May 12, 2019
On this episode of The Troubadour we are joined by a husband and wife performing, AND songwriting duo, Thom Shepherd and Coley McCabe.
Thom is the writer of five #1 singles for other artists - “Redneck Yacht Club,” recorded by Craig Morgan, “Riding with Private Malone” recorded by David Ball, Kyle Park’s “The Night Is Young,” Josh Abbott and Pat Green’s single, “My Texas,” and Kevin Fowler’s “Beer Season.”
In total, Thom has had over 10 singles and over 100 songs recorded by artists including Easton Corbin, Pam Tillis, John Anderson, Lorrie Morgan, Colt Ford, Bucky Covington, George Jones, Trailer Choir, Montgomery Gentry, Buddy Jewell, and Cledus T. Judd.
Coley McCabe is also no stranger to success in the music business. She is a platinum-selling songwriter and she’s performed numerous times on the Grand Ole Opry. While on RCA Records her song “Grow Young With You” was featured in the Natalie Portman / Ashley Judd film, “Where The Heart Is,” Her writing credits include the award winning group SheDaisy and legendary Loretta Lynn. She also starred in the feature film “Alabama Love Story.”
During this interview with Thom and Coley we visit about the dynamics of working as a husband and wife duo in the music business while maintaining a great marriage. As is heard in the interview, we find out that it’s important for each person in the relationship to understand when to ride “Shotgun” to the other person, and when to be the driver.
Fittingly enough, Thom and Coley’s latest record is aptly titled “Shotgun” and can be picked up at www.thomandcoley.com .
Thom and Coley have also found a bit of a niche within the “Trop Rock” genre which Thom describes loosely as “people who like Jimmy Buffett songs.” The duo is now often found on show billings in tropical places with lots of sun and water! They’ve even brought a little bit of this genre back to Texas by creating and hosting the annual “Lone Star Luau” in Marble Falls, TX (http://lonestarluau.com/). Lonestar Luau 4 will be happening in February of 2020. Click on the link to learn more about it and to secure tickets!
While we didn’t get a chance to visit about it in depth in the interview, I would highly suggest that for those interested in songwriting and stories behind hit songs, to follow Thom Shepherd on YouTube. He’s producing a series of YouTube videos called “Story Behind the Song” in which he interviews writers of specific hit songs and learns how the songs came to be. The icing on the top of the videos, at least for me, is to hear the songwriter perform the hit with nothing more than an acoustic guitar. Simply great stuff in my opinion! Check it out Thom’s YouTube page by clicking HERE.
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