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PODCAST

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters

Scott B. Bomar, Paul Duncan

Songcraft is a bi-weekly podcast that brings you in-depth conversations with and about the creators of lyrics and music that stand the test of time. You probably know their names, and you definitely know their songs. We bring you their stories.

music music interviews

All Episodes

01:09:51

Songcraft Classic: WALTER AFANASIEFF ("All I Want for...

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/12/24

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 AFANASIEFFThirteen-time Grammy nominee and two-time winner Walter Afanasieff is best known for his

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01:26:22

Ep. 270 - MIKE REID ("I Can't Make You Love Me")

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/12/17

GRAMMY winner and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Mike Reid chats about his remarkable musical life. PART ONEScott and Paul talk about the sports games and so much morePART TWOOur in depth conversation with Mike ReidABOUT MIKE REIDNashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Mike Reid has written twelve #1 country songs and has had his work recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Anita Baker, Bette Midler, Prince, George Michael, Nancy Wilson, Etta James, Kenny Rogers, Ann Murray, Wynonna Judd, Alabama, Joe Cocker,

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01:34:05

Songcraft Classic: ELVIS COSTELLO ("Pump It Up")

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/12/09

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with Elvis Costello. ABOUT ELVIS COSTELLOReleased between 1977 and 1979, Elvis Costello’s first three albums—My Aim is True, This Year’s Model, and Armed Forces—were all included in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. That early period of his recording career yielded now-classic singles such as

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01:29:54

Ep. 269 - JOE HENRY ("Don't Tell Me")

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/12/03

Grammy-winning producer and singer-songwriter Joe Henry gives us insight into his multi-faceted careerPART ONEPaul and Scott chat about their music-themed road trip and say R.I.P. to MTV. PART TWOOur in-depth conversation with Joe HenryABOUT JOE HENRYJoe Henry is a singer-songwriter who became a record producer as a protege of T Bone Burnett. He went on to win Grammy awards for his work with Solomon Burke, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Bonnie Raitt. Additionally, he

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01:07:02

Songcraft Classic: TODD SNIDER ("Alright Guy")

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/11/25

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2021 conversation with the late Todd Snider. ABOUT TODD SNIDERCelebrated singer-songwriter Todd Snider has continued the troubadour legacy of mentors like John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, while putting his uniquely clever, wry, sly, and often irreverent spin on folk, rock, country, and Americana. Launching his career on

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00:55:59

Ep. 268 - BOOTSY COLLINS ("Flash Light")

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/11/17

Number one Funkateer Bootsy Collins takes us to Funk University! From his days in James Brown's group, to his work with Parliament/Funkadelic and Booty's Rubber Band, to his recent single that raises awareness about domestic violence, "the world's only rhinestone rock-star doll" tears the roof off the sucker and breaks it all down for us. Songcraft wants the funk! PART ONE:Paul and Scott discuss particularly recognizable bassists and chat about their expectations of what they thought Bootsy would

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01:12:03

Songcraft Classic: RICHARD MARX ("Right Here Waiting")

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/11/12

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2021 conversation with Richard Marx. ABOUT RICHARD MARX:Grammy-winning performer Richard Marx has sold more than 30 million albums as an artist, but if you only know him from late 1980s ballads such as “Hold on to the Nights” and “Right Here Waiting,” you only know part of the story. A prolific songwriter, Marx has landed fourteen songs at the top

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01:08:47

Ep. 267 - STEVE MARTIN & ALISON BROWN ("Foggy...

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/11/04

From "King Tut" to the top of the bluegrass charts! Grammy and IBMA award-winning banjoists and songwriters Steve Martin and Alison Brown join us to chat about their respective careers and their first full-length collaborative album, Safe, Sensible and Sane. PART ONEPaul and Scott chat about how impressed they are with all the various hats Alison Brown and Steve Martin wear, while also trying to wrap their heads around the seeming complexity of the banjo. PART TWOOur in-depth conversation with Steve

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01:26:10

Songcraft Classic: DAVID PORTER ("Soul Man")

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/10/28

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with Stax legend David Porter.ABOUT DAVID PORTER Named one of Rolling Stone magazine’s “100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time,” Porter is best known for his songwriting partnership with Isaac Hayes that helped define the sound of Memphis’s legendary Stax Records. As the first African American staff songwriter at Stax, Porter,

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01:13:03

Ep. 266 - SHAWN CAMP ("Two Pina Coladas")

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/10/22

Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Shawn Camp pulls back the curtain on his varied career, including his latest album of songs that were composed with the legendary Guy Clark.PART ONEScott and Paul talk about how technology is changing the songwriting game, and other old man complaints. PART TWOOur in-depth conversation with Shawn Camp ABOUT SHAWN CAMPSinger/songwriter Shawn Camp has written chart-topping hits such as “Two Pina Coladas” by Garth Brooks, “How Long Gone” by Brooks & Dunn, “Would You Go

