Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters

By Scott B. Bomar, Paul DuncanMusic Music Commentary Music Interviews Music History

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Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters episodes

October 23 Ep. 289 - BERNIE TAUPIN ("Tiny Dancer")
Songwriters Hall of Famer, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Academy Award winner, and iconic lyricist Bernie Taupin chats about his longtime collaboration with Elton John, his love for Merle Haggard and Leonard Cohen, the unprecedented approach to his new solo record, and much more.
PART ONE:
Paul and Scott talk about Paul's recent Dove Award win, Scott's brand new soul book, and why this episode instantly became Paul's favorite in Songcraft history.

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with the legendary Bernie Taupin
ABOUT BERNIE TAUPIN

Bernie Taupin is one of the most successful and enduring lyricists in the history of popular music. Best known for his extraordinary partnership with Elton John, Taupin has spent more than five decades writing the words to some of the most recognizable songs of the rock era, including “Your Song,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Rocket Man,” “Daniel,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Bennie and the Jets,” ”Candle in the Wind,” “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” “Philadelphia Freedom,” “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word,” “I'm Still Standing,” “Sacrifice,” and “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from the film Rocketman, which won an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Beyond his work with Elton John, Bernie has written songs with and for Alice Cooper (“How You Gonna See Me Now”), Starship (“We Built This City”), Heart (“These Dreams”), Willie Nelson (“Mendocino County Line”), Courtney Love (“Uncool”), Brian Wilson (“What I Really Want for Christmas”), Emmylou Harris (the Oscar-nominated “A Love That Will Never Grow Old”), and many others.
In addition to his Academy Award, Taupin has been honored with two Golden Globes, the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an appointment as Commander of the Order of the British Empire, and most recently, the Grammy’s Trustees Award in 2026.
Bernie released a spoken-word poetry album in 1971 called Taupin and released two albums as an artist, He Who Rides the Tiger and Tribe, in the 1980s. In the 1990s, his group Farm Dogs issued two albums, Last Stand in Open Country and Immigrant Sons. His brand-new solo release, The Sea Has No Mercy, finds Bernie writing some of his most intimate songs to date. His first album without a co-writer, it features Bernie crafting both lyrics and melodies that emerge from a deeply personal place.

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1 hr 24 min
September 30 Ep. 288 - EDIE BRICKELL & MATT CHAMBERLAIN of World Famous Pets
Former New Bohemians bandmates Edie Brickell and Matt Chamberlain talk about their songwriting processes and their new group, World Famous Pets.
PART ONE
Paul talks about his encounter with Prince!

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Edie Brickell and Matt Chamberlain

ABOUT EDIE BRICKELL AND MATT CHAMBERLAIN

Singer-songwriter Edie Brickell and drummer-composer Matt Chamberlain comprise one half of the group World Famous Pets, but they first began working together when Chamberlain joined Edie Brickell and New Bohemians before the band’s second album, Ghost of a Dog, in 1990. Edie first rose to prominence when the band’s debut album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars was released in 1988 and was certified double platinum on the strength of the hit single “What I Am.” As of 2021, Edie Brickell and New Bohemians have released five studio albums.

In addition to her work with the band and three solo albums, Edie has collaborated with Harper Simon as The Heavy Circles, with Steve Gadd and others as the Gaddabouts, and more recently, with the band Heavy Makeup. Notably, she has recorded two studio albums and one live album with Steve Martin, and the pair collaborated on the Broadway musical Bright Star. In addition to her other various musical projects, Brickell tours with her husband Paul Simon, for whom Matt Chamberlain plays drums.

Chamberlain has recorded extensively with his jazz fusion band Critters Buggin, but has also been part of the Floratone Jazz Collective with Bill Frissell, formed the grunge supergroup Painted Shield with Stone Gossard and Mason Jennings, and released an album with Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek. As a drummer he has toured and/or recorded with Pearl Jam, Tori Amos, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Brandi Carlile, Fiona Apple, Soundgarden, and many others. This year, Brickell and Chamberlain launched World Famous Pets, a project that was born from improvisation. The group’s self-titled debut album was just released on September 25th.

