Tin Pan South Is a Treat for Attendees and Songwriters Alike

More than 300 songwriters are performing all over Nashville this week (March 24-28) as part of Music City's annual Tin Pan South festival.The five-day event, which is now in its 23rd year and is hosted by the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), brings together writers from all genres, making it the largest all-songwriter festival in the world.

For the writers, Tin Pan South is a highly anticipated yearly event.

"I love Tin Pan South," songwriter Phil Barton, who penned Lee Brice's "A Woman Like You," tells The Boot. "It's a great celebration of songwriters and great songs. To be a part of it is a real buzz and one of the highlights of the year. Every venue and every show is alive in Tin Pan South Week, and the absorbing crowds make it very special."

One of the things that makes Tin Pan South so special is that its performing songwriters get to not only play, but also catch some of their friends singing their hits as well.

"Every song has a story behind them," songwriter Bill Whyte, who has written tunes for Ray Stevens, Joe Nichols and Linda Davis, among others, says. "Where the idea came from. How the song went from a writing room to being a familiar hit. Audiences are treated to many of those stories. Sometimes those are as interesting as the song themselves.

"For me," Whyte continues, "Tin Pan South is a great place to hear songs that have great impact as performed by the writer or writers, even thought they may never be charted hits, as well as being a great environment to hear songs that will be hits in the future."

Craig Campbell, the owner of Campbell Entertainment Group (no relation to the artist of the same name), says it's a rare treat to be able to hear songwriters in such an intimate setting.

"The thing I love most about Tin Pan South is hearing so many writers singing hit songs as they were originally written, and also hearing new gems that will likely be on the radio down the road," he says. "At some of the rounds, there is as much joking and laughter as there is music, which really shows the camaraderie of the songwriters and how much they enjoy entertaining.

"In my opinion," Campbell adds, "if you make your living in any area of the music business, you should be required to attend Tin Pan South to see where your living actually starts."

Brandy Clark, Hillary Scott, RaeLynn, Bill Anderson, Nashville‘s Sam Palladio, John Oates, Angaleena Presley, Charlie Worsham, Kara DioGuardi, Chuck Wicks, Vince Gill and Shane McAnally are just a few of the songwriters who are performing during Tin Pan South 2015. A complete schedule is available at the TinPanSouth.com.