Interview…with singer/songwriter Kate Morrissey

"I am very dependent on the muse for a lot of my writing," says singer/songwriter Kate Morrissey, adding that she admires people who can set a time to write each day. "My creative flow never has worked that way."

Sometimes she writes a lot and other times her creativity goes elsewhere. In addition, to writing music and performing with her band, Morrissey is a graduate student in social work and a part-time instructor at the University of Georgia. She and her band mates are also recording a CD this summer. She has a lot going on in her life.

When did the urge to write songs hit her?

Morrissey began writing songs without any knowledge of music in the first grade. A few years later, the family took in a friend who was a struggling pianist and singer and Morrissey discovered how musical instruments, the piano in particular, could be used in songs. She soon began to learn to play the piano.

Then in 1995, her twin sister presented her with time in a recording studio for her birthday. She had collected the money from family and friends to pay for it. It took Morrissey three more years to work up the courage to play before an audience at the Z Coffee House in her hometown of Brandon, SD.

"It took me all that time to play at an open mic, then I began playing there weekly," Morrissey adds. She was 17 years old.

The early influences to her songwriting offered songs with angst and anger. She has always used her music to understand herself and her world and to explore issues and emotions that aren't always socially acceptable to express, she explains. Counting Crows wrote songs like that.

"I liked Nine Inch Nails," she continues, "particularly the ballad songs. They felt very real to me, (lots of) angst."

How does she know when a song is good?

"I don't…(that's) the short answer," she says with a slight laugh. Morrissey usually likes all her new songs and tends to prefer the more complex ones that sometimes don't play well with an audience.

"I'm not objective about my songs. There's a part of me that will resonate with a song for a longer time, but a lot of the information I get about whether a song is good has to do with other people."

She finds her ideas almost everywhere. She tends to focus on relationships, not only romantic relationships, but what it means to be human in this world, the dynamics of being a woman, etc. She also takes ideas from her life, sometimes unconsciously.

"A friend pointed out I had three space ship songs now. I didn't realize it but I think I wrote them in grad school." They're all about reaching for potential and exploring beyond the bounds.

Morrissey also has a series of songs featuring water and some songs on cannibalism. She didn't explain those, however.

She has tried numerous times to write for other people or specific occasions, but it never worked well. "If someone says 'OK, you're on a timeline. You need to write a song about this by this time.' That's intensely difficult for me because I rely on creativity to flow naturally. I don't have a strong method for forcing it."

Instead Morrissey can play with a piano rift or a snippet of lyric for weeks before it's ready to write. Other times the music and lyrics come so spontaneously she has to stop and find a piano.

"Once I was driving in my hometown (when a song came to her) and I was a little ways from home but I was closer to my grandmother's house so I stopped there and figured it out on her piano."

"I don't usually compose without a piano," she explains. "There's a level of safety I need to write, so it often is at home. I don't really like anyone in the room when I write. (It needs to be) a place where it's ok if I sound bad."

What is the best advice she's ever received?

Her husband Roger Stahl is one of her strongest influences these days. Sensitive to and respectful of language, he is usually the first person to hear a new song.

"If I use something carelessly, he'll usually point it out. That has affected my style and made me think about (my words). He's got me thinking more about my writing…so I'm not using as many or any throw away words."

However, the best advice she's heard lately came from a novelist. Morrissey played at the Savannah Book Festival in February 2008 where she heard author Terry Kay (To Dance With The White Dog, Taking Lottie Home) speak and later met him at a cocktail party.

"He said ' I can schedule lots of things, (but) I never force characters. I'm patient with characters and I wait for them to come to me.'"

She says he so impressed her that she wrote a song about what he had said.

"There is only so much we can do with our intellect and there are ways we can become more in tune with our…creativity." She continues that so much about being an artist is patience and "it's trusting that we'll be inspired again."



To learn more about Kate Morrissey and to listen to her songs, visit her website.

Meet…lyricist Dorothy Fields

Who is Dorothy Fields?