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01:21:38

Songcraft Classic: EMILY SALIERS of Indigo Girls

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/10/14

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2019 conversation with Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls. ABOUT EMILY SALIERSSinger-songwriter Emily Saliers is best known as one half of Indigo Girls, which NPR called “one of the finest folk duos of all time.” The Georgia-raised musical icon is the sole writer of some of the group’s best-known titles, including “Closer to Fine,” “Hammer and a

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01:04:19

Ep. 265 - Whitney Phillips ("Stuck with U")

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/10/06

Whitney Phillips, Grammy-nominated songwriter and member of the ensemble cast of the Netflix show Hitmakers, talks about life as a modern-day pop writerPART ONEPaul and Scott dive into the idea of a "perfect song" and discuss some examples of songs they think just might fit into that elusive category.PART TWOOur in-depth conversation with Whitney PhillipsABOUT WHITNEY PHILLIPSWhitney Phillips is a Grammy-nominated songwriter and vocal producer known for her genre-blurring versatility and sharp pop

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01:16:16

Songcraft Classic: ROLAND ORAZBAL of Tears for Fears...

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/09/30

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2022 conversation with Roland Orzabal. ABOUT ROLAND ORZABAL AND TEARS FOR FEARS:Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith formed Tears for Fears in Bath, England, in 1981 and have gone on to sell 30 million albums worldwide. Their major breakthrough in the UK came in 1982 with the Top 5 single “Mad World” and the subsequent platinum-selling album The Hurting

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02:00:56

Songcraft Classic: CROSBY & NASH

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/09/16

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2020 conversation with David Crosby and our 2023 conversation with Graham Nash. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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01:17:29

Ep. 264 - HAYES CARLL ("The Love That We Need")

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/09/09

Americana Award winner and Grammy nominee Hayes Carll chats about the development of his songwriting and the highly personal nature of his latest album, We're Only Human. PART ONEPaul and Scott talk about the unfortunate history of songs about rock & roll.PART TWOScott's in-depth conversation with Hayes CarllABOUT HAYES CARLLSinger, songwriter, and Americana mainstay Hayes Carll hit the scene in 2002 with his independently released debut album, Flowers & Liquor. The follow-up, Little Rock,

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01:26:25

Songcraft Classic: DAN WILSON ("Someone Like You")

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/09/03

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2021 conversation with Dan Wilson. ABOUT DAN WILSONSongwriter, singer, musician, producer and acclaimed visual artist Dan Wilson is a Minnesota native and Harvard graduate who launched his music career with the band Trip Shakespeare, which was signed to A&M Records. He went on to co-found the rock band Semisonic, whose platinum-selling Feeling

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01:14:59

Ep. 263 - MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER ("Down at the Twist...

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/08/26

Five-time Grammy winner, ACM Poet's Award honoree, and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Mary Chapin Carpenter opens up about her process and reflects on her approach to the craft. PART ONE:Paul and Scott geek out hard on Elvis and legendary songwriter Doc Pomus. PART TWO:Our in-depth conversation with Mary Chapin CarpenterABOUT MARY CHAPIN CARPENTERMary Chapin Carpenter is a five-time Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter and performer who has been nominated 18 times in categories ranging from

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01:14:26

Songcraft Classic: VINCE GILL ("Go Rest High on That...

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/08/22

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2017 conversation with Vince Gill. ABOUT VINCE GILLMulti-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Vince Gill launched his solo career in the mid-1980s, hitting the Top 10 on Billboard’s country singles chart a remarkable 25 times. All but one of those hits was written or co-written by Gill, and a dozen of his compositions have been nominated for

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00:53:46

Ep. 262 - TYSON RITTER of The All-American Rejects...

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/08/13

The All-American Rejects frontman discusses the evolution of his songwriting process and what it means for him to embrace his art. PART ONEPaul and Scott talk about their upcoming music-themed road trip.PART TWOOur in-depth interview with Tyson Ritter of The All-American RejectsABOUT TYSON RITTERTyson Ritter is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and primary lyricist of The All-American Rejects. Formed in Stillwater, Oklahoma, in 1999, the band quickly rose to prominence in the early 2000s

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01:16:02

Songcraft Classic: VALERIE SIMPSON ("I'm Every Woman")

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters ·

2025/08/05

We're celebrating our 10th anniversary all year by digging in the vaults to re-present classic episodes with fresh commentary. Today, we're revisiting our 2019 conversation with Valerie Simpson of Ashford & Simpson. ABOUT VALERIE SIMPSONSix-time Grammy nominee Valerie Simpson is best known as one half of the songwriting, production and performing duo of Ashford and Simpson, which she formed with musical partner and eventual husband Nick Ashford after they met at a church in Harlem, New York, in the

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70 results

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