Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters

Songwriters Hall of Famer, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Academy Award winner, and iconic lyricist Bernie Taupin chats about his longtime collaboration with Elton John, his love for Merle Haggard and Leonard Cohen, the unprecedented approach to his new solo record, and much more.

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott talk about Paul's recent Dove Award win, Scott's brand new soul book, and why this episode instantly became Paul's favorite in Songcraft history.

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with the legendary Bernie Taupin

ABOUT BERNIE TAUPIN

Bernie Taupin is one of the most successful and enduring lyricists in the history of popular music. Best known for his extraordinary partnership with Elton John, Taupin has spent more than five decades writing the words to some of the most recognizable songs of the rock era, including “Your Song,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Rocket Man,” “Daniel,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Bennie and the Jets,” ”Candle in the Wind,” “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” “Philadelphia Freedom,” “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word,” “I'm Still Standing,” “Sacrifice,” and “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from the film Rocketman, which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Beyond his work with Elton John, Bernie has written songs with and for Alice Cooper (“How You Gonna See Me Now”), Starship (“We Built This City”), Heart (“These Dreams”), Willie Nelson (“Mendocino County Line”), Courtney Love (“Uncool”), Brian Wilson (“What I Really Want for Christmas”), Emmylou Harris (the Oscar-nominated “A Love That Will Never Grow Old”), and many others.

In addition to his Academy Award, Taupin has been honored with two Golden Globes, the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an appointment as Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and most recently, the Grammy’s Trustees Award in 2026.

Bernie released a spoken-word poetry album in 1971 called Taupin and released two albums as an artist, He Who Rides the Tiger and Tribe, in the 1980s. In the 1990s, his group Farm Dogs issued two albums, Last Stand in Open Country and Immigrant Sons. His brand-new solo release, The Sea Has No Mercy, finds Bernie writing some of his most intimate songs to date. His first album without a co-writer, it features Bernie crafting both lyrics and melodies that emerge from a deeply personal place.

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Former New Bohemians bandmates Edie Brickell and Matt Chamberlain talk about their songwriting processes and their new group, World Famous Pets.

PART ONE
Paul talks about his encounter with Prince!

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Edie Brickell and Matt Chamberlain

ABOUT EDIE BRICKELL AND MATT CHAMBERLAIN

Singer-songwriter Edie Brickell and drummer-composer Matt Chamberlain comprise one half of the group World Famous Pets, but they first began working together when Chamberlain joined Edie Brickell and New Bohemians before the band’s second album, Ghost of a Dog, in 1990. Edie first rose to prominence when the band’s debut album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars was released in 1988 and was certified double platinum on the strength of the hit single “What I Am.” As of 2021, Edie Brickell and New Bohemians have released five studio albums.

In addition to her work with the band and three solo albums, Edie has collaborated with Harper Simon as The Heavy Circles, with Steve Gadd and others as the Gaddabouts, and more recently, with the band Heavy Makeup. Notably, she has recorded two studio albums and one live album with Steve Martin, and the pair collaborated on the Broadway musical Bright Star. In addition to her other various musical projects, Brickell tours with her husband Paul Simon, for whom Matt Chamberlain plays drums.

Chamberlain has recorded extensively with his jazz fusion band Critters Buggin, but has also been part of the Floratone Jazz Collective with Bill Frissell, formed the grunge supergroup Painted Shield with Stone Gossard and Mason Jennings, and released an album with Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek. As a drummer he has toured and/or recorded with Pearl Jam, Tori Amos, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Brandi Carlile, Fiona Apple, Soundgarden, and many others. This year, Brickell and Chamberlain launched World Famous Pets, a project that was born from improvisation. The group’s self-titled debut album was just released on September 25th.

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Grammy winner and Americana Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Buddy Miller chats about everything from his signature guitar licks, to finding the right ramp for Solomon Burke, to the theme of sadness that runs through his joyful-sounding new solo album - his first in 22 years!