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1 hr 16 min
September 11 Ep. 287 - BUDDY MILLER (Does My Ring Burn Your Finger?)
Grammy winner and Americana Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Buddy Miller chats about everything from his signature guitar licks, to finding the right ramp for Solomon Burke, to the theme of sadness that runs through his joyful-sounding new solo album - his first in 22 years!
PART ONE:
Paul and Scott reflect on the songwriting, life, and loss of the incomparable Dolly Parton

PART TWO:
Scott's in-depth conversation with one of his favorite artists, Buddy Miller

ABOUT BUDDY MILLER:
Singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, and Americana music legend Buddy Miller has worked with Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, John Fogerty, Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, Solomon Burke, Richard Thompson, Steve Earle, and many others. The four-time nominee earned a GRAMMY for his production work on Patty Griffin’s acclaimed Downtown Church album. He has taken home 14 Americana Music Awards, including multiple Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Instrumentalist of the Year, and Artist of the Year wins. Buddy was honored with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 and was previously named Artist of the Decade by No Depression. In addition to serving as Executive Music Producer for ABC-TV’s Nashville series, Buddy has released seven studio albums as a solo artist, a duo album with Jim Lauderdale, and four duo albums with his wife and longtime musical partner Julie Miller. Buddy’s most recent project, his first solo album in 22 years, is the self-titled Buddy Miller.

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1 hr 33 min
August 28 Ep. 286 - LUKAS GRAHAM ("7 Years")
Multi-Grammy-nominated and international multi-platinum artist Lukas Graham chats about his evolution as a writer, from his breakthrough with "7 Years" up through his latest album, Good Times.

PART ONE
The latest chapter in Paul and Scott's fierce disagreement over perfect rhyme versus slant rhyme in lyrics
PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Lukas Graham
ABOUT LUKAS GRAHAM
The multi-Grammy-nominated artist Lukas Graham came to international prominence in 2016 with the song “7 Years,” an anthemic piano ballad that topped the charts in multiple countries and was certified 12-times platinum by the RIAA in the United States. The self-titled album on which it appeared, known to fans as the Blue Album, was also certified Platinum. The Danish artist has built a career spanning five albums, with hits including “Love Someone,” which was certified platinum in 18 countries. His work blends soul, pop, and deeply personal storytelling, exploring themes of family, love, and resilience — from the loss of his father to becoming one himself. Lukas’s latest album, Good Times, finds him reconnecting with the Celtic, acoustic, and folk roots of his Irish father while blending them with his unique pop sensibilities. You can catch Lukas on the road now as he tours with Ed Sheeran.

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1 hr 10 min
August 14 Ep. 285 - MAGGIE ROSE ("Red Shoes")
Two-time GRAMMY nominee and Americana Music Association Award nominee Maggie Rose joins us to chat about the development of her creative voice and her excellent new album, Half Moon.
PART ONE
Paul and Scott discuss Brandie Carlile's recent live cover of Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited," which leads to a conversation about cover songs before spiraling out of control into despair about aging.

PART TWO
Our in-depth conversation with Maggie Rose

ABOUT MAGGIE ROSE
Maggie Rose earned her first GRAMMY nomination, for Best Americana Album for her No One Gets Out Alive LP, in 2025. Later that year, the Americana Music Association nominated her for Emerging Act of the Year. The recognition was hard won. After moving to Nashville in 2009, Rose released her debut album, Cut to Impress, in 2013, which yielded the Top 40 country single “I Ain’t Your Mama.” She went on to release a handful of EPs, albums, and singles that explored a broader sonic landscape, including original songs such as “Body on Fire,” “Change the Whole Thing,” “Saint,” and “Poison in My Well,” a duet with Grace Potter than earned Rose her second GRAMMY nomination in 2026. Maggie’s fifth studio album, which was just released, is called Half Moon.

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1 hr 15 min
July 23 Ep. 284 - PAUL OVERSTREET (Forever and Ever, Amen)
Country Music Hall of Famer, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer, 2-time Country Song of the Year GRAMMY winner, and 5-time BMI Country Songwriter of the Year Paul Overstreet gives us a peek behind the curtain of his legendary career.

