Since his first #1 in 1983, Hall of Fame Songwriter Bob DiPiero has been responsible for an uninterrupted string of country music hits. One of Nashville’s most prolific and consistent songwriters, Bob possesses a humble drive to keep learning and stay current. He has had over 1,200 songs recorded by other artists, countless hit singles, and an astounding 15 #1 hits. His songs have been featured in TV shows, commercials and movies, and in 2011, his song “Coming Home” from the Country Strong movie soundtrack was nominated for both an Oscar and Golden Globe Award for “Best Original Song in a Motion Picture.”
Among his other countless awards are 37-million air honors, multiple Songwriter of the Year awards and 2 consecutive Triple Play awards for 3 #1 songs within a 12-month period. Bob is the originator and host of the continually sold-out CMA Songwriters Series, which brings Nashville’s finest songwriters and artists to New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., and even abroad to Belfast, Dublin, London and Paris. In 2007, he was inducted into the Nashville Walk of Fame, AND into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. His most recent hit, Easton Corbin’s “Lovin’ You Is Fun” spent 40 weeks on Billboard’s Country Songs Chart and was named the #8 Country Song of the Year by Billboard Magazine.
Just look at this list and marvel, ok?
Number 1 Songs:
“American Made”- Recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys
“Wink”- Recorded by Neal McCoy
“Blue Clear Sky”- Recorded by George Strait
“Daddy’s Money”- Recorded by Ricochet
“Worlds Apart”- Recorded by Vince Gill
“That Rock Won’t Roll”- Recorded by Restless Heart
“Little Rock”- Recorded by Reba McEntire
“(Do You Love Me) Just Say Yes”- Highway 101
“The Church On Cumberland Road”- Recorded by Shenandoah
“Money In The Bank”- Recorded by John Anderson
“Take Me As I Am”- Recorded by Faith Hill
“Till You Love Me”- Recorded by Reba McEntire
“They’re Playin’ Our Song”- Recorded by Neal McCoy
“If You Ever Stop Loving Me”- Recorded by Montgomery Gentry
“Southern Voice”- Recorded by Tim McGraw
Top 10 Songs:
“Cowboys Like Us”- Recorded by George Strait
“Gone”- Recorded by Montgomery Gentry
“You Can’t Take The Honky Tonk Out Of The Girl”- Recorded by Brooks & Dunn
“Walking Away A Winner”- Recorded by Kathy Mattea
“Should’ve Asked Her Faster”- Recorded by Ty England
“Sentimental Ol’ You”- Recorded by Charly McClain
“Mirror, Mirror”- Recorded by Diamond Rio
“She Don’t Tell Me To”- Recorded by Montgomery Gentry
“Lovin’ You Is Fun”- Recorded by Easton Corbin
“Anywhere But Here”- Recorded by Sammy Kershaw
“There You Are”- Recorded by Martina McBride
“From A Table Away”- Recorded by Sunny Sweeney
Eric: Was music a big part of your childhood?
Bob: No one in my household played music but music was always played in the house. I was always drawn to it.
Eric: Your songs all seem so remarkably natural and unforced.
Bob: Thank you. that is the goal for me. I don’t go for what is current. I go for what is timeless.
Eric: When a song starts coming together, do you feel in the writing that you are running down the process, or in a sense of following it?
Bob: Following is an art and that is where the best songs come from. In his book, Life, Keith Richards said it best, “I feel like I’m an antennae and I’m always searching for whats out there.”
Eric: Is songwriting still as much of a delight for you?
Bob: Some people like to play golf. I like to write songs. It is still a pleasure. If it wasn’t I would be doing something else.
Eric: Some songwriters who have moved away from the turmoil of their lives have lost some of the tension of the best songs. Maybe in the beginning when you’re first starting out, the songs are about your life, for instance. As you get more and more successful, do you find it easier or harder to put yourself back into a story or feeling that happened to you?
Bob: That’s a very good question. As a writer, If you believe its true, then it is true. I know a million dollar songwriter that careens from one personal drama to another believing that is what makes their creative motor run. I also know a wildly successful writer with a bunch of kids and a wife he’s been married to for years. What you believe is what is true. I’ve written hits while living a “crazy” life and hits living a happy, successful life. Happy and successful is better. What you believe about yourself is what is true. That’s how i see it.
Saturday, March 21: Fallsview Casino Resort – Songwriters: Country Edition
City: Niagra Falls, ON
Venue: Fallsview Casino Resort
Friday, March 27: Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival
City: Nashville, TN
Venue: Hard Rock Cafe
Wednesday, April 29: Made In Tennessee Songwriter Series
City: New York, NY
Venue: Joe’s Pub
