.” In addition to his solo releases and a duet album with Mama Cass Elliot, Dave has appeared on such legendary recordings as “Street Fighting Man” by the Rolling Stones, “All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix, “Listen to What the Man Said” by Paul McCartney and Wings, as well as George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass album. In the 1990s Dave spent time as a member of Fleetwood Mac, contributing original songs to the band’s Time album in 1995. He has recorded with Michael Jackson, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, Donovan, Phoebe Snow, and many others. Dave was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Traffic and, in 2024, published his memoir, Only You Know and I Know.

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2016 conversation with Mike Stoller.

ABOUT MIKE STOLLER
Mike Stoller has written more than 60 songs that have appeared on the Billboard charts, including the #1 hits “Hound Dog,” “Kansas City,” “Yakety Yak,” “Searchin’,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Poison Ivy,” “Stand By Me,” “Young Blood,” “Don’t,” and “Ruby, Baby." After Stoller and songwriting partner Jerry Leiber found early R&B success with recordings by Little Esther, Charles Brown, Ray Charles, and Big Mama Thornton, Elvis Presley turned their song "Hound Dog" into a #1 single on the pop, R&B, and country charts in 1956. Elvis went on to record more than 20 Leiber and Stoller titles, including the hits "Love Me," "Loving You," "Jailhouse Rock," "Treat Me Nice," "She's Not You," and "Bossa Nova Baby." Mike and Jerry signed an independent production deal with Atlantic Records in the mid-1950s, where they wrote and produced a series of hits for several artists, including the Drifters' "There Goes My Baby," "Dance With Me," and "On Broadway." Additionally, the pair wrote and produced all the Coasters' singles, including "Young Blood," "Searchin'," "Charlie Brown," "Along Came Jones," and "Poison Ivy." Other highlights from the Leiber and Stoller songbook include "Love Potion No. 9," which was a hit for both the Clovers and the Searchers, and "Is That All There Is," which was a hit for Peggy Lee. Eleven different versions of their song “Stand By Me” appeared on the Billboard charts over the span of 50 years, with the original version by Ben E. King hitting the Top 10 in both 1961 and 1986. Smokey Joe's Cafe, which included 40 Leiber and Stoller songs, opened in 1995 and became the longest running musical revue in Broadway history. Stoller received the prestigious ASCAP Founders Award in 1991, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and is a member of both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Norman Greenbaum gave the world "Spirit in the Sky," one of the greatest records ever made. He chats with us about his iconic classic, as well as other musical adventures and misadventures over the last few decades.

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott chat about Instagram, artist accessibility, and what the heck Norman Greenbaum looks like.

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Norman Greenbaum

ABOUT NORMAN GREENBAUM
Norman Greenbaum might be known as a one hit wonder, but that one hit is one of the most wonderous records to ever hit the airwaves. With its infectious groove and unparalleled fuzz tone guitar, “Spirit in the Sky” was recorded in San Francisco in 1969 and quickly climbed to the Top 5 in the US and number 1 in a half dozen countries around the world. It has been certified double platinum for sales of over 2 million, and is among Rolling Stone magazine’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” It has reached #1 in the UK in three different decades by three different artists and has been covered by everyone from Elton John to the Blind Boys of Alabama. After his debut LP, Greenbaum went on to release the albums Back Home Again and Petaluma in 1970 and 1972, respectively. Though he gave up recording in the early 1970s, “Spirit in the Sky” remains one of the most popular songs of all time. With nearly 600 million streams on Spotify alone, it has been featured in films such as Apollo 13, Oceans 11, and Guardians of the Galaxy, and in commercials for American Express, Chase Bank, Nike, and Budweiser. To celebrate the song’s legacy, Craft Recordings has recently released a brand-new Dolby Atmos mix of the single as well as a new vinyl release of the long out-of-print Spirit in the Sky LP, cut from the original tapes.