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott reflect on the songwriting, life, and loss of the incomparable Dolly Parton

PART TWO:
Scott's in-depth conversation with one of his favorite artists, Buddy Miller

ABOUT BUDDY MILLER:
Singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, and Americana music legend Buddy Miller has worked with Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, John Fogerty, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Solomon Burke, Richard Thompson, Steve Earle, and many others. The four-time nominee earned a GRAMMY for his production work on Patty Griffin’s acclaimed Downtown Church album. He has taken home 14 Americana Music Awards, including multiple Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Instrumentalist of the Year, and Artist of the Year wins. Buddy was honored with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 and was previously named Artist of the Decade by No Depression. In addition to serving as Executive Music Producer for ABC-TV’s Nashville series, Buddy has released seven studio albums as a solo artist, a duo album with Jim Lauderdale, and four duo albums with his wife and longtime musical partner Julie Miller. Buddy’s most recent project, his first solo album in 22 years, is the self-titled Buddy Miller.

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Multi-Grammy-nominated and international multi-platinum artist Lukas Graham chats about his evolution as a writer, from his breakthrough with "7 Years" up through his latest album, Good Times.

PART ONE
The latest chapter in Paul and Scott's fierce disagreement over perfect rhyme versus slant rhyme in lyrics

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Lukas Graham

ABOUT LUKAS GRAHAM
The multi-Grammy-nominated artist Lukas Graham came to international prominence in 2016 with the song “7 Years,” an anthemic piano ballad that topped the charts in multiple countries and was certified 12-times platinum by the RIAA in the United States. The self-titled album on which it appeared, known to fans as the Blue Album, was also certified Platinum. The Danish artist has built a career spanning five albums, with hits including “Love Someone,” which was certified platinum in 18 countries. His work blends soul, pop, and deeply personal storytelling, exploring themes of family, love, and resilience — from the loss of his father to becoming one himself. Lukas’s latest album, Good Times, finds him reconnecting with the Celtic, acoustic, and folk roots of his Irish father while blending them with his unique pop sensibilities. You can catch Lukas on the road now as he tours with Ed Sheeran.

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Two-time GRAMMY nominee and Americana Music Association Award nominee Maggie Rose joins us to chat about the development of her creative voice and her excellent new album, Half Moon.

PART ONE
Paul and Scott discuss Brandie Carlile's recent live cover of Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited," which leads to a conversation about cover songs before spiraling out of control into despair about aging.

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Maggie Rose

ABOUT MAGGIE ROSE
Maggie Rose earned her first GRAMMY nomination, for Best Americana Album for her No One Gets Out Alive LP, in 2025. Later that year, the Americana Music Association nominated her for Emerging Act of the Year. The recognition was hard won. After moving to Nashville in 2009, Rose released her debut album, Cut to Impress, in 2013, which yielded the Top 40 country single “I Ain’t Your Mama.” She went on to release a handful of EPs, albums, and singles that explored a broader sonic landscape, including original songs such as “Body on Fire,” “Change the Whole Thing,” “Saint,” and “Poison in My Well,” a duet with Grace Potter than earned Rose her second GRAMMY nomination in 2026. Maggie’s fifth studio album, which was just released, is called Half Moon.

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Country Music Hall of Famer, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer, 2-time Country Song of the Year GRAMMY winner, and 5-time BMI Country Songwriter of the Year Paul Overstreet gives us a peek behind the curtain of his legendary career.

PART ONE:
Scott does his best not to throw a certain individual under the bus with a very funny story involving Paul Overstreet. Plus, the guys pay tribute to the late Joe Melson, past Songcraft guest and primary Roy Orbison collaborator.

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Paul Overstreet

ABOUT PAUL OVERSTREET
Paul Overstreet is one of the most successful songwriters in Nashville history and among the three inductees in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s class of 2026. His catalog of classics includes “Same Ole Me,” recorded by George Jones, as well as the Randy Travis hits “Digging Up Bones,” “No Place Like Home,” “Deeper Than the Holler,” “On the Other Hand,” and “Forever and Ever, Amen.” The latter two were both named Song of the Year by NSAI, the CMA, and the ACM. Additionally, “Forever and Ever, Amen” earned a Grammy award for Best Country Song in 1988. Overstreet won another Best Country Song Grammy in 1992 for “Love Can Build a Bridge,” which was a major hit for The Judds.

Other highlights of the Paul Overstreet songbook include the number one hits “A Long Line of Love,” recorded by Michael Martin Murphy,” “When You Say Nothing at All,” which was a hit for both Keith Whitley and Alison Krauss, and “Some Beach” for Blake Shelton.

