The skill of country music songwriting seems to go hand-in-glove with performing. For some country artists, songwriting came first. Bob Dylan described the peculiar alchemy of songwriting well in Chronicles, Volume One. "You want to write songs that are bigger than life.,,You have to know and understand something and then go past the vernacular." How true! The songwriters noted here all went past the mundane, the ordinary, and the hum-drum and eked out magic where others thought there was none.
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Chris Stapleton
The "Traveller" singer was a prolific and accomplished songwriter long before he hit the stage himself. Per the Country Music Hall of Fame web site, "Chris Stapleton proved his musical mettle as an in-demand songwriter in Nashville for more than a decade before his breakout success in 2015." The trajectory of his early career is a jagged one. Stapleton left college, was an employee in a pizzeria, drove an ice truck, and sold cars.
Then he ditched the job-hopping and became a songwriter. He penned tracks for Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, Darious Rucker, Kenny Cheney, and Josh Turner. When Stapleton's freshman LP, Traveller, dropped a decade ago, he was on the road to singing stardom. He has many Grammys, ACM, and CMA awards.
Kris Kristofferson
Kritofferson, who died last year, must have been an amazing person. He was a Rhodes Scholar, a brilliant singer, an accomplished actor, and an Army Ranger, just to name some of his pursuits. Per the bio on his web site, "After more than four years in songwriting purgatory, things began to roll Kristofferson's way." His tunes were recorded by the likes of Johnny Cash, Roger Miller, Ray Price and Ray Stevens.
Kristofferson evidently did not have a lot of confidence in his own singing ability. He reportedly told someone, "I sing like an [expletive] frog." Still, his debut album in 1970 launched his successful career as a singer. Kristofferson was and is one of the most influential people in country music. As Bob Dylan said, "You can look at Nashville pre-Kris and post-Kris, because he changed everything."
Maren Morris
Although she seems to have retreated from the country genre for now, Morris has deep roots in it. Per iheart, "Morris' music was grounded in country -- prior to striking gold as a performer, she was a professional songwriter in Nashville...." Per Biography, she was singing publicly at the tender age of 12. At 20, Morris made the move to where the action was - Tennessee. She successfully wrote songs for acclaimed artists like Kelly Clarkson ("Second Wind") and Tim McGraw ("Last Turn Home") prior to turning her sights more to performing herself. Morris' 2016 freshman album, Hero, cemented her reputation as a talented vocalist to reckon with.
HARDY
HARDY made his name in Nashville as a songwriter of great caliber, per last.fm. He crafted tracks for Florida Georgia Line ("Simple"), Blake Shelton ("God's Country"), and Morgan Wallen ("Sand in My Boots"). HARDY then branched out into singing in 2018 with the release of This Ole Boy, an EP. Per the outlet, "His 2020 debut studio album, A Rock, solidified his place as a standout voice in the country-rock landscape."
