Tracy Lawrence Hits the Books for Inspiration

Next time you find yourself browsing in one of Nashville's many bookstores, you might want to check out the guy or gal just down the aisle who's casually -- but thoughtfully -- leafing through books. According to Tracy Lawrence, he or she could be a songwriter in search of inspiration for that next big hit.

"There's so many songwriters in town; we all pretty much do the same thing -- you'll run into them, scanning the book aisle," Tracy tells Southern California's The Press-Enterprise. "I'll scan the book department at Wal-Mart and at Barnes & Noble, looking for any title that jumps out at me."

But Tracy says the typical songwriter doesn't limit himself to the written word when seeking that creative spark.

"We watch a lot of TV," he reveals. "People actually take notepads to the movie theaters and write those things down, like -- 'you had me from hello' [an iconic line from 'Jerry Maguire']. There's lines from movies that just fall out of the sky and land on you, and you just can't wait to get back to write them. Once you get that great idea, most of us are able to craft at least a decent song out of it."

Tracy has been able to craft what he feels is a more than decent album this past year. 'The Rock' is his third CD on his own indie label, Rocky Mountain Comfort Records, and it made a powerful impression on fans, radio and charts this summer, debuting in the Top 20 on the country chart and Top 5 on the Christian chart.

This Sunday (Sept. 27), the singer-songwriter hits the stage with another Tracy -- Tracy Byrd -- and former Lonestar front man, Richie McDonald at the Wagon Wheel Country Music Festival in Lake Elsinore, California. They've dubbed themselves The Rat Pack.

"The three of us can sit down for two-and-a-half, three hours ... and play nothing but hit after hit after hit after hit after hit," Tracy notes, saying how much he loves the "instant gratification" of performing for an audience.