Stories Behind the Songs
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© 2025 Stories Behind the Songs
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Welcome to Stories Behind the Songs. This is a weekly podcast hosted by Chris Blair in Nashville, TN. After over 20 years in Nashville and owner of the famous music venue The Listening Room, CB has become friends with some of the biggest names in music, the writers behind the hits and amazing industry leaders. In this podcast, he sits down with those friends and shares their stories. You’ll hear about the songs you know from radio, you’ll hear from brand new artists and much more. Whether you have dreams of being in the music industry or just love great music, this podcast is for you!
23 Episodes
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Time to close the books on a huge year and open the door to an even bigger one. We step back to celebrate what your support made possible at the Listening Room—862 shows, 150,000 guests, and a stack of songs that went from our stage to number one—while setting the stage for what’s next in 2026. We share why the Listening Room remains a passion project at its core and how community keeps pushing the music forward. Then we unveil plans for our 20th anniversary at the historic Ryman Auditorium ...
A farm town kid with a tiny amp, a bandana from Stagecoach, and a promise to take one more swing at the dream—Tyler Rich sits down with us to unpack the road from Northern California to Nashville and what it costs to make something that truly feels like you. We trace the early wins and wipeouts: a record deal at nineteen, years of touring with homework due on a bus, an economics degree finished at warp speed, and the moment he turned down a safe, salaried future to chase a riskier one that wo...
A last-minute writing invite, a young artist with star power, and a chorus that had to carry the whole story—Ava Sapelsa walks us through how a room with Jamie Kenny, Trent Dabbs, and Max McNown turned into a multi-format hit climbing hot AC, pop, and country radio while living on the Billboard charts for months. We trace the journey from poetic verses to a clear “brown eyes” hook, why the melody stretches across male and female ranges, and how a strong chorus can translate from TikTok buzz t...
A riff can change a room. That’s the spark Jerry Flowers chases as he walks us through the real stories behind hits for Sam Hunt, Ryan Hurd and Maren Morris, Old Dominion, Morgan Wallen, Keith Urban, and more—plus the hard turns only a long road can deliver. From the first glint of House Party’s pre-chorus to the soul-steeped simplicity of Chasing After You, Jerry shows how tempo, tone, and lived experience shape songs that last. We dig into the writing retreat that birthed Kinfolks, the lat...
A hummingbird at a window. Santa Ana winds rattling the night. A promise to Vince Gill that forced the album to finally exist. Our conversation with Annie Bosco traces the real road behind California Cowgirl, a 19-song debut forged from writer’s rooms, wildfire skies, and the stubborn belief that the right song shows up when you keep showing up. We talk about the Malibu retreat that sparked a creative streak—Tequila Time, Country Girls Who Runs The World, Bright And Blue Sky, Maliblue—writte...
A porch write that wouldn’t quit, a chorus saved by one repeated word, and a ballad that made Madison Square Garden feel like home—this conversation with Grammy-nominated songwriter Jeff Cohen is a rare look at how hits actually happen. We go deep into the moments that shaped Postcard From Paris, Crazy For This Girl, Holy Water, and In Her Eyes, and trace how small creative choices turn into big career turns. Jeff opens up about starting from the bottom at BMI, spotting talent early, and bet...
A modulation mistake that worked. A morning DJ who spun a ballad eight times in a row. A first-time co-write that became a TV theme and then went viral years later. Philip White joins us to share how a handful of honest songs leapt from small rooms to massive stages—and why some lines land like they were meant for the moment you hear them. We start with the whirlwind behind Rascal Flatts’ I’m Movin’ On, written in about fifteen minutes as grief turned into melody. You’ll hear how a simple wo...
Warning: that AI demo might be quietly licensing your lyric and melody to the world. We sat down with songwriter and producer Justin Morgan to pull back the curtain on how AI music tools like Suno really work, why their terms matter, and when using them can put you at odds with your co-writers and publishers. It’s a candid, practical guide to creating faster without giving away the store. Justin walks us through his path from Texas punk vans to Nashville, the pivot into sync licensing, and t...
A fictional town can set a songwriter free. That’s the spark behind Jennyville, the creative sandbox where Jenny Tolman learned to ignore the lanes, chase characters, and write past the limits of “radio safe.” From that sandbox came a career shaped by range: the gut-punch of a military tribute that found its moment and the dance-floor joy of a Texas two-step anthem. We go deep on Lonely In The Lone Star, co-written with Bill White and Dave Brainerd. What started as a cowboy title became a pi...