In addition to his achievements with other performers, Overstreet became a successful recording artist in his own right. He reached the top of the charts in 1987 with “I Won’t Take Less Than Your Love,” which he recorded with Tanya Tucker and Paul Davis, and had hits with the group S-K-O, a trio he formed with Thom Schuyler and Fred Knobloch. From 1988 through 1991 Paul scored eight consecutive top 10 singles as a solo artist, including “Seein’ My Father in Me” and “Daddy’s Come Around.”

Paul was named BMI’s Country Songwriter of the year five years in a row from 1987 through 1991, a feat that hasn’t been duplicated since. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003.

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The legendary Swamp Dogg returns to Songcraft after more than a decade to talk about, well, whatever he wants. And we're here for it!

PART ONE
Paul and Scott contemplate their second visit with Swamp Dogg

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with the original D-O-double G!

ABOUT SWAMP DOGG

R&B cult favorite Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams is best known as the co-writer, with Gary U.S. Bonds, of the cross-genre classic, “She’s All I Got,” which became a Top 10 R&B single for Freddie North and a #2 country hit for Johnny Paycheck in 1971. Williams’ career began in 1954 when, at the age of 12, he made his first record, “HTD Blues.” He found success in the 1960s, recording the Top 40 R&B hit “Baby You’re My Everything” under the name Little Jerry Williams, and writing songs for other artists, including Gene Pitney’s Top 20 Pop single, “She’s a Heartbreaker.” He became Atlantic Records’ first African American staff producer in 1968 but left the following year to pursue independent projects in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and Macon, Georgia. By the 1970s Swamp was an in-demand producer and songwriter, penning Top 40 R&B hits for Doris Duke, Arthur Conley, and Dee Dee Warwick.

Around the same time, he reinvented himself as Swamp Dogg, releasing a series of eccentric soul albums with lyrics marked by frank sexuality, biting satire, radical politics, and provocative social observations. His debut LP, Total Destruction to Your Mind, was eventually certified Gold, while subsequent releases, including Gag a Maggott, I’m Not Selling Out – I’m Buying In, An Awful Christmas and a Lousy New Year, and The White Man Made Me Do It garnered considerable accolades among underground music lovers and earned Swamp what one journalist described as “a cultural niche somewhere between Rudy Ray Moore and Frank Zappa.” In recent years, his vast catalog has been sampled by Kid Rock, Talib Kweli, DMX, and others. Having just turned 84, Swamp shows no signs of slowing down. Since we last spoke with him in 2015, he has released five albums, including a bluegrass-inspired project called Blackgrass and his most recent release, Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife.

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Indie troubadour and Rolling Stone darling Brian Dunne gets real about his work as a songwriter who take the craft seriously.

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott talk about the Earth, Wind & Fire documentary, musical gibberish, Michael Jackson's lyrical theft, Scott's Cameroonian music phase, and perhaps the most irritating song mashup of all time.

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Brian Dunne

ABOUT BRYAN DUNNE
Brian Dunne is a New York–based singer-songwriter whose sharp storytelling, dark humor, and blue-collar perspective have earned him a devoted following in the Americana and indie-rock worlds. A longtime fixture on the East Coast club circuit, Dunne built his career the old-fashioned way—by writing songs, touring relentlessly, and cultivating a fiercely independent DIY approach. Over the course of multiple solo albums, including Selling Things in 2020, Loser on the Ropes in 2023, and Clams Casino in 2025, he has developed a reputation for pairing deeply human observations with memorable, hook-filled songs that draw from the traditions of artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Billy Joel while maintaining a distinctly modern voice.

Dunne's profile expanded internationally when his 2021 single “New Tattoo” became an unexpected hit in the Netherlands, and in 2022 he co-founded the acclaimed folk-rock collective Fantastic Cat alongside fellow songwriters Anthony D'Amato, Don DiLego, and Mike Montali. Dunne continues to balance his solo career with Fantastic Cat, earning praise for songs that explore failure, resilience, class, ambition, and the everyday struggles of modern life with equal parts wit, empathy, and heart. His work has attracted praise from Rolling Stone, where writer Joseph Hudak championed his 2025 album Clams Casino and later singled it out as his favorite album of the year. It has been described as if novelist Sam Lipsyte wrote the lyrics for Billy Joel’s Glass Houses, or if the Jason Isbell of Southeastern cut his teeth in scuzzy NYC rock clubs.