PART ONE:
Scott does his best not to throw a certain individual under the bus with a very funny story involving Paul Overstreet. Plus, the guys pay tribute to the late Joe Melson, past Songcraft guest and primary Roy Orbison collaborator.

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Paul Overstreet

ABOUT PAUL OVERSTREET
Paul Overstreet is one of the most successful songwriters in Nashville history and among the three inductees in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s class of 2026. His catalog of classics includes “Same Ole Me,” recorded by George Jones, as well as the Randy Travis hits “Digging Up Bones,” “No Place Like Home,” “Deeper Than the Holler,” “On the Other Hand,” and “Forever and Ever, Amen.” The latter two were both named Song of the Year by NSAI, the CMA, and the ACM. Additionally, “Forever and Ever, Amen” earned a Grammy award for Best Country Song in 1988. Overstreet won another Best Country Song Grammy in 1992 for “Love Can Build a Bridge,” which was a major hit for The Judds.
Other highlights of the Paul Overstreet songbook include the number one hits “A Long Line of Love,” recorded by Michael Martin Murphy,” “When You Say Nothing at All,” which was a hit for both Keith Whitley and Alison Krauss, and “Some Beach” for Blake Shelton.
In addition to his achievements with other performers, Overstreet became a successful recording artist in his own right. He reached the top of the charts in 1987 with “I Won’t Take Less Than Your Love,” which he recorded with Tanya Tucker and Paul Davis, and had hits with the group S-K-O, a trio he formed with Thom Schuyler and Fred Knobloch. From 1988 through 1991 Paul scored eight consecutive top 10 singles as a solo artist, including “Seein’ My Father in Me” and “Daddy’s Come Around.”
Paul was named BMI’s Country Songwriter of the year five years in a row from 1987 through 1991, a feat that hasn’t been duplicated since. He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003.

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1 hr 36 min
July 09 Ep. 283 - SWAMP DOGG ("She's All I Got")
The legendary Swamp Dogg returns to Songcraft after more than a decade to talk about, well, whatever he wants. And we're here for it!

PART ONE
Paul and Scott contemplate their second visit with Swamp Dogg

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with the original D-O-double G!
ABOUT SWAMP DOGG

R&B cult favorite Jerry “Swamp Dogg” Williams is best known as the co-writer, with Gary U.S. Bonds, of the cross-genre classic, “She’s All I Got,” which became a Top 10 R&B single for Freddie North and a #2 country hit for Johnny Paycheck in 1971. Williams’ career began in 1954 when, at the age of 12, he made his first record, “HTD Blues.” He found success in the 1960s, recording the Top 40 R&B hit “Baby You’re My Everything” under the name Little Jerry Williams, and writing songs for other artists, including Gene Pitney’s Top 20 Pop single, “She’s a Heartbreaker.” He became Atlantic Records’ first African American staff producer in 1968 but left the following year to pursue independent projects in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and Macon, Georgia. By the 1970s Swamp was an in-demand producer and songwriter, penning Top 40 R&B hits for Doris Duke, Arthur Conley, and Dee Dee Warwick.

Around the same time, he reinvented himself as Swamp Dogg, releasing a series of eccentric soul albums with lyrics marked by frank sexuality, biting satire, radical politics, and provocative social observations. His debut LP, Total Destruction to Your Mind, was eventually certified Gold, while subsequent releases, including Gag a Maggott, I’m Not Selling Out – I’m Buying In, An Awful Christmas and a Lousy New Year, and The White Man Made Me Do It garnered considerable accolades among underground music lovers and earned Swamp what one journalist described as “a cultural niche somewhere between Rudy Ray Moore and Frank Zappa.” In recent years, his vast catalog has been sampled by Kid Rock, Talib Kweli, DMX, and others. Having just turned 84, Swamp shows no signs of slowing down. Since we last spoke with him in 2015, he has released five albums, including a bluegrass-inspired project called Blackgrass and his most recent release, Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife.

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1 hr 43 min
June 24 Ep. 282 - BRIAN DUNNE ("New Tattoo")
Indie troubadour and Rolling Stone darling Brian Dunne gets real about his work as a songwriter who take the craft seriously.

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott talk about the Earth, Wind & Fire documentary, musical gibberish, Michael Jackson's lyrical theft, Scott's Cameroonian music phase, and perhaps the most irritating song mashup of all time.

