Music City Myth A Songwriter's Survival Guide

By E. Don Harpe

Music City Myth is an insider's look at the choices, rewards, and the possible perils that await would be songwriters and entertainers who decide to come to Nashville with the hope of making it in the glamorous but often gritty world of country music. Songs sharks do indeed swim in Nashville's murky waters, and this book just might be the one thing that keeps you from becoming fish food.

• Language: English
• Publisher: E. Don Harpe
• Release date: Feb 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781465808295

E. Don Harpe

Award winning author E. DON HARPE has had a varied career, from military service in the 60’s to years spent as a published songwriter in Nashville. During this time he won the coveted Silver Pen Award from the Nashville Banner newspaper. Since retiring from public work in 2004, Harpe has concentrated on writing novels, and continuing to move forward with his writing. He also has nearly 40 short stories available which can be found on Smashwords as well as other sites that feature ebooks. His book of memoirs, THE LAST OF THE SOUTH TOWN RINKY DINKS, published in September of 2008, was an instant success with friends and readers alike. The stories are touching, down to earth tales of small town America, and will bring tears and laughter to all who can remember when the world was a kinder, simpler place. It’s one of those books that you won’t be able to put down, and one that you will re-read many times over the years. Now living in Georgia, Harpe devotes his time to Helen, his wife of nearly 50 years, to his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, and to his writing. “I’m pretty satisfied in my own skin right now,” Harpe says, “and I just want to continue to write things that will entertain and hold the readers interest.”

Book preview

MUSIC CITY MYTH

A Songwriter’s Survival Guide

By

E. Don Harpe

SMASHWORDS EDITION

* * * * *

Published by E. Don Harpe on Smashwords

Copyright © 2012 by Ernest D. Harp

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work. This is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any person, either living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Discover more of the works of E. Don Harpe by visiting

http://www.donharpe.com/

All rights reserved. This work is not intended in any way to try and entice would be songwriters and/or entertainers to come to Nashville or to try to become a professional in the music industry. It simply offers the author’s opinion of what the world of professional country music may be like, and does not guarantee any person that they will save any money or that they will find any success in the music business. It further does not solicit any funds in any amount for any services relating in any way to said music business.

First printing November 2011

Flint River Press - Ellijay, GA 35040

THE CALL

He knew that he’d been gifted with the music

Deep down inside his heart he felt the Call

He’d sacrifice his soul for a record made of gold

Nothing else meant anything at all.

He paid his dues in the honky tonks and taverns

He polished up his act in one night stands

He was waiting for a sign to tell him it was time

Then one night he had a visit from the man.

In a vision Luke the Drifter stood before him

And he said take up your case and follow me

Don't believe the things they say, about the Lost Highway

It's the road that leads to all your wildest dreams.

So he came to town to worship at the alter

Of the mother church of country music dreams

His daily bread he broke on the streets of music row

And he prayed his nightly prayers on guitar strings

But the Nashville streets were slick and wet from teardrops

Broken dreams were lying all around

There were empty plastic sacks and rusted Cadillac’s

Pawn shop guitars scattered on the ground.

That black asphalt was treacherous and evil

And he didn't even see the warning signs

In Silver Eagle style, he rode the fast lane for awhile

Till he couldn't hold his life between the lines

He looked around in utter desperation

And all at once somehow he saw the light

He wanted back his soul, he'd trade back all the gold,

For one more chance to try to do it right.

Then fate stepped in and rolled another seven

And gave him one more chance to have it all

So he started out again, the same place he began.

Just another country boy who felt The Call.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to those who were there in the middle of the craziness when the Climbing Country syndicated radio show was being produced every week at the studio in Hendersonville, TN.

It is for Helen Harp, my wife and confidant since 1965, who was the driving force that made sure the show got produced every week, and for CC McCartney, without whose magic radio voice the show would not have been possible. It's for Sharon Scott, who never wavered in her belief that this was the best show on the air. And it's for Lisa Walikangas who always went beyond the call of duty to see that everything worked the way it was supposed to.

It's for Jim Vaughn and Joe Cook, for Joy Ford, Jean Lackey, and Billy Myers, who gave us all of their support, regardless of how strange some of the things we wanted to do sounded. It's for the Tennessee Fat Cats whose music was inspired. And it's for all of the country music stars that gave so much of themselves in the interviews and the live shows.

And it's dedicated to the memory of Buddy Killen, who was behind us 110%, from the start to the finish.

# # # #

FORWARD

Let me tell you up front exactly what this book isn’t.

It isn’t about how to get your songs published in Nashville, although there are a few ideas on that.

It isn’t about how to sign a writers contract or find an agent or put together a publicity package, although there’s a little about all of those in the book also.

It isn’t a sweet little concoction designed to make you think the music business in Nashville will welcome you with open arms simply because you believe you have some good songs.

It isn’t a solicitation for money for any reason. I don’t want to set your songs or poems to music, I don’t want to record a demo tape for you, I don’t want to co-write or publish your songs, I don’t offer a critique service, I’m not putting together a compilation CD, and I don’t want you to send me any money for anything. Once you pay for your copy of this book I have all I expect to receive from you.

Let me also tell you that if all you want from a book about the music business in Nashville is advice on how you can come to town and become an overnight success, then this isn’t the book for you.

On the other hand, if you’ve ever thought about being a writer or an entertainer in country music, particularly in Nashville, and you want to avoid some of the pitfalls you’ve heard so much about, then read on, and let the pieces fall where they may.

PART ONE

– 1 –

Welcome to a world of country music few people know. A world where golden dreams seldom come true, and neon nightmares wake you up almost every night.

It’s a glittering world of singers and songwriters, publishers and promoters, and every person in the business is constantly working on a deal. The deals are always different, but remarkably the same. Great, grand schemes that are sure to make anyone who invests in them rich, or famous, or both.

It’s a world filled with things to do and things to avoid, and sometimes they’re interchangeable. It’s hard to tell who can help you and who can’t, and sometimes that also changes. There are times when the folks who can help you today can’t help you tomorrow, and vice versa. And there are entirely too many people who get help and then promptly forget about it once their own deal goes through.

It’s an unforgiving world where a mistake is easy to make and hard to live down, and where too many times a friend is only a friend as long as it doesn’t interfere with his own deal.

It’s a world with as many faces as there are deals. Faces that are smiling and happy today, crying and heartbroken tomorrow. It’s a world that’s so easy to move around in that you’re amazed when you find yourself stuck. And it’s for sure that getting stuck will eventually happen.

It’s a world that a lot of people think they know all about, but in reality very few know anything at all about it. The people who are working the song deals don’t want anyone to find out how their deals work, and the people who are lining up to sign the deals don’t want to know anything about them. There are lies inside of lies inside of lies being told everyday in order to keep things the way they are.

That’s where this book comes in.

What you are holding just may be the closest reading material you will ever find about what really goes on in Music City, and only after reading the entire book should you decide whether or not you want to take a chance in the Nashville country music scene.

It’s obvious that coming to Nashville is something you’ve considered, at least in passing. The fact that you bought this book is proof of that.

Well, this book isn’t meant to bring you to Nashville, but it certainly isn’t meant to keep you away. It only gives you another side of the story, and then offers some advice on how to best avoid the costly mistakes so often associated with those