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Known for co-writing Jewel's "You Were Meant For Me," Steve Poltz has spent more than three decades as a singer-songwriter-performer of the first order, earning international applause and fans worldwide with his inspired brand of rock-influenced countrified folk Americana. This incredibly witty and insightful conversation is a true inspiration.

PART ONE
Paul and Scott chat about supergroups. What qualifies as a supergroup? What so-called "supergroups" don't live up to the hype? We're not afraid to do a hard-hitting investigation!

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with Steve Poltz

ABOUT STEVE POLTZ
Steve Poltz is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is a founding member of the indie-rock band the Rugburns and is known for co-writing “You Were Meant for Me” with Jewel, which became a major hit for her in 1996. He signed with Mercury Records in the late 1990s and has since built a loyal following as an independent troubadour. Steve has released fourteen studio albums, the latest of which is called JoyRide.

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Rising hip hop influencer Cameron McCloud lets us in on his journey and his process

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott chat about a song that's getting a lot of hate online and consider how the internet has redefined how we hear music.

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Cameron McCloud

ABOUT CAMERON McCLOUD
Cure for Paranoia is the Dallas-based alternative hip hop collective fronted by Cameron McCloud. Crowned "Rap Group of the Year" by the Dallas Entertainment Awards in 2025 and "Artist of the Year" in 2026, the group’s name came about following McCloud’s diagnosis with bipolar depression and paranoid schizophrenia. Their breakthrough came when Erykah Badu’s tapped them to perform at her birthday bash, and they have since shared bills with such artists as George Clinton, Nas, Ludacris, and Leon Bridges. The group was named NPR Tiny Desk Contest finalists three times in 2023, 2024, and 2025 before winning the contest in 2026. In addition to the success of their most recent EP, Work of Art, they’ve gained attention online thanks to Cameron’s 2025 challenge to release an original verse every day on his social media channels. Tackling everything from mental health to social injustice, his rhymes earned a substantial following. Inspired by groups such as Outkast, The Roots, and a Tribe Called Quest, Cameron McCloud and Cure for Paranoia are rapidly gaining a major national audience.

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Singer/songwriter, virtuoso guitarist, and multiple Grammy winner Molly Tuttle chats about her wide-ranging musical personality that encompasses bluegrass, folk, Americana, and rock.

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott wade into the controversy to share their opinions about the New York Times' recent list of the 30 Best Living American Songwriters. Listen at your own risk!

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Molly Tuttle

ABOUT MOLLY TUTTLE:
In 2017, California-born Molly Tuttle became the first female winner of the International Bluegrass Music Awards’ Guitar Player of the Year, an honor she won again in 2018, the same year she was named Instrumentalist of the Year by the Americana Music Awards. Though an accomplished musician, Tuttle won the IBMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year award in 2023. Her 2022 album Crooked Tree earned her a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album and a nomination for Best New Artist across all categories. It was also named Album of the Year by both the IBMA, which again awarded her as Female Vocalist of the Year, and the IFMA. Molly’s follow up album, City of Gold, won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album, while her most recent release, So Long Little Miss Sunshine, was nominated for the Best Americana Album Grammy. Spanning various genres, Molly Tuttle’s wide-ranging roots music explorations always bear the stamp of her unique imprint. Today she chats with us about her creative process, the evolution of her songwriting, and much more.

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Grammy nominated songwriter Pynk Beard (aka Sebastian Kole) chats about his extensive work as a behind-the-scenes pop creator and gives us insight into his latest country-flavored album project.

PART ONE
Scott and Paul chat about their recent travels and how they find ways to make music tourism a part of any trip.

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Pynk Beard

ABOUT PYNK BEARD:
Pynk Beard is the artistic persona of Alabama-born Coleridge Tillman, who has already made a splash as a successful songwriter under the name Sebastian Kole. Growing up as a preacher’s son in Birmingham Alabama, Pynk Beard’s big break came when he contributed to “Goin’ In,” which was recorded by Jennifer Lopez, featuring Flo Rida. He then signed with Motown Records as an artist and began collaborating as a writer and producer with Alessia Cara. He worked on most every track on her debut album Know-It-All, including the top 10 and multi-platinum pop hits “Here” and “Scars to Your Beautiful.” Soon after, he released his debut album as Sebastian Kole, a gospel and R&B influenced project called Soup. He continued working as a behind-the-scenes writer on songs such as “Bridges” by Fifth Harmony, “Freedom Rings” by Brandy, “Actions” by John Legend, “Time Machine” by Alicia Keys, and “Angel” by Halle Bailey, which found him collaborating with producer Neff-U and earning a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song. His debut EP as Pynk Beard is Red Dirt Diaries, which was released in October of 2025 on Red Bull Records. A country project that embraces elements of gospel, R&B and hip hop, it’s a bold new artistic direction that has quickly gained attention from fans of multiple genres.

