Stories Behind the Songs

In Episode 160 of Stories Behind the Songs, host Chris Blair sits down at The Listening Room in Nashville with Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member Kent Blazy for a second conversation. Kent has played The Listening Room since day one, and he has seven No. 1 hits to his name, including Garth Brooks' first, "If Tomorrow Never Comes."

Kent tells the story behind "Somewhere Other Than the Night," his second No. 1 with Garth. It started on a day when nothing was working, so they quit writing and threw a frisbee for Garth's Labrador for hours. Then the song showed up: a rancher who has been neglecting his wife, an apron that won out over a much stranger idea, and the reason Garth wanted the word "damn" in it twice.

He also revisits "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)" with Cory Batten and Chris Young, including the night Chris Blair borrowed a black dress and walked on stage during Cory's Listening Room show. Kent shares how far ahead Garth thinks, from predicting "If Tomorrow Never Comes" would go to No. 1 to rebuilding a fireplace on his wedding day, plus writing Diamond Rio's "That's What I Get for Lovin' You" with Neil Thrasher and playing electric guitar with the band on the Opry stage.

Kent and Chris also talk about how Music Row has changed, from the end of CDs to the pressure young artists feel to post constantly, and why Kent believes "we were here at the best time." He closes the episode with a live acoustic performance of "Somewhere Other Than the Night."

Songs discussed
Somewhere Other Than the Night (Garth Brooks; Kent Blazy's version from Me & Garth)
Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song) (Chris Young)
That's What I Get for Lovin' You (Diamond Rio)
Calling All Hearts (Come Back Home) (Diamond Rio)
If Tomorrow Never Comes (Garth Brooks; Kent Blazy's version from Me & Garth)
Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up) (Garth Brooks; Kent Blazy's version from Me & Garth)

Follow Kent Blazy
kentblazy.com | Instagram | Facebook | Apple Music

Also mentioned
Kent's first visit: Episode 11, Kent Blazy: Songs for Garth Brooks, Chris Young & more!

Watch and listen
Watch on YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | chrisblair.com/podcast | All links

Follow Stories Behind the Songs
Instagram @sbtsongs | TikTok @sbtsongs | YouTube @SBTSongs
Chris Blair: Instagram @chrisblairmusic | chrisblair.com

The Listening Room
listeningroomcafe.com | Instagram @listeningroomcafe | TikTok @thelisteningroomcafe
Sail with us on Boots on the Water, Feb. 7-11, 2027.

In Episode 159 of Stories Behind the Songs, host Chris Blair sits down at The Listening Room in Nashville with Grammy-nominated songwriter Parker Welling. Parker is a writer behind billions of streams and multiple No. 1 hits, and her story is a lesson in patience.

A song can feel like magic in the room and still take years to become a “sure thing.” Parker unpacks what actually happens between the first idea and the moment a crowd sings every word back to you.

We go deep on the story behind Russell Dickerson’s “Yours,” including the lyrical doorway that made everything click (“Thank God I’m yours”), the decision to take extra days to get the chorus right, and the wild release journey: viral momentum, industry limbo, and a radio climb that took about 56 weeks to reach the top. Parker shares how she learned to recognize the “spark” some songs carry, why patience beats panic, and how celebrating small milestones keeps you going when the finish line is far away.

Then we shift into “Blue Tacoma,” a song that started as a breakup memory on an old laptop and became a vivid West Coast love story once the perspective changed. Along the way, Parker opens up about a devastating vocal injury that forced long stretches of silence and unexpectedly sharpened her listening, her lyric instincts, and her relationship with music. We also talk parenthood, creative community, and her new podcast Women’s Writes with Lydia Vaughan, built to spotlight powerful songwriting collaborations, especially among women in country music.

Songs discussed
Yours (Russell Dickerson)
Blue Tacoma (Russell Dickerson)

Follow Parker Welling
Instagram

Also mentioned
Russell Dickerson | Lydia Vaughan | Women's Writes on YouTube

Watch and listen
Watch on YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | chrisblair.com/podcast | All links

Follow Stories Behind the Songs
Instagram @sbtsongs | TikTok @sbtsongs | YouTube @SBTSongs
Chris Blair: Instagram @chrisblairmusic | chrisblair.com

The Listening Room
listeningroomcafe.com | Instagram @listeningroomcafe | TikTok @thelisteningroomcafe
Sail with us on Boots on the Water, Feb. 7-11, 2027.

In Episode 158 of Stories Behind the Songs, host Chris Blair sits down at The Listening Room in Nashville with hit songwriter Summer Overstreet. The daughter of legendary writer Paul Overstreet, Summer has songs recorded by Lainey Wilson, Tucker Wetmore, Hudson Westbrook, Max McNown, Jake Owen, and more, and she calls The Listening Room her all-time favorite place to play.

