I visited the Museum of Appalachia near Knoxville a while back. They have a great collection of traditional instruments and lots of memorabilia about artists native to the area.
One of the displays details Red Stewart, a popular singer and songwriter in the 1940's. His experience is a good lesson for songwriters today.
He and another artist of the time, PeeWee King, were traveling from a show in Kentucky about 1947, where PeeWee had performed a song called the Kentucky Waltz at a show. While driving along, PeeWee remarked to Red that there ought to be a Tennessee Waltz, too. So Red wrote it, with some assistance from PeeWee.
Red offered the song to a Grand Ole Opry artist named Cowboy Copas for the total sum of $25. Copas declined the offer. Red sang it on a radio station in 1948, then it was recorded by several other artists. None of the recordings had any success.
Eventually, Patti Page recorded the song to complete an album. It was released as a single in 1950, and sold 5 million copies. It was the most popular song in the country for about 6 months. According to the museum display, as of a few years ago the song had sold over 65 million copies worldwide, and climbing. It is still being recorded by traditional artists, and still getting radio play.
In present day there are many other examples of songs just needing to find the right circumstances. "Bless The Broken Road" had been around, and recorded by several artists, for 7 years before Rascal Flatts made it a huge hit. "The House That Built Me", a Grammy winner and career song for Miranda Lambert this year, was written around about 11 years ago.
I am always amazed by stories like this. They affirm my belief that a truly great song will eventually find its path and realize the success it deserves. It encourages me to take a long term view of songwriting.
Keep writing the best songs you can, and maybe one of them will turn into another "Tennessee Waltz"!
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