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Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Songwriters Hall of Famer Lou Gramm shares stories about his career, from his pre-Foreigner days all the way to his latest album, Released.

PART ONE
Scott and Paul chat about Scott's solemn vow to Lou Gramm, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and how multi-national bands just might be a model for social healing.

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Lou Gramm

ABOUT LOU GRAMM
Lou Gramm is best known as the powerhouse vocalist for the band Foreigner, which hit the scene in 1977 with the now-classic hit “Feels Like the First Time.” Working with partner Mick Jones, Gramm co-wrote many of the band’s hits, including “Cold as Ice,” “Long, Long Way From Home,” “Hot Blooded,” “Double Vision,” “Dirty White Boy,” “Head Games,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” and “Juke Box Hero.” The late 1970s superstars successfully navigated a transition into the 1980s with synth-driven hit power ballads such as “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Say You Will,” and “I Don’t Want to Live Without You.” Gramm went on to pursue a solo career, finding success with singles such as “Midnight Blue” and “Just Between You and Me.” After a nearly 40 year break as a solo artist, Lou has recently issued his third studio album, entitled Released. Featuring 10 songs originally written in the 1980s during his era, the recordings have been completed and updated for today. Lou was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013 and, as a member of Foreigner, into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.

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GRAMMY-nominated songwriting and production team Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk chat about their contributions to the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack, their success with the huge BTS hit "Butter," and balancing their professional and personal lives as partners.

PART ONE
Lest you think it a dead subgenre, Paul and Scott revisit their examination of the "stutter rock" phenomenon with a modern day twist.

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk

ABOUT JENNA & STEPHEN
Both professional and life partners, the Grammy-nominated songwriting and production team of Jenna Andrews and Stephen Kirk made a major splash with their contributions to the wildly successful soundtrack for the Netflix animated hit KPop Demon Hunters. Their contributions, “Free” and “What It Sounds Like,” came on the heels of their success with the BTS songs “Proof,” “Permission to Dance,” and “Butter,” which spent ten weeks at the top of the Billboard pop chart in 2021. The pair’s combined credits include work with Drake, Little Mix, Nelly Furtado, Ed Sheeran, Jennifer Lopez, Pharrell, Rita Ora, K. Michelle, and others. Both Jenna and Stephen appeared on the Netflix series Hitmakers, which spotlights the lives and careers of modern-day pop songwriters.

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Two-time GRAMMY and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee Rich Robinson joins us to chat about his songwriting with The Black Crowes.

PART ONE
Paul and Scott talk about their deep Black Crowes history that goes all the way back to high school. Then they revert to their high school selves and try to make each other laugh by proposing ridiculous imaginary partnerships between artists and restaurant chains (think Michael McDonald's or Ice-T.G.I. Fridays).

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes

ABOUT RICH ROBINSON
Rich Robinson is best known as the founding guitarist and one of the two primary songwriters of The Black Crowes alongside his brother Chris. Formed in Atlanta, the band’s 1990 debut album $hake Your Money Maker produced the successful singles “Jealous Again,” “She Talks to Angels,” “Seeing Things,” and a wildly popular cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle.” The album earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist and was eventually certified five-times platinum. The multi-platinum follow-up, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, debuted at number one on the Billboard album chart and yielded four consecutive chart-topping rock singles with “Remedy,” “Sting Me,” “Thorn in My Pride,” “and “Hotel Illness.” Subsequent releases such as Amorica, By Your Side, Lions, and Warpaint explored new sonic territory while remaining rooted in the quintessential Black Crowes aesthetic. In total, the band has released eleven studio albums, with 2024’s Happiness Bastards, breaking a more than decade-long recording hiatus and earning the band another Grammy nomination. Over more than three decades of volatility, breakups, lineup shifts, and offstage drama, the Black Crowes are still making pure rock & roll at the highest level. Their latest album, A Pound of Feathers, was recently released, and they are among the nominees for potential induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for the class of 2026.

