Meet Lance Cowan | Singer – Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lance Cowan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lance, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I’ve always loved music. Cliché I know, but being around creatives is inspiring. I came to Nashville in the 80s because I wanted to be part of that community.

Early on, I went to check out a writer’s night at The Bluebird Cafe. I was really amazed at the talent and as I left to head home, I stepped out onto the sidewalk. It was pouring rain, and an older model – restored but I can’t remember the make – car pulled up in front of me. Out hopped John Prine, who stood under the awning for 15 or 20 minutes smoking a cigarette, and just talking to me. JOHN PRINE! I’d been a fan since I was a kid and here he was, talking to me like he was interested in my writing. He encouraged me (though he’d never heard anything I’d ever written) but that made me want to be in that community even more.

I started playing the open mics, and soon began getting encouragement not only from The Bluebird Cafe’s owner, Amy Kurland (who has since become a very good friend), but also established writers like Don Schlitz and Fred Knobloch and Mark Germino.

The Nashville writing community back then was so open. Everyone supported everyone. Guitar pulls in someone’s home were common. A few of us formed a little regular guitar pull / potluck and once a month we’d get together to play whatever new we had. You didn’t show up if you didn’t have a new, good song you were proud of, so it was not only a group of encouragers, it was a panel of writers you respected that lifted me up and made me want to be a better writer.

Janis Ian, who as the first musical guest ever on Saturday Night Live with her massive hit, “At Seventeen,” asked me to write with her. We wrote a song that Joan Baez put on hold and played in her shows for a long time. David Mallett, who wrote “The Garden Song” for John Denver and “Red Red Rose” for Emmylou Harris, wrote with me and recorded several of our songs.

Those great artists propped me up and embraced me. I felt at home among them.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m pretty picky about the kinds of songs I write. I feel like I owe it to the craft to offer the best songs I can. I am always proud when a client or artists I’ve known for years finds out that I’m a writer and loves what I write.

Making a living a writer in Nashville these days is not easy, which is why so many of us have day jobs, too. When I first came to Nashville, there was a saying that “It all begins with a song.” The songwriter was revered and respected. Nowadays, it doesn’t seem to be the case. The community is not as open as it once was. Add to that the dismal state of streaming vs. record sales vs royalities, well, it’s not as easy as it used to be.

So you have to return to the original reason you began writing in the first place: for yourself. I try to write songs that I like. I don’t do very well writing songs for particular artists. I ended a publishing deal a few years ago and began writing what I thought would get me a new publishing deal. I hated everything I was writing. I have to like the songs and feel a connection to them myself. At the end of the day, I think those are the songs that seem to connect with listeners.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There’s a lot to see in Nashville. The obvious tourist-y places are the Country Music Hall of Fame, a live show at a songwriting room, just depends on the person. Some of my friends would love nothing better than spending an evening listening to a few songwriter friends trade songs in my living room.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
All those I mentioned earlier, of course, and my wife, Nancy, who has been the backbone of the work I’ve done.

I have been able to work with many artists I consider influential in the role of publicist, and I have been able to learn from them. Among them are New Grass Revival (Sam Bush, John Cowan, Pat Flynn, Béla Fleck), Nanci Griffith, Joe Ely, Lyle Lovett, Steve Wariner, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown,” Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock, Michael Martin Murphey, etc.

I was able to watch these guys work and learn from some of the best songwriters in the world. To a fault, I suppose, I always tried to separate my day job from my songwriting. I didn’t push my songs on any of my pr clients. In fact, many didn’t even realize I was pursuing a songwriting career.

Website: www.lancecowanmusic.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lance.cowan.75

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=HnmMAeviMQM