My first performance was at the age of three singing "Frosty the Snowman" with the Sunday school choir and I've been hooked ever since. My mother was a drama teacher and my father was a politician so I inherited a love for performing on the stage and for working with people behind the scenes. I got a degree in Theater from the University of Iowa but being an actress didn't seem like a secure career so I became a musician instead. I bought a four channel Peavy PA and spent a few years playing cover tunes in clubs in St. Louis, my hometown.

I had written songs since high school and the crowds seemed to like the originals I worked into my sets. Fate intervened when one day a young girl was selling magazines door to door and I bought a subscription to one called "Songwriter Magazine." That changed my world. It was an excellent publication that explained the basics of how songs got cut and it demystified the process for me. I realized if I wanted to have a music career I had to move to an industry center, and the articles about Nashville made it sound not as scary as New York or LA.

I was burned out on playing cover gigs and in 1983 fate intervened again. I got fired from a day job and unemployment provided me the funding I needed for the move, I had never been to Nashville, didn't know anyone there, didn't have a job or a place to stay, but I sold everything that wouldn't fit in the car and made the five hour drive. Within a few days, I knew I had finally made it home.

Back then you could still walk up and down Music Row knocking on doors with your cassette or your guitar asking people to listen to your songs, and I quickly learned that I had no idea how to write a hit. Feedback from publishers and ASCAP and BMI reps was very helpful, but the best thing I did was join the Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI) and start attending the Thursday night workshop every week.

The Bluebird Cafe was already the coolest place in town for original music and I went to the Writers Night every Sunday. I mentioned to the host that I could fill in if needed, and in 1986 that offer put me in the right place at the right time to land the job of organizing and hosting the Monday Open Mic, which I still do to this day.

In 1988 the new cook at the restaurant where I waited tables invited me to dinner to meet her husband Jon Robbin, a songwriter newly arrived from Northern California. I didn't think his writing style would be compatible with mine, but they had just fed me dinner so when he asked me about cowriting, I was too polite to say no. I'm glad Mama taught me good manners because we ended up writing  "I Guess You Had to Be There" that became a hit for Lorrie Morgan in 1993.

After that I started hosting other writers nights around town and volunteered for the NSAI song evaluation service. More and more writers started asking me for feedback and advice so I decided to start my consultation service which I call "Ready for the Row." That has grown into a career as a teacher that includes critiques, consultation, classes, workshops and a guitar/vocal demo service. One of my favorite endeavors is the "Play for Publishers" workshop series that helps writers (including me!) learn about the demands of the commercial market from successful professionals and has opened doors on Music Row for many of them.

One of the most exciting things for me is discovering great talent. Happily, some people on Music Row figured out that, with all the writers I see, I might run across some exceptional ones and they offered to listen to anyone I recommended. I've been able to open doors that lead to successful careers for quite a few people, including Bret Jones (Little Past Little Rock," "Don't Ask Me How I Know"), Barry Dean ("God's Will"), Marcel ("Nothing to Lose") and Anthony Smith ("If That Ain't Country," "Run"). Plus a few (like Adam James) you just haven't heard of YET.

Brett Jones	Anthony Smith	Barry Dean	Marcel	Adam James

I still write, pitch and perform my own music and especially love writing and working with developing artists. One of my proudest moments came when NSAI awarded me the Maggie Cavender Award for Exceptional Service to the Songwriting Community. I feel truly blessed to be part of the Nashville music community and I am constantly energized and inspired by the creativity of the people around me.