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A legend to the legends! Jeff Barry was named one of Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time and is inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. "Tell Laura I Love Her." "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Then He Kissed Me," "Be My Baby," "(Christmas) Baby Please Come Home," "Chapel of Love," "River Deep - Mountain High," "Doo Wah Diddy," "Leader of the Pack," "Hanky Panky," "Sugar, Sugar," "I Honestly Love You." It's mind boggling!

PART ONE
Paul and Scott chat about crossing a new friendship milestone and the long road to getting to speak with the unbelievably cool Jeff Barry.

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with Jeff Barry

ABOUT JEFF BARRY
Jeff Barry began his career as a recording artist for RCA and Decca Records, but attracted more attention for his original songs. After scoring pop hits with “Tell Laura I Love Her” and Sam Cooke’s recording of “Teenage Sonata” in 1960, Jeff joined forces with Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector to pen such classics as “Da Doo Ron Ron,” “Then He Kissed Me,” “Be My Baby,” “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” “Chapel of Love,” and “River Deep – Mountain High.” Greenwich and Barry also recorded together as the Raindrops while continuing to find success with other artists, including landing number one hits with “Doo Wah Diddy Diddy,” “Leader of the Pack,” and the Tommy James and the Shondells recording of “Hanky Panky.” Rolling Stone magazine’s 2004 list of the “500 Greatest Rock Songs” included six Barry-Greenwich compositions, more than any other non-performing songwriting team.

As a producer, Barry helmed such hits as “Cherry, Cherry” by Neil Diamond and “I’m a Believer” by The Monkees. After parting ways with Greenwich, Jeff began writing with Andy Kim, with whom he had the biggest hit of 1969 when he co-wrote and produced “Sugar, Sugar” by the fictional cartoon band The Archies. A few years later, Jeff was nominated for the Song of the Year Grammy for Olivia Newton John’s 1974 chart-topping recording of “I Honestly Love You.” Additionally, he found success on the country charts in the 1970s and ‘80s with top 5 singles such as “Out of Hand,” recorded by Gary Stewart” and “Lie to You For Your Love,” recorded by the Bellamy Brothers. Never bound by genre categories, he also enjoyed top 5 R&B successes in those decades with songs such as “Heavy Makes You Happy” for the Staple Singers and “The Last Time I Made Love,” a song he wrote with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil that was recorded by Joyce Kennedy and Jeffrey Osborne.

In addition to writing more than 50 different songs that have reached the top 40 on the Billboard charts, Jeff penned the theme songs for TV shows such as One Day at a Time (“This Is It”), The Jeffersons (“Movin’ on Up”), and Family Ties (“Without Us”). In 2019 he and writing partner Clarence Jey composed and wrote songs for the animated Nickelodeon show Lego City Adventures.

Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich are in the top 20 of Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. Jeff has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Songwriters and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

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Rival Sons front man Jay Buchanan takes us deep into the writing process for his fantastic debut solo album, Weapons of Beauty

PART ONE:
Scott and Paul talk about Scott's experiences at the GRAMMY Awards

PART TWO
Our in depth conversation with Jay Buchanan

ABOUT JAY BUCHANAN
Jay Buchanan is best known as the front man of the rock band Rival Sons whose catalog includes the landmark albums Pressure & Time, Great Western Valkyrie, and Feral Roots, which earned GRAMMY nominations for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Performance. Hand-picked by Black Sabbath for their final tour and chosen by Guns N’ Roses for their 2025 European stadium run, Rival Sons have shared stages with The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Metallica and Lenny Kravitz. Buchanan has recently switched creative gears to release his debut solo album, Weapons of Beauty, a stark departure from his work with Rival Sons that emerged from three months of intensive songwriting sessions in the solitude of the Mojave Desert.

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Alexa Ray Joel, the daughter of legendary singer/songwriter Billy Joel and supermodel/actress Christie Brinkley, talks about her own experiences as a songwriter and performer who draws from a deep well of personal experiences.

PART ONE
Paul and Scott talk about...(gasp!) NEW music!