If you're a fan of the modern American musical, you've heard the work of Dorothy Fields. She penned such songs as "The Sunny Side of the Street," "I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby," "The Way You Look Tonight," and the Broadway musicals "Annie Get Your Gun," "Sweet Charity," and numerous others. Her career moved from Harlem's Cotton Club, to Broadway, to Hollywood, back to Broadway and even to television, spanning more than 50 years. She won an Oscar, a Tony and was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Born into a theatrical family in 1905, her father was a vaudeville comedian before becoming a successful producer, Fields and her siblings were discouraged from entering the family business, but they found themselves on Broadway nonetheless. Both brothers were playwrights and she and Hebert Fields collaborated on several projects, including "Annie Get Your Gun."

With which composers did Fields collaborate?

Fields worked with dozens of composers during her 50-year career. The most notable one was Jerome Kern with whom she wrote the music for several film projects, the pinnacle being the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movie "Swing Time." They won the Oscar for Best Original Song for "The Way You Look Tonight."

Kern had signed on to write the music for "Annie Get Your Gun" but he died before he could start. Irving Berlin stepped in to write the score while Fields and her brother Herb wrote the book. The musical opened in 1946 and was a sensational hit.

The 1950s found Fields splitting her time between the theatre, film and television. She did not produce any stage work in the early 1960s, but was coaxed back to Broadway by a young composer named Cy Coleman. They created "Sweet Charity," which spawned the immediate hits "Big Spender" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now." Her last musical was also written with Coleman. "Seesaw" hit Broadway in 1973. Fields died one year later of a stroke after attending rehearsals for the national tour of "Seesaw." She was 68.

Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern

Which did she like best - Hollywood or Broadway?

Fields had great success both in film and on stage, but she preferred the stage. With theatre, a lyricist is involved in every phase from the writing through the rehearsal and the out-of-town try-outs. A stage production just by its nature is alive and ever changing. She found the movie business distancing creatively. Once the score is written and turned in, the lyricist and composer rarely heard anything from the production until the movie is screened up to a year later.

Hollywood did put several of her Broadways shows on film: "Annie Get Your Gun," "Sweet Charity" and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" to name a few. Many of them are on DVDs as are several of her film musicals. I found several titles on Amazon.com, Borders.com and Alibris.com.


Sources: The Dorothy Fields Website, The Guide to Musical Theatre, PBS: Broadway - The American Musical, and The Songwriter's Hall of Fame


l-r: Ethel Merman, Irving Berlin, and Dorothy Fields

Interview…with singer/songwriter Drew Copeland

When singer/songwriter Drew Copeland met Ken Block while tailgating before a University of Florida football game in 1991, he had no idea it would lead to becoming a co-founder of one of the most successful bands in the Southeast. Today, Sister Hazel has fans across the country and around the world, and in 2004 Copeland released his first solo album.

What was it like going solo after so many years with the band?

"Doing the solo record was great because I had total creative freedom," says Copeland. He never had any intention of splitting from Sister Hazel and he adds that the band was completely supportive with Block and lead guitarist Ryan Newell playing on the CD.

"I really love my gig because I have a very defined role in Sister Hazel and yet we allow each other the freedom to express ourselves individually." Copeland sings both lead and harmony vocals and plays rhythm guitar with Sister Hazel and has written or co-written several of their songs.


His CD "No Regrets" features songs he has written or had a part in writing over the last several years, representing different periods in his life. The CD has been received enthusiastically by the Hazelnuts, the band's fans, and has been called thoughtful and reminiscent of other singer/songwriters of the 1970s and 1980s.

Copeland admits it’s a little nerve-wracking when he performs a new song before an audience. "But fun at the same time," he continues. "They dig it but really want to hear songs they know."

"(The songs) are each like your children. You love them so much and you want everyone to be nice to them."

What is Copeland's writing routine?

