Annual songwriters forum. A day of inspiration and learning. Saturday August 22, 2009
Chas Sandford – Keynote Speaker
Sandford’s professional career includes success as a session/live musician, producer, engineer, songwriter, recording artist, publisher and studio owner. Career highlights include opening for The Eagles on their “Hotel California” European tour.
As a hit songwriter and publisher, he is the recipient of twelve ASCAP “Most Performed Songs” awards, including John Waite’s Missing You (over 6,000,000 plays), Chicago’s What Kind of Man Would I Be and Stevie Nicks’ Talk To Me.
His songs have been recorded by Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Melanie, Berlin, Brooks & Dunn, Alison Krauss, Rick Springfield, Sammy Hagar, Jimmy Barnes, David Wilcox, Tyler Hilton and Sheila B. Devotion to name a few. Chas is now a BMI writer/publisher.
Chas owns Secret Sound, a world class recording studio that has had incarnations in Los Angeles, CA, Kauai, HI, Nashville and now Franklin, TN. Scores of artists from all genres have recorded at Secret Sound over the years – from Harry Belafonte, Madonna, Joni Mitchell, Chicago, Def Leppard and Kiss to Keith Urban, Amy Grant, Wynonna, Faith Hill, Shania Twain & Tim McGraw.
Other Guest Speakers for the day include:
- Danny Wells –
With hits such as George Strait’s Check Yes or No, Rascal Flatt’s Everyday Love, These Days, and While You Loved Me, just to name a few, Wells certainly has a perspective on what it takes to be a successful songwriter.
His hit, Little Bit of Life, by Craig Morgan, was in the top 10 for several weeks in 2007.
Lead singer with the Holiday Band, award winning songwriter, keyboardist and guitarist – a “local” success story.
In both 2003 & 2004,Taylor was awarded the songwriter of the year for Carolina Association of Beach Music.
