I sometimes get asked if my lyrics are based on true stories and many of them are. Hopefully in those cases I've disguised character names and locations well enough to protect innocent parties and keep guilty ones curious but still in the shadows. My stories also often are inspired by something I've observed in nature, like the seagull shown here. He stands with the confidence we all should dare to claim every time we put our best foot forward or soar to heights beyond what we've attained to date.
Other lyrics and stories seem to come to me as if they were real, I see them like a movie, and the characters in those works are sometimes as beloved to me as my closest friends. It is as if they emerge from some doorway onto the subconscious and enter into my world like uninvited but always welcome guests. I often consider these characters to be "friends of friends" of some other song characters. That is to say, the characters and their stories often come to me after hearing a song by another artist.
It's a bit difficult for me to define my musical tastes, but I think the common thread between the artists I love has to do with their ability to tell a great story about compelling characters we can all relate to on some level. Over the next while, I intend to flesh out this list a bit by listing the particular songs that have influenced me and where possible identify specific lines that have come to me as a result of interacting with these songs.
The artists are in no particular order, except for the top seven or so. It turns out a lot of my characters are friends of Leroy Brown, so it only makes sense to start with Jim Croce.
- Jim Croce
- Paul Simon (the "and Garfunkel" days and beyond)
- Woody Guthrie
- Peter Paul and Mary
- James Taylor
- Tom Petty
- Bruce Springsteen
- Johnny Cash
- Neil Diamond
- Kenny Rogers
- Canned Heat
- Arlo Guthrie
- Harry Belafonte
- Earl Scruggs
- Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- Emmylou Harris
- Van Morrison
- The Clash
- R.E.M.
- Roy Orbison
- Steve Martin
- The Bear's Jamboree
- Zachary Richard
- Clifton Chenier
- Ricky Nelson
- The Roots
- Neil Young
- Bob Dylan
- Joni Mitchel
- John Denver
- The Beach Boys
- The Mamas and the Papas
- Fleetwood Mac
- Smothers Brothers
- John Fogerty (and CCR)
- Sonny and Cher
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