Copeland has recorded in some form or another about 60 songs out of the 100 he's written. He has written with a partner and alone. All he really needs is his acoustic guitar and his computer. He says what he starts with varies from song to song. Sometimes he has a specific thought he wants to express, while another time the melody will come first.

"Other times (I) could be driving down the road and the entire song comes to (me) at a red light," he says. "That's how 'Strange Cup of Tea' came to me."

When asked what elements go into a successful song, he replies adamantly, "There are no rules. That's the beauty of songwriting." He goes on to say that he doesn't like music that sounds forced and a good song must make sense both musically and lyrically.

In the Studio

"It's just kind of a feeling I get when I hear it back." He then adds, "Songs are never really finished. You just have to let them go at some point."

What lies ahead musically for Copeland?

Copeland grew up singing harmonies with his family so it is not surprising one of his goals for the future is to to make music as his living for a long time. He has been focusing on his writing a lot more lately. "I look forward to writing songs for other artists and maybe even producing some."

He'd like to record a second solo CD as soon as things slow down. Sister Hazel recorded "Before the Amplifiers," a live acoustic album, in January and Copeland and the rest of the band are now touring heavily this summer and into the fall. In addition, he has a family with three young children that keep him very busy.



Learn more about Drew Copeland and hear selections from "No Regrets" on his website. Sister Hazel (right) also has a website with tour information.

Song of the Century?

In 2001, the Recording Industry of America Association (RIAA), the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Scholastic Inc., and AOL@School compiled 365 songs of the 20th century to "promote a better understanding of America's musical and cultural heritage" to American school children. Being such a long list, you would rightly imagine that it has songs from every decade and every genre, from Broadway musicals to rap and hip-hop, from big bands to disco.

What are the top 10 songs of the 20th century?

Having looked over the list, I would hope that the songs aren't ranked. Why would the Village People's "YMCA" outrank Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" by six slots? But the top 10 songs and the performing artists on the RIAA list are:

1 "Over the Rainbow" Judy Garland



2 "White Christmas" Bing Crosby
3 "This Land Is Your Land" Woody Guthrie
4 "Respect" Aretha Franklin
5 "American Pie" Don McLean
6 "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" The Andrews Sisters
7 West Side Story (Album) Original Cast
8 "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" Billy Murray
9 "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" The Righteous Brothers
10 "The Entertainer" Scott Joplin

At number one, "Over the Rainbow" has nearly 150 recordings on listed iTunes by about 135 different artists. It has been recorded by variety of artists from Judy Garland to Willie Nelson.

Who wrote "Over the Rainbow"?


Yip Harburg wrote the lyrics for composer Harold Arlen's melody. The two had teamed up on Broadway before heading to Hollywood in 1934. Harburg wrote most of the lyrics for "The Wizard of Oz," winning an Oscar for Best Song for "Over the Rainbow."

Harburg wrote the lyrics for more than 600 songs for film and Broadway, including "It's Only a Paper Moon," "How are Things in Glocca Morra" and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" Because of his liberal political ideals, he fell victim to the Committee on Un-American Activities in the 1950s and was blacklisted in Hollywood. He did, however, continue to work on Broadway.

Did the song win a Grammy?

The Grammy Awards were not established until 1958, nearly 20 years after the song's debut in "The Wizard of Oz." The Judy Garland recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1981, and the Ray Charles and Johnny Mathis recording won arranger Victor Vanacore a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) in 2004.





Other noted recordings of "Over the Rainbow" include Eva Cassidy and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.

Meet…playwright and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II

What should you know about Oscar Hammerstein II?

Born in 1895 in New York City into a prominent theatrical family, Oscar Hammerstein II contributed more to American musical theater than any other single person. His grandfather, whom he was named after, was an opera producer. His father managed the Hammerstein's Victoria, a vaudeville theatre, and his uncle was a successful Broadway producer. Though encouraged by his father to study law at Columbia Law School, he couldn't deny the draw of theatre, and he soon talked his uncle into hiring him as an assistant stage manager for his current production. He soon was promoted to stage manager for all his uncle's productions.