What if your songwriting school was a sold-out room and your tuition was a bar shift? We sit down with Luke Stevens to trace a path from Oklahoma fields to Nashville stages, where classic 70s storytellers like James Taylor and Jackson Browne shaped a pen built for honest lines and clean hooks. Luke shares the spark behind Second Thoughts First, a title he caught in the wild and turned into a chorus about overthinking until the right person makes life simple. Then the script flips with Since Y...
Some songs take the long way home. Jeff Middleton joins us to map that winding route—Jersey kid to Nashville lifer—through a Warner deal with The Dirt Drifters, a thousand-dollar RV that literally went up in flames, and the four-year journey of Drowns The Whiskey from a bus write to a multi-week No. 1 with Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert. It’s a story of grit, timing, and how a better demo can change fate. We dig into the changing economics of songwriting—how streaming thinned the middle cl...
What if the song that changes your life starts with a brief, a laugh, and a note you weren’t sure you could sing? We sit down with songwriter Abram Dean and trace the unlikely trail from church costumes and a middle-school talent win to LA’s genre-blend grind, a Warner publishing deal, and a move to Nashville that felt less like strategy and more like calling. We unpack the room where “Gonna Love You” took shape for Parmalee—a “power ballad” request that turned into a simple, soaring promise...
A guitar from his uncle’s country band, open mics before he could legally walk into the bar, and a stubborn ear that learned by listening—Roman Alexander’s road to Nashville wasn’t polished, it was practiced. We sit down to unpack the exact moves that turned a Missouri kid into a touring artist and a credible songwriter: washing cars at an Audi dealership to meet gatekeepers, selling merch on a midnight bus to learn tour life, and sending a bold “manager” email that led to a hard no—then a fu...
Some losses leave us searching for words where there are none. The sudden passing of Brett James Cornelius, along with his wife and her daughter, in a plane crash on September 18, 2025, has left Nashville's music community reeling in grief. This special episode stands as a raw, heartfelt tribute to a songwriter whose pen crafted some of country music's most enduring hits, and whose heart crafted friendships that defined the Nashville community. Brett James wasn't just a Grammy-winning songwr...
Grammy-winning artist Colbie Caillat sits down for an intimate conversation about the winding road from MySpace sensation to seasoned songwriter. With her trademark warmth and authenticity, she reveals how music was always coursing through her veins—singing at the top of her lungs every morning as a child and eventually being guided toward songwriting by her father's wisdom that it would "be more meaningful." The conversation takes us through the unexpected explosion of "Bubbly" that catapul...
The first time Abbie Callahan heard Dolly Parton perform live, something clicked. At just 14 years old, watching from the audience with her mother and grandmother, Abbie experienced what she describes as an epiphany: "I saw that and I was like, 'oh, that's what I want to do.'" That moment set her on a path from Iowa City to Nashville, where she's now carving out a distinctive space with what she calls "Kaleidoscope Country." Abbie's debut EP "Grossly Aware" showcases her remarkable ability t...
What does it take to go from waiting tables to writing chart-topping hits for country music's biggest stars? In this compelling conversation, songwriter Blake Pendergrass opens up about his remarkable year since his last appearance on the podcast – a year that's seen him secure 15 cuts on Morgan Wallen's latest album (including his first #1 hit), pen songs for Jelly Roll, Tucker Wetmore, and Post Malone, and have eight singles charting simultaneously on country radio. Behind these impressive...
From the rolling hills of Scotland to the hallowed circle of the Grand Ole Opry, Callum Kerr's musical journey defies conventional paths. Our conversation reveals the beautiful synchronicity of events that led this actor-turned-country artist to find his true calling. Callum shares how his musical awakening happened at 17 when a Texas sports camp job unexpectedly introduced him to country music. "I was just blown away," he recalls of hearing artists like Dierks Bentley and Zac Brown Band for...
Cole Taylor's journey from small-town Georgia to Nashville success story perfectly captures the dreams that bring so many songwriters to Music City. Within just nine months of arriving in Nashville, Taylor landed a publishing deal that would launch a career filled with chart-topping hits for country music's biggest stars. Growing up immersed in a rich musical tapestry—from Alan Jackson's storytelling to Lynyrd Skynyrd's southern rock—Taylor developed a versatile songwriting approach that mak...
Braden Jamison's voice hits you immediately – authentic, rooted in tradition, yet distinctly his own. The Oklahoma native's path to Nashville wasn't straight, having grown up playing four sports simultaneously before making the pivotal decision to quit basketball his junior year to pursue music. That choice led to an unforgettable opportunity: opening for Toby Keith after just one band rehearsal. After moving to Nashville in 2020 to attend Belmont University, Braden embraced the songwriter's...
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