Dolly, Melba, Mitzi, Kree & Ashley
I just finished listening to a Dolly Parton interview. How does a person get that clear, stay that driven, make so many right decisions, create with such freedom and joy, stay true to themselves, remain so compassionate, and still be that humble and unpretentious? The next time someone asks me what three people I would choose for the ideal dinner conversation she’s in. The only trouble is, I think the rest of us would just want to sit and listen to her the whole time. Sorry Jesus.
I was lucky enough to write with a few people who’s voice or writing style or both reminded me of Dolly: Melba Montgomery, Mitzi Dawn, Kree Harrison, and Ashley Monroe.
Melba was a huge country star in the 60s and 70s and wrote songs for practically everyone after that. She toured with George Jones. They had a monster duet hit with “We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds”, which she wrote. She did a duet album with Gene Pitney for goodness sake! We had a blast writing. She was fascinating and hilarious. Full of stories and a truly sweet person.
Mitzi Dawn is a dear friend, a great writer and has an incredible story. She was born without one finger because, in the womb, the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck and she saved herself from suffocating by holding a finger underneath it, which cut off circulation.
Was it intentional or a wildly lucky accident? Who knows. But it allowed an insightful, creative and loving human to come into the world. If our co-writes lasted five hours we laughed through three of those every time.
Kree Harrison was only sixteen when I first wrote with her. Another lovely and talented person. She was the runner-up on American Idol. Mitzi brought her to a co-write and the first song we wrote together was a great one called “Young As Me”. It was going to be her “career song”. It should be something you’re all humming right now. Things don’t always work. Kree’s voice is/was perfect. Heartbreakingly beautiful and, if you didn’t know otherwise, you’d swear that she was being artificially tuned. She wasn’t. She just sings that way.
Ashley Monroe is the whole package. Brilliant writer, a naturally captivating singing voice and a beautiful human clear through. She sounds just enough like Dolly to get your attention and different enough to hold it. Ashley put out records on Warner, Columbia and most recently Jack White’s Third Man label. She’s had songs recorded by several artists and sang on records with Blake Shelton and Train, among others. Writing with her was always effortless, like listening for a song that was already in the room.
Truly, I was so lucky to have spent time getting to know and create with these gifted people. Each successful in a field where “success” is damn near impossible, reward is so detached from creation, and recognition is so fickle and fleeting. Dolly Parton is the exception, and she deserves to be. But as she will tell you…as I heard her say just today… “There are lots of people who come to Nashville with as much or more talent than me and never make it. I just got lucky”.
Here’s “Young as Me”, sung by Kree Harrison, written by me, Mitzi Dawn and Kree. Thanks for reading and listening. Please subscribe.
