Steve Dorff and I both graduated from the University of Georgia, we were inducted into the national Songwriters Hall of Fame on the same night, and we got together recently to celebrate our alma mater’s national football championship. While we were at it, Steve produced and played piano while I sang and recorded a new song that we wrote together. As you can tell from this picture, we were all smiles at the end of the day. When can you hear the record? Stay tuned. The second photo is with the legendary keyboard player, Hargus “Pig” Robbins, who passed away on January 30th. Though he was blind from age three, Pig was one of the greatest piano players I’ve ever heard, and with his incredible left hand he could lay a solid rhythm track on any song he tackled. I was lucky enough to have him play on quite a few of my recording sessions over the years, and there was no one better. People don’t always believe me when I tell them that Taylor Swift once came and performed at my fan club party, but here’s proof. It was 2004 at the Old Hickory Country Club outside Nashville. Taylor was 14-years old, and none of us knew at the time what incredible success awaited her just around the corner. My mistake was in not taking her up on an offer to co-write some songs. Had I done so, I’d probably be writing this letter from my yacht in the Caribbean!
