Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters

Ep. 29 - RANDY AND MAIA SHARP ("A Home")

Episode Summary

Though the father/daughter songwriting duo of Randy and Maia Sharp found their greatest collaborative success with the Dixie Chicks' recording of "Home" in 2002, they've enjoyed diverse songwriting careers, working both together and separately. Randy released his first independent album as a singer/songwriter in 1973, eventually finding chart success as a writer for other artists, including Jennifer Warnes, Marty Robbins, and Glen Campbell. Thirteen of his songs have reached Billboard’s Top 40 country chart, a half dozen of which hit the Top 10. He wrote the #1 hits “(Why Does It Have to Be) Wrong or Right” and “Tender Lie” for Restless Heart, as well as a string of hits for Exile, including “Nobody’s Talkin’” and “Yet.” He continued to write hit songs in the mid to late 1990s, such as “You Will” for Patty Loveless, “The Cheap Seats” for Alabama, and “Then What” for Clay Walker. In 2005 Emmylou Harris won a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for Randy’s song “The Connection.” Additionally, his music has been recorded by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Reba McEntire, Kenny Rogers, Kelly Clarkson, Edgar Winter, and Blood, Sweat & Tears. His most recent album, I Won’t Let Go, was released in 2015. Following in her father’s footsteps, Maia Sharp has released six albums as a solo artist, earning a reputation as a skilled instrumentalist, singer, and highly respected “songwriter’s songwriter.” Her songs have been recorded by Kathy Mattea, Kim Richey, Amanda Marshall, Paul Carrack, David Wilcox, Lisa Loeb, Edwin McCain, Trisha Yearwood, Cher, Keb’ Mo’, Art Garfunkel, and Bonnie Raitt, who included three of Maia’s songs on her Souls Alike album, including the single “I Don’t Want Anything to Change.” Maia’s own version of the song can be found on her recently released studio album The Dash Between the Dates.

Episode Notes

Though the father/daughter songwriting duo of Randy and Maia Sharp found their greatest collaborative success with the Dixie Chicks' recording of "Home" in 2002, they've enjoyed diverse songwriting careers, working both together and separately. Randy released his first independent album as a singer/songwriter in 1973, eventually finding chart success as a writer for other artists, including Jennifer Warnes, Marty Robbins, and Glen Campbell. Thirteen of his songs have reached Billboard’s Top 40 country chart, a half dozen of which hit the Top 10. He wrote the #1 hits “(Why Does It Have to Be) Wrong or Right” and “Tender Lie” for Restless Heart, as well as a string of hits for Exile, including “Nobody’s Talkin’” and “Yet.” He continued to write hit songs in the mid to late 1990s, such as “You Will” for Patty Loveless, “The Cheap Seats” for Alabama, and “Then What” for Clay Walker. In 2005 Emmylou Harris won a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for Randy’s song “The Connection.” Additionally, his music has been recorded by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Reba McEntire, Kenny Rogers, Kelly Clarkson, Edgar Winter, and Blood, Sweat & Tears. His most recent album, I Won’t Let Go, was released in 2015. Following in her father’s footsteps, Maia Sharp has released six albums as a solo artist, earning a reputation as a skilled instrumentalist, singer, and highly respected “songwriter’s songwriter.” Her songs have been recorded by Kathy Mattea, Kim Richey, Amanda Marshall, Paul Carrack, David Wilcox, Lisa Loeb, Edwin McCain, Trisha Yearwood, Cher, Keb’ Mo’, Art Garfunkel, and Bonnie Raitt, who included three of Maia’s songs on her Souls Alike album, including the single “I Don’t Want Anything to Change.” Maia’s own version of the song can be found on her recently released studio album The Dash Between the Dates.