Meet Tommy Karlas | Professional Country Music Songwriter

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

Hi Tommy, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I think choosing to try to be a professional country music songwriter was probably one of the riskiest things I could’ve chosen to pursue whole heartedly as a career. More than I even knew at the time I started. When I moved to Nashville at the age of 19 in 2001, there were over 2000 signed songwriters in all of country music. Today there is less than 400. Even back then the odds were so much against you but today it’s even harder in many respects. Having said that, I think the key to sticking with it is discipline and remembering why I love writing songs. As well as guarding against jadedness and bitterness. Especially because this job is feast or famine & basically rejection for a living. Like anything risky you might pursue, you should do it first and foremost because you love it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I decided to try go for being a hit songwriter in country music, I basically was gambling on a feast or famine kind of life and prepared to mostly face rejection for a living. Even the most successful songwriters make most of their income on less than 5% of the songs they write. But the drive to write something really great and get it out into the world to touch peoples lives is what drives a decision like that. I have been writing country songs professionally for over 22 years now and have had over 8 publishing deals, over 50 cuts, 100,000,000 streams, and a multi-week #1 called Roll With Me. I’ve had songs recorded by Blake Shelton, Randy Travis, Old Dominion, Trisha Yearwood, Warren Zeiders, to name a few, and have been nominated ASCAP Songwriter of the Year.

The low and hard times are really low and really hard, almost to the point where you doubt your decisions to do this for a living. But the highs and the moments of success and getting a truly great song out into the world makes it all worthwhile.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The place that made me want to be a pro songwriter was The Bluebird Cafe. When I was 14 I took my first trip to Nashville and went to the Bluebird Cafe. By chance and fate, I saw one the most incredible songwriters to ever do this job, Dean Dillon, along with Skip Ewing, Gary Burr, and Hugh Presswood. These guys are masters of their craft and wrote some of the best songs in country music. When I heard them do these amazing songs in the legendary intimate whole in the wall called The Bluebird, it was such a moving experience that is set my life on a trajectory that has lasted over 27 years to this point. So many greats have played the Bluebird or got their big break there like Garth Brooks or Taylor Swift. It’s not big so it’s hard to get seats but if you ever have a chance to go, don’t pass it up. There’s nothing like it in the world. And now all these years later I feel very fortunate to get to play The Bluebird Cafe several times a year. It’s one of my favorite things I get to do as a part of this profession.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would want to shout out to two different and pivotal people. My first publisher, Jeff Carlton, and my recent publisher, Jim Catino. When I first moved to Nashville I was lucky enough to meet one of the best song guys on Music Row, Jeff Carlton, who was the VP of the top independent publishing company at that time called Hamstein. Jeff heard two songs that I wrote and called me into his office and eventually signed me to my first publishing deal, which was the genesis of everything good that I’ve got going in this town.

The second person would be Jim Catino who signed me to his co-venture with Sony Music Publishing Nashville. At the time Jim signed me, I went from not sure what or if anything was next to signed with one of the best publishing companies in Nashville.

Website: https://tommykarlasmusic.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tommykarlas/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tommy-karlas-74a69a135/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tommykarlas

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@tommykarlasmusic

Image Credits
Cover Photography Julie Willoughby Cover Design Brian Scroggins