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Brian Dunne

ABOUT BRYAN DUNNE
Brian Dunne is a New York–based singer-songwriter whose sharp storytelling, dark humor, and blue-collar perspective have earned him a devoted following in the Americana and indie-rock worlds. A longtime fixture on the East Coast club circuit, Dunne built his career the old-fashioned way—by writing songs, touring relentlessly, and cultivating a fiercely independent DIY approach. Over the course of multiple solo albums, including Selling Things in 2020, Loser on the Ropes in 2023, and Clams Casino in 2025, he has developed a reputation for pairing deeply human observations with memorable, hook-filled songs that draw from the traditions of artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Billy Joel while maintaining a distinctly modern voice.
Dunne's profile expanded internationally when his 2021 single “New Tattoo” became an unexpected hit in the Netherlands, and in 2022 he co-founded the acclaimed folk-rock collective Fantastic Cat alongside fellow songwriters Anthony D'Amato, Don DiLego, and Mike Montali. Dunne continues to balance his solo career with Fantastic Cat, earning praise for songs that explore failure, resilience, class, ambition, and the everyday struggles of modern life with equal parts wit, empathy, and heart. His work has attracted praise from Rolling Stone, where writer Joseph Hudak championed his 2025 album Clams Casino and later singled it out as his favorite album of the year. It has been described as if novelist Sam Lipsyte wrote the lyrics for Billy Joel’s Glass Houses, or if the Jason Isbell of Southeastern cut his teeth in scuzzy NYC rock clubs.

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1 hr
June 12 Ep. 281 - STEVE POLTZ ("You Were Meant For Me")
Known for co-writing Jewel's "You Were Meant For Me," Steve Poltz has spent more than three decades as a singer-songwriter-performer of the first order, earning international applause and fans worldwide with his inspired brand of rock-influenced countrified folk Americana. This incredibly witty and insightful conversation is a true inspiration.

PART ONE
Paul and Scott chat about supergroups. What qualifies as a supergroup? What so-called "supergroups" don't live up to the hype? We're not afraid to do a hard-hitting investigation!

PART TWO
Our in-depth interview with Steve Poltz

ABOUT STEVE POLTZ
Steve Poltz is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is a founding member of the indie-rock band the Rugburns and is known for co-writing “You Were Meant for Me” with Jewel, which became a major hit for her in 1996. He signed with Mercury Records in the late 1990s and has since built a loyal following as an independent troubadour. Steve has released fourteen studio albums, the latest of which is called JoyRide.

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1 hr 11 min
May 27 Ep. 280 - CAMERON McCLOUD of Cure for Paranoia ("No Brainer")
Rising hip hop influencer Cameron McCloud lets us in on his journey and his process

PART ONE:
Paul and Scott chat about a song that's getting a lot of hate online and consider how the internet has redefined how we hear music.

PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Cameron McCloud

ABOUT CAMERON McCLOUD
Cure for Paranoia is the Dallas-based alternative hip hop collective fronted by Cameron McCloud. Crowned "Rap Group of the Year" by the Dallas Entertainment Awards in 2025 and "Artist of the Year" in 2026, the group’s name came about following McCloud’s diagnosis with bipolar depression and paranoid schizophrenia. Their breakthrough came when Erykah Badu’s tapped them to perform at her birthday bash, and they have since shared bills with such artists as George Clinton, Nas, Ludacris, and Leon Bridges. The group was named NPR Tiny Desk Contest finalists three times in 2023, 2024, and 2025 before winning the contest in 2026. In addition to the success of their most recent EP, Work of Art, they’ve gained attention online thanks to Cameron’s 2025 challenge to release an original verse every day on his social media channels. Tackling everything from mental health to social injustice, his rhymes earned a substantial following. Inspired by groups such as Outkast, The Roots, and a Tribe Called Quest, Cameron McCloud and Cure for Paranoia are rapidly gaining a major national audience.

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1 hr 11 min

About Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters

From the publisher's feed

Songcraft is a bi-weekly podcast that brings you in-depth conversations with and about the creators of lyrics and music that stand the test of time. You probably know their names, and you definitely…