A hit song can feel inevitable when you hear it on the radio, but the path to that moment is usually messy, slow, and full of near misses. Summer unpacks what it really takes to build a lasting career in Nashville songwriting, from the early days of trying to earn your seat in the room to the surreal calm that hits after your first No 1.

Summer grew up around legendary writers through her dad, Paul Overstreet, and she shares what “music osmosis” looks like when demos are playing in the house before they become classics. We talk about how her relationship with country music changed over time, how she started writing (including hiding in a closet for privacy), and what it feels like to watch a song you believed in finally move through the pipeline. She also tells the story behind “Phone Keys Wallet,” including how the track got tailored for the artist and how a dream collaboration became real.

Then we go deep on “3,2,1,” her first number one, co-written with Jordan Reynolds and Josh Miller and later cut by Tucker Wetmore. You’ll hear how the title sparked the write, why the session felt effortless, and why the song still had to sit for months before the right moment arrived. We also get honest about the modern music industry: streaming and DSP economics, TikTok and social media pressure, follower based gatekeeping, and the resilience it takes to keep making great work when the rules keep changing.

Songs discussed
3,2,1 (Tucker Wetmore)
Phone, Keys, Wallet (Lainey Wilson & John Mayer)

Follow Summer Overstreet
Apple Music

Watch and listen
Watch on YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | chrisblair.com/podcast | All links

Follow Stories Behind the Songs
Instagram @sbtsongs | TikTok @sbtsongs | YouTube @SBTSongs
Chris Blair: Instagram @chrisblairmusic | chrisblair.com

The Listening Room
listeningroomcafe.com | Instagram @listeningroomcafe | TikTok @thelisteningroomcafe
Sail with us on Boots on the Water, Feb. 7-11, 2027.

In Episode 157 of Stories Behind the Songs, host Chris Blair sits down at The Listening Room in Nashville with Billy Montana for part two of their conversation. This time the focus is "More Than a Memory," which Billy wrote with Kyle Jacobs and Lee Brice, and which Garth Brooks took into the history books.

A country song debuts at number one and the writer’s first reaction is, “How is that possible?” That’s where Chris and Billy start as they unpack the story behind “More Than a Memory,” the Garth Brooks comeback single that became the first-ever #1 debut in Billboard country chart history.

We talk through what the rollout looked like from the inside: the built-up anticipation at country radio, major market stations hammering the record, and the strange feeling of celebrating a chart moment that Billy still wants to know is “legit.” Billy shares what Garth said at the number one party, why the song then had to “prove” itself with real listeners, and how it dropped and climbed in a way that still kept it in the top ten.

Along the way, Chris and Billy talk about why a hit still has to prove itself with real listeners after the headlines fade, and Billy reflects on what it means to keep coming back to The Listening Room stage.

Follow Billy Montana
Website

Watch and listen
Watch on YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | chrisblair.com/podcast | All links

Follow Stories Behind the Songs
Instagram @sbtsongs | TikTok @sbtsongs | YouTube @SBTSongs
Chris Blair: Instagram @chrisblairmusic | chrisblair.com

The Listening Room
listeningroomcafe.com | Instagram @listeningroomcafe | TikTok @thelisteningroomcafe
Sail with us on Boots on the Water, Feb. 7-11, 2027.

In Episode 156 of Stories Behind the Songs, host Chris Blair sits down at The Listening Room in Nashville with legendary songwriter Billy Montana. Billy has written for Garth Brooks, Sara Evans, Lee Brice, Jo Dee Messina, Tim McGraw, and Jon Pardi, and this is part one of a two-part conversation.

A hit song can be obvious to listeners and still be one decision away from disappearing. We trace the unlikely chain of moments that turned “Suds in the Bucket” into Sara Evans’ chart-topping country anthem. Billy shares his road from upstate New York to a Warner Bros deal, the choice to protect his family from the risk of moving too soon, and the way that early “artist” chapter became a hands-on education in co-writing rooms, publishing, and how songs actually get made.

Then we go line-by-line on the songwriting process behind “Suds in the Bucket” and why it worked: starting with a concept instead of a title, letting the hook “fall out of the sky,” leaning into authentic language like “growed up,” and getting a crucial publisher note that reshaped the choruses. You’ll also hear the behind-the-scenes pitching path, the label pushback that nearly buried the track, and the artist advocacy that saved it, plus Billy’s live performance of the song.

Songs discussed
Suds In the Bucket (Sara Evans)

Follow Billy Montana
Website

Watch and listen
Watch on YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | chrisblair.com/podcast | All links

Follow Stories Behind the Songs
Instagram @sbtsongs | TikTok @sbtsongs | YouTube @SBTSongs
Chris Blair: Instagram @chrisblairmusic | chrisblair.com

The Listening Room
listeningroomcafe.com | Instagram @listeningroomcafe | TikTok @thelisteningroomcafe
Sail with us on Boots on the Water, Feb. 7-11, 2027.