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Alexa Ray Joel

ABOUT ALEXA RAY JOEL
Singer, songwriter, and pianist Alexa Ray Joel released her debut EP Sketches in 2006 and has since released a series of singles, including the most recent, “Heavy Eyes.” The daughter of legendary singer-songwriter Billy Joel and supermodel and actress Christie Brinkley, Alexa Ray began writing songs as a teenager. Her performances at Café Carlyle have showcased her eclectic repertoire, including original songs, Broadway numbers, and nods to her father and Ray Charles, for whom she was named. The New York Times praised her as a “singer confidently following her heart.” She has been a part of The Gap’s “Back to Blue” television ad campaign, and has ventured into the fashion world, appearing on magazine covers and participating in fashion weeks. She sang alongside her father in the final year of his Madison Square Garden residency in 2024 and says her favorite Billy Joel song is “Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel),” which he wrote for her. Alexa Ray’s “Heavy Eyes” follows on the heels of “Riverside Way,” which illustrates the sonic diversity of her music and is leading up to the release of a 5 song EP later this year.

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18-time Grammy nominee and American musical legend Taj Mahal goes deep on his influences and his approach to the craft.

PART ONE
Paul and Scott kick off the new year with a discussion about the nominees for the upcoming Grammy Awards. And more!

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Taj Mahal

ABOUT TAJ MAHAL
Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal has mastered the blues form and has further built upon it by incorporating world music influences and expanding the boundaries of the genre. Growing up in Massachusetts, he made his way to Southern California in the mid-1960s where he formed the Group Rising Sons with Ry Cooder, Jessie Lee Kincaid, and Kevin Kelley. They signed with Columbia Records but, upon disbanding, Taj joined forces with guitarist Jesse Ed Davis and remained on the label as a solo artist. After a dozen albums with Columbia, he moved to Warner Bros. Records in the mid-1970s. Following a period spent living in Hawaii and largely out of the limelight in the 1980s, he ultimately reemerged for a new era of commercial success. Taj has been nominated for 18 Grammy Awards, winning five, including Best Contemporary Blues Album in 1997, 2000, 2008, and 2018, and best Traditional Blues Album in 2022 and 2025. He has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from both the Americana Music Association and the Recording Academy. His most recent album, a duet project with Keb’ Mo’ called Room on the Porch, is nominated for the Best Traditional Blues Album Grammy at the upcoming Awards on February 1st.

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We've been celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, for our final "classic episode" of 2025, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with "All I Want for Christmas" co-writer Walter Afanasieff. Happy holidays and thanks for a great year of looking back together as we continue to look toward the future!

ABOUT WALTER AFANASIEFF

Thirteen-time Grammy nominee and two-time winner Walter Afanasieff is best known for his collaborative songwriting and production partnership with Mariah Carey that yielded hit singles such as “Can’t Let Go,” “Dreamlover,” “Hero,” “Without You,” “Anytime You Need a Friend,” “Butterfly,” “My All,” and “One Sweet Day,” a duet with Boyz II Men that was named ASCAP Song of the Year. It hit #1 in December of 1995 and stayed there for sixteen weeks—a record that remained unbroken for more than two decades. Their “All I Want for Christmas is You” was released in 1994 and has since become a holiday standard. It hit #1 on Billboard’s pop chart for the first time in 2019, giving Walter and Mariah the world record for the longest period of time between a song’s original release and its arrival at the top of the chart.

In addition to his success with Carey, Afanasieff carved out a formidable reputation as a go-to producer of hit movie songs. After co-writing and co-producing the Gladys Knight single “License to Kill” from the James Bond film of the same name, he went on to produce “Beauty and the Beast,” “A Whole New World” from Aladdin, “Even If My Heart Would Break” from The Bodyguard, and “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic, which became the best-selling single in the world for 1998. Additionally he produced “Some Day” from The Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Academy Award nominated “Go the Distance” from Hercules.

Other hits from the Walter Afanasieff songbook include “Can You Stop the Rain,” a #1 R&B single for Peabo Bryson that earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song, “Missing You Now,” a #1 Adult Contemporary hit for Michael Bolton, “If You Go Away,” a Top 20 single for New Kids on the Block, Savage Garden’s #1 pop single “I Knew I Loved You,” and Ricky Martin’s massive global hit “She Bangs.”

The long list of additional artists Walter has written and produced music for includes Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Luther Vandross, Destiny's Child, Kenny G, Andrea Bocelli, Johnny Mathis, Kenny Loggins, Barbra Streisand, Christina Aguilera, Marc Anthony, Babyface, and Josh Groban.

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