I was talking to my friend, Fletcher, who I write with. He told me that he heard that George Strait was looking for songs for a new album. That started me to think, If I was George Strait what would I sing about? The honest answer is I have no clue. Just like George would probably have a rough time writing a song for me. I didn't let this bump in the road stop me.

    I decided to do some internet research on George. I found out that he still owns his family farm. He is about as close as you can get to a real cowboy. Especially when you do a comparison of him to his contemporaries in country music. Also, he wears a hat when he sings. How cool is that? 

    Here it is- Be a Cowboy. If you know George I am cool if you share it with him. Seriously, I am good with it. lol

     Five years ago, I shared my story about sending my songs to songwriting publishing companies. I was full of hope. I made a list of major and minor publishing companies. I think I had seventeen publishing companies I contacted asking for permission to send them a demo of my songs. 

     Do you wanna guess how many contacted me back? Zero. My hopes were dashed. So I did what every songwriter does when life don't go how we planned. I wrote songs. Then I wrote more songs and I kept on writing songs. 

     So I squeeze in songwriting whenever I can. Every month  I go to a monthly NSAI meeting. (Nashville Songwriting Association International) meeting. My goal is to have a new song every month. At the beginning it was hard but songwriting get's easier the more you do it. Not easy. It is never easy to pour your heart out on paper. 

      I contacted by songwriters looking for a publishing deal on my website. Can I listen to their songs? Am I interested in giving them a publishing deal? Can I give advice on how to get a publishing deal? There is a real need for answers to these questions and I don't have the golden ticket. 

      I do have some advice that I try to follow. Keep on writing. Write, Write, and then write some more. Get better. Listen to your favorite songs. Learn what it is you like about your favorite songs? What chords they use. The structure of the songs. Is it verses and chorus's? Does it have a bridge? Does the song tell a story? Does the song make you fell something? Sad, happy, lonely, or does it make you dance? 

       Read, read, and read some more. Read books about songwriting. Books about songwriters like Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, or whoever floats your boat. Read books about anything and everything. You never know what will be the four leaf clover in your song.

       Share, share, and share some more. We have so many ways to share our music. Facebook, Tic Toc, Twitter, Spotify, Apple Music, etc. and the list goes on and on. I have tried selling my music. No pot of gold on that rainbow. So I give it away. Place it on my website, share it on twitter, and occasionally play it at open mics. 

       Let me ask you a question? What would you do if you made the best apple pie in the world, Bar None! You set up a website, take pictures of your pies, develop a marketing plan, buy a new oven, get the best mixer you can find, and you still can't sell your delicious apple pie. Give it away. 

         Sample, sample, and sample some more. Take that pie to a church dinner, take one to your neighbor who just had a baby, take it to work and share some with the employees in the breakroom. It makes sense when you look at it that way.

         But what if somebody steals my songs? Really? I got to be honest with myself. I haven't written a song good enough that anybody wants to steal. Remember, I can't get people to buy downloads. It is hard to get people to listen to my songs. 

        If you're writing songs and people are stealing them, Congratulations! You are on the right road. You are doing exactly what you should be doing. Writing songs. What do you do about someone stealing one of your babies? Hey, have some fun and go make another baby. You got the talent, you did it once, you can do it again and again and again. 

        Now if you do write a mega hit and you hear it on the radio. That is a different story. You might need a lawyer but that would be a sweet problem to have. You are going to make some money and you will have some to pay for your  lawyer too.

       If you are writing songs as great as you think they are. Publishers, artists, music attorney's and everybody else. They will find and love your songs and want to help you on your journey in this crazy music business. Have a great day and keep on writing songs. 

        If you're reading this here is one of my latest songs I wrote. 

    Yesterday, I sent a text to Miss 98. No, that isn't a contestant in a beauty pageant. It is a radio station in Tupelo, Mississippi. My friend, Bill Miles and I wrote a song called Radio. It has a line in it that is unique. The line is - The deejay in Tupelo, plays our song on the radio. 

     Here is the text I sent in- Miss 98 Radio. Odd request here. I'm a songwriter who wrote a song with my buddy called Radio. It has a line that say- The Dee Jay in Tupelo, plays our song on the radio. Would you be interested in hearing it? I was asking permission to send it in. 

     Scott Spencer the morning DJ texted back. Sure. I would love to hear it and he sent me his email. I sent him a copy of my song and he emailed me back. He wrote, I like it. It does warm my heart to hear the "DJ in Tupelo" line. I've begged David Lee Murphy to write a song about a DJ every time we've had him on air... so far, nothing. Ok, if I give it a spin some time?

     Of course I told him yes. I also told him that he made my day. The best possible result that I could of wished for. Taking a step of faith. Stepping outside of a box that we all live in. It is great to see a glimpse of God working behind the scenes. Here are the lyrics and the song. If you like the song, share it. 

 Radio 

Bill Miles/Jim McCarter 

Looking through the window of this old truck 

 been gone two days and  two day’s enough 

I swung through Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas 

pull off the road, give you a call 

 Chorus- That’s our song on the radio 

Reminds me of us in my GTO 

Turn it up, play it loud 

Wishing I was with you now 

Down the highways and interstates 

we would roll. 

While the Dee Jay from Tupelo 

plays our song on the radio 

You’re driving a Dodge Caravan, full of kids 

Ballet and baseball games, that the life you live  

Last night you called as you set your alarm 

Heard the music in the background 

Chorus 

The stations used to play our song ten times a day 

And now, every once in a while, I get to say 

Chorus

    Solitude. That is a big word for a guy from Oskaloosa, KS. I thought I knew what it meant but I looked it up in the dictionary to make sure I was right before typing this. Solitude is the state or situation of being alone. Or a lonely or uninhabited place.

     I work at a grocery store. I am around customers and employees all day. I crave alone time. I need alone time. Maybe that is part of the reason why I write songs. I spend alot of time thinking about what I am going to write. Usually, I will get a title and start from there. Maybe, I will write about a subject like heartbreak and use personal examples that will ring true in a song.

      My alone place is driving. I might be driving to work, to my Grandkids activities, or running errands. Driving gives me something to do (steering the car) but my mind needs something to do also. So, it thinks about lyrics, rhymes, ideas, or what isn't working in a song. It is trying to figure out the puzzle pieces of my life. Why this doesn't fit and where is the missing piece that I need.

      Sometimes in the place of solitude, I have to go deeper in my thoughts than I want to go. Why do I do what I do? What should I have done?  What was I thinking?  What was she thinking? Would I do it over again? Did things turn out like I thought they would? What did God do in my situation? What didn't God do in my situation?  Was I trusting him or relying on myself? As you can see, I got alot more questions than answers. 

      We all need to embrace our solitude as we seek answers. Answers to life and answers to how I am going to write this song. Have a great day. 

   This song is one of my favorites that I wrote last year. I like it when a song is about somebody. It makes a song easier to write when you know that. If you have a line, it rhymes, but it doesn't match up with your character in the song. That line is gone. This is a song about wanting to be like my Dad. Hopefully, you had a Dad like mine.