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 Gordon Ellis's Songwriter Story

Gordon Ellis
www.gordonellismusic.com

I was born in New York City--hardly the country music capital of the world.  We didn't even have a country station when I was a kid, so I was influenced more by 50s and early 60s rock'n'roll.  A lot of that music had country roots however, so I guess I was primed for country.  I was initially influenced more by singers than writers (Orbison, Elvis, Jay and the Americans and others with big rangy voices), as I loved to sing even before I started writing, and we often didn't know who wrote the songs, anyway.  I wrote my first song at age 14--it was pretty generic rockabilly.

My earliest songs were so personal, that I never shared them.  Gradually, I expanded to make them more universal, and though you wouldn't necessarily know it from my writing today, two of my earliest influences were Paul Simon and Neil Diamond (Neil though, only after he started writing real stuff like "Brooklyn Roads" and "Shilo").  They made me realize how important lyrics are.  I wound up going to college in Norman, Oklahoma, where I started listening to more country.  I was unconsciously influenced by the simple yet elegant writing of Harland Howard (although it would be years before I knew who he was) and later, Bob McDill--one of the most literate writers I've heard.

I eventually moved to California for my own personal growth, rather than music, but the two went hand in hand.  My songs became even more universal and real.  I had a band called Gordon Ellis and the All Night Ramblers, doing mostly my own tunes, but the Bay Area was not a hotbed of country music either, and most club owners only wanted to hear covers, which wasn't my passion.  After I let go of the band, I concentrated on my writing and joined what is now called West Coast Songwriters Association.  They brought in publishers and producers from LA and occasionally Nashville, to critique songs each month, and I learned a lot from them.  I also eventually learned to balance their critiques with my own intuitive knowing of what works--you have to do that, because everyone has an opinion, and you can wind up chasing your tail and re-writing your songs forever, if you aren't discriminating.  I won several songwriting awards in the Music City Song Festival during that time, though never a grand prize, and was even a male vocal finalist in the Nashville Talent Search in San Jose, where I got to meet Bill Anderson, who hosted the show for regional television.

I started getting more and more songs picked up by publishers in California and from Nashville, some of them got signed, and it encouraged me to move to Nashville in 1990.  Since then, I have had numerous songs signed with publishers, a few of which have been held on to, but never cut,  and I have had several independent cuts, though not a major cut so far. 

I have written with #1 hit writers like Gerald Smith (who wrote "What Part Of No") and Jon Robbin ( who wrote "I Guess You Had To Be There"), but my best songs have either been written alone or with very talented "unknowns" like Marty Rainone, Carol Hashe, and Bill Warrington, to name a few.  It's not who you write with, but how compatible you are that counts.  Marty and I have over 70 songs we have co-written!  If I had to name a favorite current hit writer that I would love to work with, Brad Paisley is at the top of the list--talk about original ideas!

I am still a performing songwriter, have been featured from time to time at writers nights here, and recently, had my website, gordonellismusic.com re-vamped.  I have about 50 song clips on that site, and of course info on how people can purchase those songs, if the want to. 

I am grateful to be living in such a great and close-knit music community as Nashville--there is nothing like it anywhere else.  Thanks for the opportunity to share my story.

Gordon  

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INSPIRATION COMES SECOND.

I write a lot of songs and stories,
so I often get asked where my ideas come from.

Ideas are easier to find when you're looking for them.
I keep an eye out all the time.
Everything in my life, every conversation, and event,
is filed somewhere in my head under “Possible Song or Story Ideas”.

Ideas are easier to find if you're looking for them.
I write down a million little notes and lose most of them,
like a crazed squirrel hiding nuts.

Then at a later date,
when I've completely forgotten about them,
my crazed squirrel nuts show up unexpectedly
in an old loose leaf, or in the back of a drawer.
Sometimes they're better, or worse,
after staying away from them for a while.

I had writer's block for a long time. It was terrible!
I even went to a hypnotist.
I read all the self-help books,
and finally found one thing that helped me out of it.
This is what it said: "Inspiration comes AFTER action."

It took a while for that to soak in.
What it means to me is this: Don't wait for an inspiration.
Start writing first and the inspiration will follow.

At first I had to write pages and pages of crappy stuff,
but then it started to come together, if I let it.
I may have to dump my original idea,
and let myself get sidetracked onto something else.
Usually I don't know how the story will end
until it does.

