Paul Overstreet

This week’s grin is Paul Overstreet. 

In the format of music in which I work Paul is as close to an icon as we get. With 27 top 10 songs, 2 Grammys and most impressively, 5 consecutive BMI songwriter of the year awards (no one else has even gotten close to this record), he is considered one of the top 5 most successful songwriters in the history of country music. Paul pretty much wrote the soundtrack to American country music during it’s most prosperous years, 1987-1995. With songs like “Forever and ever Amen”, “On the other Hand”, “When You Say Nothing At All”, “ Diggin’ Up Bones”, “Love Can Build A Bridge”, etc Paul helped usher in a new era of multiplatinum superstars. He was also a successful artist and had several top 5 hits in the 80s-90s and still is an in demand entertainer. He has continued to be prominent in the careers of today’s superstars as well, from Kenny Chesney to Blake Shelton.

Paul and I first wrote back in 2005 but it had been a while and this week he came out to my studio and we had a blast writing and catching up. We wrote a song, started another and talked about re-writing one of our past songs. We went to lunch (a rarity for songwriting sessions these days) and had margaritas and talked about parenting (Paul and his wife have 6 kids, one of which is the lead guitarist for Hot Chelle Rae, another who is a main character on the hit TV show “Glee”.), travel, God, the business and how blessed we both are.

I grew up on Paul Overstreet’s music. I still remember singing along with “All The Fun” in my 1^st car. I remember learning to play “Somebody’s Doing Me Right” and “Long Line of Love” on piano in college.

One of cool aspects of being a part of such a tight knit creative community here in Nashville is getting to work with people who have influenced your music and becoming collaborators with your heroes. It’s a unique gift and honor and is the essence of treasure.

Happy Hunting