He began writing books and lyrics for musicals, although primarily for operettas. His first play, "The Light", produced by his uncle in 1919, ran for four performances, but Hammerstein kept writing with a series of collaborators. His two most successful partnerships were with Jerome Kern and Richard Rodgers. With them, Hammerstein would change musical theatre forever.

What were Hammerstein's greatest contributions to American musical theatre?


Hammerstein wrote eight musicals with composer Jerome Kern, including "Show Boat" which is widely considered the first modern American musical play. Produced in 1927, "Show Boat" transcended previous musical comedies with rich, dynamic songs that served to move the plot, developed the characters and helped to reinforce the setting and time. Later, he and Kern later won Best Original Song Academy Award for "The Last Time I Saw Paris" in the film "Lady be Good" in 1941, making him the first Oscar to win an Oscar.

In his partnership with Richard Rodgers, Hammerstein won a Pulitzer Prize for "Oklahoma!" in 1943 and a second Academy Award for "It Might as Well be Spring" in the film "State Fair" in 1945. "Oklahoma!" broke new ground in musical theatre. It was a musical without humor, without sight gags. It drifted into tragedy, killing one of the main characters at the climax of the story. Instead of showgirls dancing in scant outfits, it incorporated an extended ballet sequence. It was like nothing anyone had ever seen.


With their seemingly simple and accessible lyrics and music, the duo tackled social issues in many of their musicals. "South Pacific," which won the duo a second Pulitzer in 1949, examined racial and social prejudices, as did "The King and I" two years later. Hammerstein's last musical "The Sound of Music" in 1959 dealt in part with the pervasiveness of the Nazi movement through Europe in the late 1930s.

Oscar Hammerstein II died in 1960.

What is Hammerstein's legacy?

With Rodgers, Hammerstein produced numerous plays, musicals and revivals including Irving Berlin's widely popular "Annie Get Your Gun". He was a mentor to Alan Lerner, who wrote "My Fair Lady" and "Camelot" with composer Frederick Lowe, and a mentor and close friend of Stephen Sondheim, who penned such hits as "Sweeney Todd" and "Sunday in the Park with George."


Hammerstein served on the board of directors for many theatrical and film professional organizations, won five Tony Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Academy Awards and received five honorary degrees. During the centennial anniversary of his birth in 1995 and 1996, three of his musicals played simultaneously on Broadway. "Show Boat" and "The King and I" took home the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival in 1995 and 1996 respectively, while "State Fair," which was the only musical Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote for film, was nominated for the 1996 Tony Award for Best Score.




Sources: Broadway: The American Musical on PBS.com, Songwriters Hall of Fame, The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, TheatreHistory.com

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II

An Interview...with songwriter Bruce Burch, director of the University of Georgia's Music Business Program

"In the music industry, success is surviving," says Bruce Burch. He began in Nashville as a songwriter in the late 1970's. It took him five years to get a song recorded, still longer to have one break into the top 10, then Reba McEntire took his "Rumor Has It" to #1 in 1990. He has written for Faith Hill, George Jones, Aaron Neville, T. Graham Brown, the Oak Ridge Boys, and many others over his career. He ran his own publishing company, worked as an executive of EMI publishing and now heads the Music Business Program at the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business. He survived.

What's his best advice to a wannabe songwriter?

"You have to have an education," he says, qualifying that he's not talking strictly about a college education. He had a college degree when he arrived in Nashville, but he didn't know what he was doing. "People get into the music industry because it's fun and they like music and it can be exciting. But I didn't know how much money I could or how much money I wouldn't make."

Pure songwriters are a dying breed. Many performers are singer/songwriters and are reluctant to look beyond their own catalogs to record. Also the priorities have changed. Publishers used to develop writers and pitch their songs to the record labels. Labels developed artists, helping them polish their looks and their sound, picking songs for them. In the last 10-20 years, record/CD sales have dropped and the labels don't always have the resources to develop artists so now publishers are.