I almost always write the title last,
because I find that sticking to a title idea is confining.
The original "great phrase" often stays somewhere in the song or story,
but it loses top billing along the way.

I heard that writing every day makes it easier,
and I like easier.
This one turned out to be true.
It helps me.

Back to the original question about where my ideas come from.
Other than having a habit of looking for them,
I have no idea.
(The puns are always intended.)

Every single time I finish a story or a song,
I think it's going to be the last one I'll ever write.
That's because I don't know HOW I do it.
Not a clue.

I just start.

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Click on PHOTOS below to play demos produced by Lonnie Ratliff

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I was mainly a working bandleader who wrote songs when the muse was upon me. My bands were always Country, and most of the time we were heavily influenced by Western Swing. Most of my history is connected to having been a working musician who needed those gigs to keep the wolf away from my doorstep.
I started writing when I was a tyke, sometimes getting a good' un. First song I wrote of any note was "It's Real". I performed that song and others at a sold-out one-man show when I was 19. Thought I was on my way. Life intervened..and responsibility..
In my 20's I met and befriended Bob Wills' daughter Rosetta. We co-wrote a song called " God Bless You Honey" that she later put on page 137 of her biography of her dad "Bob Wills Remembered".
Meanwhile, I was workin' at music business in my part of California. One stretch, my band played over 700 gigs in a 2 year period. In 30 years I was never out of work for more that 2 weeks.
I wrote songs for two albums...other people's money, other people's vision..my songs, my voice, my face, their money. Album #2 led to a European tour being scheduled. We were set to do 30 cities in 27 days..the little label I recorded with got into a dispute with the promoter about advanced copies. The argument was over pennies and had I known at the time, I would have paid the damn money myself. While they were arguing, the tour went to another band from Texas. I found out when my buddy from New Braunfels called all excited to tell me that his band was going to tour with me...turns out, his band was in and mine was out.
Another time, a big park in Koln, Germany called Phantasialand offered me a one-year contract and my representative was 15 minutes late getting the paperwork to the venue. He stopped to get a shower after his flight from here to there. A Canadian band got that gig. The act that had been in the gig previously..the act I would have replaced..had made over 2 million just on the marketing!
 I never moved to Nashville, though countless people told me I should. I had small daughters who needed their Dad..Now that they're grown I can see that I chose the right way. Children don't ask to be born, and once they're here, a father's ambition has to be for them first.
Came mighty close to getting a deal with major labels on two occasions. Won't say which labels and won't tell you which two superstars were signed #1 and #2 in a batch of new artists...#3, the one who didn't get signed, was yours truly.
After my second divorce, I got into co-writing. First with Bo Roberts "First You Cry". Next I restarted my collaboration with my Oklahoma buddy Bill Hail. We've written 30 songs and counting. One of those songs "What I Wouldn't Give" is in the award-winning movie "Like Dandelion Dust". Kinda cool to see yer name on the big screen!
One of my favorite collaborations was with Lonnie Ratliff. His words, my music. The song is "Grampa's Silver Dollar". I have high hopes for this one!
My day job for the last few years has been teaching Jr. High Special Ed. Currently, I'm teaching in Stockton, California..the city listed by Forbes as the least desirable place to live in the U.S.! Can't figure out why..Stockton ain't ALL bad! Believe it or not, this is a really cool job..I sometimes feel like I'm in a position to make a difference...and the folks I work with are phenomenally dedicated, talented people.
In my time, I got to open a show for Willie (he's about the most gracious individual I've ever met in this business), Johnny Paycheck (a little less gracious, but MAN was he talented), Pam Tillis (angelic being), Mel Tillis, Highway 101, Eddie Raven, Moe Bandy, Johnny Lee...one thing about Country artists...they're all real folks, all good to their fans and supporting players..no prima donnas in the bunch.
My future...I'd like to keep writing with my current co-writers, I'd like to continue to grow and to develop new writing partnerships, I'd like to finally have time and money at the same time so I can make pilgrimages to Country Mecca (that's Nashville, folks!)..I'd like to keep helping struggling kids to find their footing...and this afternoon, I'd like to saddle up Lucy and Gus and take a ride along the Mokelumne River Gorge with my sweet Sue.
Some of my work is on

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