Songwriter Practice and Tactics in Nashville, Tennessee
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Commerce, Culture and Creativity: Songwriter Practice and Tactics in Nashville, Tennessee by Christopher Edward Wilson A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Music University of Toronto © Copyright by Christopher Edward Wilson (2015) Abstract The aim of this dissertation is to contribute to the understanding of individuals involved in songwriting within genre specific commercial cultures. I focus on the members of the songwriting community in Nashville, Tennessee, who are charged with writing original songs that audiences can authenticate. Country music has always been made according to commercial parameters, yet it is often adhered to as the longstanding vernacular expression of a distinct people (however loosely defined this collective might be). It is thus how songwriters both perpetuate and bring innovation to a longstanding commercial culture that I explore here. This study is the culmination of research done in Nashville between 2010 and 2012, conducting interviews and attending concerts, workshops, classes, and social events involving songwriters. It presents a perspective not represented in any scholarship to date: of Nashville and Music Row as experienced by the members of its songwriting community. I outline a context and theoretical framework through which my informants and their ilk, and the meaning and significance of their work, can be most relevantly understood. I contend that songwriters in Nashville work within the commercial and cultural parameters endemic to the physical and social environment they share; yet they collectively create temporary social spaces within which to write songs that listeners can then make meaningful for themselves through the act of consumption. Nashville songwriters’ working processes complicate – and ultimately become an argument for the eradication of – long-held binaristic views that narrowly position popular songs as either sincere and authentic art objects or mass mediated commodities intended to manipulate listeners. Commercial, cultural and creative factors intertwine and interrelate to embody the complex milieu and form the unique figure that is the focus of this study: that of the Nashville songwriter. ii Acknowledgments My parents Ron and Deahn have made this dissertation possible by their emotional and financial support, and even more so by instilling in me a sense of confidence that exceeds my actual abilities, the kind that allows for the idea of writing a PhD dissertation to seem doable. I must thank my friend and fellow songwriter Fred Gaysek for accompanying me on several of my trips to Nashville, and for the many times he made me feel excited about my study as he followed it on its journey. Many thanks to Dave Taylor, Brenna MacCrimmon and my brother Jeff for reading portions of my writing in earlier stages, and making insightful and usable comments. And to my wife Cath there are no words that could express how grateful I am for her love and encouragement. The well of patience she managed to find got us through these last few years, and I relied on her countless times as she listened to my anxieties and talked me down off various emotional ledges. I have had the extreme good fortune of having excellent co-advisors for this study. My thanks goes to Dr. Ken McLeod, particularly for his diligent and thorough vetting of my writing and for his advice that was always supportive, blunt and wise; and also to Dr. Joshua Pilzer, especially for instilling in me the excitement of big ideas and of pushing beyond what I had felt previously attainable. I want to mention Dr. Jeff Packman for his unfailing willingness to give input when asked: I always walked away from these meetings buoyed by what he had shared with me. Dr. Robin Elliot provided me with many insightful points of consideration that changed the direction of my writing. And finally to Drs. Jim Kippen and Annette Sanger, thank you for your mentorship as well as friendship. I am the fortunate beneficiary of your wisdom and insight. My informants, too many to mention individually, so willingly shared an hour or two and some of their life perspective with me. It was humbling to see this happen over and over again, iii and to think that such generosity with little expectation of reciprocation is possible. My study is specifically indebted to Bridget Ottoh, who continually asked if I needed any contacts or input, and provided me with an abundance of both. Dan Heller was an important early contact that opened up so many doors for me to walk through. Pete Finney has been a great source of ideas and a good conversation partner, and our mutual friend Michael Grey at the Country Music Hall of Fame provided resources and shared his carefully considered perspectives on the many issues I inquired about. Victoria Banks sat for two lengthy interviews, corresponded with me on several occasions, and gave input on portions of this dissertation that pertain most directly to her. Her insightful reflections were invaluable in helping me understand many aspects of songwriters’ work. My musician friends Kent Agee, Richard Bennett, Gwen Holt, Phil Lee, Tom Mason, Tebey Ottoh, Gordie Sampson, and Brad and Marylynne Stella granted me the sense of having my own Nashville community, for which I am incredibly grateful and without which my research would have been a much more drab experience. A special mention has to be reserved for songwriter John Scott Sherrill and his wife Rayna, who graciously took me into their home and who made me feel like my work was of significance to and for the songwriting community in Nashville. John Scott is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met, and it is to him that I would most like this writing to bring some enjoyment or benefit. iv Table of Contents Abstract...........................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgments.........................................................................................................iii Table of Contents...........................................................................................................v Chapter 1: Nashville Songwriters Work and Cultural Capital...................................1 Introduction: “Nash-Delphi” and Songwriters as Oracles .........................................1 Purpose, Goals and Methodology ..............................................................................18 Aspects of Nashville Songwriters’ Work ...................................................................22 Songwriter Capital....................................................................................................................................... 23 Balancing Commerce, Culture and Creativity ............................................................................................ 28 The Aura of the Nashville Songwriter ........................................................................................................ 32 Hard-core/ Soft-shell................................................................................................................................... 34 Chapter Overview.........................................................................................................37 Chapter 2: A Historiography of Nashville Songwriters: Three Metaprocesses That Shaped Country Music and Brought it to Nashville..................................................41 Introduction: The Pivotal Moment ..............................................................................41 Three Metaprocesses Behind Country Music Songwriting .....................................50 1. Nineteenth-century southeastern music .................................................................................................. 50 Performance venues and scenarios ........................................................................................................ 52 Traveling theatrical troupes ................................................................................................................... 53 Blackface Minstrelsy............................................................................................................................... 54 Musical Instruments................................................................................................................................ 57 2. U.S. Popular Music Songwriter Tradition............................................................................................... 59 Stephen Foster and the early era of U.S. popular song.......................................................................... 60 Tin Pan Alley and the Golden Era of U.S. Popular Song....................................................................... 64 3. Technological Innovations ...................................................................................................................... 68 Recording Industry.................................................................................................................................. 69 Field trips, Early Hillbilly Recordings and the Creation of a Genre ..................................................... 71 How Did Hillbilly Songs become Nashville Country Songs?...................................75 Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers............................................................................................................. 76 Role of Radio .............................................................................................................................................