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Hello,

I've had hits by Montgomery Gentry "Hillbilly Shoes" and Ty Herndon "A Man Holdin' On To a Woman Lettin Go" and a lot of cuts. I went back to school when the business tanked and got a few degrees including an MFA in Creative Writing. I've taught songwriting on the college level. Even though I write lyrics and music, I feel my strength is in writing lyrics so I'm looking to partner with collaborators who feel their strength is in writing music and or tracks. Nashville is my home turf, but I feel a great song transcends genres.

Let me know if you'd like to take a shot at writing a song!

Bobby

Here's a question. Hillbilly is a highly derogatory term so it is strange that the industry adopted it as a genre label. Why has the term not been rejected by industry and the musicians themselves?

From Wiki: "Scholars argue that the term "hillbilly" originated from Scottish dialect. The term "hill-folk" referred to people who preferred isolation from the greater society, and "billy" meant "comrade" or "companion". It is suggested that "hill-folk" and "billie" were combined when the Cameronians fled to the hills of southern Scotland."

From my own experience: I hated brogan shoes growing up--the kind my dad bought for me. They represented the hillbilly culture. But I had not learned yet that the hillbilly culture was made somewhat more palatable by the scholars behind the "Foxfire" books that teach readers how to live off the land and be self-sufficient. I've done a lot of theater and often worn brogan (hillbilly) shoes because they fit the character I was playing. One day I realized that I was hating he very culture that was keeping me employed. My own personal evolution involved me coming to terms with that and accepting the label as being something one could take pride in--hence the seed of the idea for "Hillbilly Shoes."

Country music was originally thought of as an alternative music to the pop music of the times. And many of the stars were hillbillies. Hillbillies are what made the Grand Ol' Opry successful. So, it can be intended to be used as a very derogatory term, but there's more to it than ignorance and anger--there are indeed iconic figures (Dolly Parton) who have had a massive impact with their willingness to accept and take pride in the fact that they were born hillbillies. I can't speak for others, but I am grateful to those who paved the way for people like me to have a chance at making a mark in the music business.

That's a long answer to a short question. I hope I came close to giving you an answer.

Best,

bt

To some... maybe in 'Mountain" or "Appalachian" styles (i.e. Dolly Parton) - "Hillbilly" might be considered as an endearing moniker for the folks and the music they bring from those regions;
and what they contribute, in a huge way, to Bluegrass, Country, Blues... among others.
'Guess it's all about 'perspective'.
Your mileage may vary.
(I hadn't read all of the long comment previously posted)

Yes Bobby, let's write..... I build tracks.......

Hi there Bobby. I have been looking for someone to collaborate with on a country song. I have one that got forwarded a few times but nothing came of it. I also have a ton of feedback on it but I think I may be too emotionally involved to take it objectively. LOL. I was hoping to find a pro like yourself who might be willing to help me flesh it out and make the changes that are needed. Let me know if you would be interested in doing that. I will include a link below. I am also happy to work on new songs. I have a few in the early stages and Im open to help with anything you've got going.

https://www.taxi.com/members/d7MLhdTQTM ... -this-town

Hi, I feel I'm stronger on the music side, occasionally have a good lyric

If you have a lyric that hasn't been grabbed yet, I'm happy to review and see if I have any ideas for music

I don't have any hits but produced a soundtrack with some of my songs in there

Hi there!
I am a producer.

Feel free to contact me in private!

This is a fairly old post so you may not see this response. I can write lyrics but music and melody is definitely my stronger suit. I've always wanted to try putting music and melody to someone else's lyric, and have on a few occasions, but it's always been just for fun with a very amateur lyric writer. I'd love to give it a shot and have lots of music you can check out. If you're interested just message me back.