"There will always be a place for pure songwriters, but it's just harder to make a living at it," Burch says, adding that knowing other aspects of the industry can help songwriters stay in the business. "Become a producer. Especially in urban music, the producer has a lot of control over the music." Another suggestion for a songwriter who doesn't want to perform is to team up with an artist, especially one starting out. Build your careers together.

Other resources he offers to songwriters or anyone interested in the music industry are the websites www.artistshousemusic.org and www.starpolish.com (then click "resources") and the books All You Need to Know About the Music Business by Donald Passman and Music, Money and Success by Jeffery and Todd Brabec. Both books are available online at Barnes and Noble.

How did he get into the music business?

While in college, Burch heard a Kris Kristofferson song that blew him away. He taught himself to play guitar and shortly after he began writing his first song. After graduation in 1975, he went to Nashville. He wrote for a publisher for a while, often teamed with co-writers.


"I got really desperate to get some songs recorded and if you sit around waiting on a publisher to pitch your songs, it doesn't get done," he explains, "I got to the point where I thought I was probably the best salesman of my own songs. I got so good at it that I started my own company." He had been with his publisher about five years by then, writing maybe 100 songs a year.

He ran his company for another five years when another publisher approached him and asked him to work for them and pitch other people's songs. His own songwriting drop dramatically.

"I miss the process of writing, but I don't miss having to go out there and hear 'no' 90% of the time."

Why head up a music business program?

Burch began teaching while still in Nashville. Belmont University had a big music business program which brought him in to teach some classes on publishing music. He says that it surprised him how much he knew about the industry simply because he had been in it so long and had done so many things.

"I couldn't believe that Athens (and UGA - his alma mater) didn't have a program." Athens has a rich music history, launching bands like the B-52s, REM, Drive by Truckers and others. So Burch approached the dean of the Terry College of Business in 2002, who was immediately excited about the idea of a music business program here.


It took about four years to get it up and running. Now he is teaching junior and seniors about the secrets to success in the industry. He uses his contacts to bring in music professionals to give the students insider views and personal experiences so they might be better prepared than he was nearly 35 years ago.

The program is totally donor-funded so 50% of his job is fund-raising, and he's further away from his songwriting roots. But that's OK.

"I've written about 5000 songs that I could pull out and pitch to get recorded," he says. "This is my baby now. My priorities have changed."



To learn more about the UGA music business program, click here.

Sing, Sing a Song…

What can you do with your brand new song? (Or your older ones, too?)

Try a contest. The primary benefit of a writing contest is that your work will be read. It is no different with songwriting contests, except your work could also be heard, depending on the competition.

How do you know which ones are worth your time and money?

Type "songwriting competitions" or contests into Google and you'll get thousands of sites. For the selection below, I went to the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers site. ASCAP is a membership association, boasting more than 300,000 US members. Its primary purpose is to protect the rights of its membership (composers, songwriters, lyricist, and music publishers) by licensing and distributing the royalties for public performances of the members' copyrighted works.


The website didn't say if ASCAP screened these listings but I would think that they did. These are the contests with current information on their individual websites. Click here for the complete competition list on ASCAP.

Songwriting Competitions: (click the contest to get more information)

American Songwriter Magazine Lyrics Contest - Fee: $10 - bi-monthly prizes and one annual prize - 6 deadlines per year: March 21, May 18, July 20, September 20, November 15, January 18
2008 USA Songwriting Competition - 15 categories - Fee: $35 - $50,000 in cash/merchandise Grand Prize - Deadline: May 30
John Lennon Songwriting Contest - 12 categories - Fee: $30 - $300,000 total in cash/prizes - 2 deadlines a year: June 15, December 15
International Songwriting Competition - 20 categories - Fee: $30 - $45,000 in cash/merchandise Grand Prize - Deadline: October 15
Songdoor International Songwriting Competition - 7 categories - Fee: $10 - band demo produced as Grand Prize - Contest opens April 15 - Deadline November 15