Wacotrib

Leading Nashville songwriters return to Waco roots for benefit show

T.Lee31 min ago

Two of Nashville's leading songwriters return to their Waco and Baylor University stomping grounds Saturday to play a "Long Live the Songwriters" show that benefits educational nonprofit Transformation Waco.

Jim Beavers, who has penned or co-written nine No. 1 country songs including the Toby Keith smash "Red Solo Cup," and Trannie Anderson, who cowrote the Country Music Association Song of the Year "Heart Like a Truck" with Lainey Wilson, will team up in an acoustic concert at 8 p.m. Saturday at Magnolia Press.

The concert, organized by the Waco Foundation's Forever Fund, reunites the two songwriters, Baylor graduates from different decades, who performed last year at the opening of Baylor's new Hurd Welcome Center.

Betsy Daniels, communications and donor services coordinator for the Waco Foundation, thought the two were ideal talents for a fundraising concert planned by the foundation's new Forever Fund. Started last spring, the Forever Fund aims to encourage philanthropy among adults in their 30s, 40s and 50s, slightly younger than many of the Waco Foundation's regular donors, she said.

More than 200 Forever Fund members, representing 113 households, give a small amount annually, which is then used to support a designated charity or organization for the year. Fund members hope to raise $50,000 this year for Transformation Waco, which provides support services for schools with many low-income students, Daniels said.

The concert showcases two of Nashville's top songwriting talents, who came at the subject from different directions. Beavers had performed in country bands around Waco during his days at Baylor in the late 1990s, including the band Sons of the Desert, before moving to Nashville in 1991 in hopes of working in the music industry.

He worked at Capitol Records and Virgin Records for about 10 years before he realized songwriting was consuming a major part of his time and energy, and merited his focus. Over the last 20 years, he's written songs for a "who's who" of country music, including Chris Stapleton, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Gary Allan, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, Josh Turner, Billy Currington, Trace Adkins, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley and Faith Hill.

Beavers served last year as chairman of the Country Music Association, one of country music's leading industry organizations, and the first songwriter to hold that post. Even after knowing the ins and outs of that industry, Beavers is an ardent defender of the genre.

The annual CMA Festival, a four-day event that's a major item on the country music calendar, finds some of country's top stars donating their time and talent for free, with proceeds divided between the CMA Foundation and support for music education in public schools.

"It's gratifying to see the good work the CMA does," Beavers said. "There's no other genre like country music."

Anderson, on the other hand, has been on a songwriting career path since writing her first song at age 6. She got early help from Gary Rhodes, then the music minster of Highland Baptist Church, who provided advice and songwriting lessons as she grew older. At Baylor, Anderson, then Trannie Stevens, worked on songwriting and performing, including time at Baylor's student record label.

After graduating from Baylor in 2015, she left for Nashville nine years ago and though eight of those years passed before she achieved her first major hit, it's been worth it. She signed with Sony Music Publishing, a major music player, in 2018, the same year she married a mechanical engineer and changed her last name. "It's was always the plan for me ... I'm very thankful how it's worked out," she said.

In addition to her career as a songwriter, Anderson leads songwriting workshops where she shares from her experience. What makes a successful song? "It really, truly comes from your heart and is true to you. Being authentic, really," she said. "I love songs that tell a story."

Telling stories

Saturday's show features both songwriters swapping songs and telling the stories behind them.

It's a familiar format, one often seen at Nashville's famed Bluebird Cafe. "Songwriter shows are a second side hustles for many songwriters," Beavers explained. "If you're lucky enough to have hits, they (the audience) knows the songs and this adds a different layer to the music."

Listeners can expect Beavers to share "Watching Airplanes," a hit for Gary Allan, and "Drink a Beer" that Luke Bryan drove up the charts. "Drink a Beer" sometimes shows up at funerals and memorials, Beavers said, which the songwriter did not have in mind when he wrote it. "It means a whole lot to some people, but as a writer, it's not something you ever set out to do," he said.

And then there's "Red Solo Cup," a party anthem for many a country get-together. "It's so crazy. Not a week goes by where that song isn't requested and that was 10 years ago," he said.

On Anderson's side of things, expect to hear a couple of Lainey Wilson songs, including "Heart Like a Truck," "Wildflowers and Wild Horses" and some of her songs recorded by Cole Swindell, Dan + Shay, Chris Stapleton, Josh Turner and Luke Bryan, she said.

There's more on the way outside of the concert, she hinted, with several Anderson songs set for release over the next six months.

"It will be a lovely night at Magnolia," she said. "I'm excited to see my family and friends."

Beavers, too, looks forward to revisiting Waco and Baylor memories with friends. "In the late 1980s, Central Texas was a hotbed of country music," he recalled, ticking off popular venues like the Melody Ranch, West Fraternal Auditorium and smaller SPJST dance halls. "That's where I learned songs and what songs work with an audience."