BMI Songwriter's Showcase @ the Bing Lounge-9-26-12

Taking a good look at the above photo, can you name all three men shown?  If not, don't feel bad; even the most diehard country fans don't always recognize songwriters.  Most likely, you recognized singer/songwriter Luke Bryan, but probably not the other two, right?

As can be expected, Bryan is recognizable mainly because he's a singer as well; having had several hits on the country charts. The others though are the "behind the scenes" people.  The ones that make it possible for singers to do the job they do.  Unless a singer is also a songwriter, they're dependent on others for the material they perform.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012, the Bing Lounge had a "BMI Songwriter's Showcase" featuring Bryan, as well as songwriters, Dallas Davidson and Jeff Stevens.

Like everyone else, I knew who Bryan was, and I knew of Davidson, though I'd never heard of Stevens. Throughout the evening of stories and singing though, it became obvious that though I didn't know his name, I did know the hits Stevens has written for others. The same was true of Davidson.

The three have been friends for years, with Bryan and Davidson going back as far as their school days.  In addtion to songwriting, Stevens is a producer for Bryan.

Each took turns singing songs they'd written or co-written, telling how each came to be. In between songs and stories there was a lot of joking around and interaction with the audience.

For this post I'll list each person individually, starting with Luke Bryan.

As stated earlier, Luke Bryan is the most recognizable of the three songwriters showcased that evening.  He was the foundation of the show, playing some of his hits as well as joining in with Davidson and Stevens at times.  You could tell that Bryan was having a great time playing, telling stories and interacting with the audience.  Not only is he a great singer, he's a really funny, nice guy also.

Dallas Davidson is best known as one of the "Georgia Peach Pickers".  The Peach Pickers are songwriters Davidson, Rhett Akins and Ben Hayslip, who write together on a regular basis, and have had several hits together as well as separately.

Davidson is also the first winner of the  "ACM Songwriter of the Year" award; winning the title in 2011.

Fans of Lady Antebellum, Montgomery Gentry, or Trace Adkins have heard  at least some of Davidson's tunes:  "Just A Kiss",  "Where I Come From", and Honky-Tonk Badonkadonk", respectively, to name a few.

Davidson performed each of those songs, as well as this hit he wrote for Jake Owen.

Jeff Stevens is a name I hadn't heard until the Bing Lounge Showcase.

Though his name wasn't familiar to me, it was obvious immediately that Stevens' songwriting talent was.  The first song Stevens performed that evening was one he wrote for Tim McGraw;  "Back When".
Like with Bryan and Davidson, it was fun not only to hear the songwriter sing what he'd written, but tell how the song came to life in the first place.

Tim McGraw isn't the only country artist Stevens has had hits with though.  He's had at least two with the king of country, George Strait; "Carried Away", and one of my favorite Strait hits, "Carrying Your Love With Me."

   
One song Luke Bryan and Dallas Davidson performed together hasn't ever been recorded.  The song is called "Buddies", and judging from the audience reaction, I'm pretty sure it could be a hit if it was recorded.

Once the showcase was done, all three men stayed to sign autographs and have photos taken with anyone wanting to do so.  Just like on stage, the three joked around, shook hands, and spoke to each person, in addition to signing and posing for photos.

This is the second songwriter showcase KUPL has hosted in the Bing Lounge; and as fun as they both have been, I hope they have more in the future.