Jeff Hayford
Hear Him Sing

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Greetings Friends, First off, I'm truly thankful to all of you for the support and inspiration you've given me. You're plays, shares and recommendations have helped open doors to new opportunities for myself and other Independent Artists on N1M. You're helping bring about major changes in the music industry that are long overdue. Keep spreading the word about Indie Music! Radio is still the #1 way musicians develop a following, especially prior to an album release. N1M has established a fabulous platform for listeners, musicians, labels and producers looking for artists, songs or both. During the 5 weeks I had the #1 Classic Rock song on N1M, I was contacted by 3 producers, a rep from Sony Records and an invitation to showcase at Hard Rock Cafe Boston. I have all of you to thank for these opportunities and I'm truly grateful to all of you. The one offer I've accepted didn't come because of the #1 song, it was "Hear Him Sing" that got me invited to appear on Nashville Side Streets - a live TV show from Nashville, Saturday March 26th at 8:30 CST. The producer is a great musician himself and he called me after hearing that song. As listener's of Indie Music I highly recommend watching this show, not just when I'm on it. You can see it live every Saturday at that time and watch recorded episodes with fantastic performers at: http://www.nashvillesidestreets.com I'll mention it again in a message when time is drawing near. They're shining a light on Independent Artists and excellent songwriters - and songwriters are the heart of all music. I'm looking forward to visiting Nashville again and it's brought to mind how much I learned about the business the first time I was there many years ago. Songwriters are the unsung yet often sung hero's in the business - especially in Country Music. Fans often take it for granted that stars write all their songs when in reality, very few are both songwriters and performers. There are true "Triple Threats," as they're called, meaning writer, instrument player and singer in that genre however they're few and far between, Jeffrey Steele is the best example I know. Garth Brooks is a prominent example of the misunderstanding, he'd never publicly admit that he didn't write the songs that made him a star. Yes he writes some songs, however all the major hits he's had were written or co-written by someone else, primarily Kim Williams or his daughter Amanda Williams. Another prominent example is the smash hit, "I Hope You Dance," by Lee Ann Womack, that song was written by one of the most prolific hit songwriters in business; Tia Sillers. The song "There's Your Trouble" helped put the Dixie Chicks on the musical map, Tia wrote that along with her husband Mark Selby - who's one of the greatest Blues players working today. Together they also wrote nearly every song Kenny Wayne Shepherd has recorded -- especially the hits such as "Blue On Black." They've written dozens of songs on the Country Charts. It goes to show that a great song can be a hit in more than one genre and often is. I mention all of this because my song "Hear Him Sing" is both a true, heart on the sleeve story and a tribute to my favorite songwriter John Hiatt, who's a true triple threat and great performer who has written many songs that became huge hits when recorded by someone else. Over 100 artists have covered his songs, including Willie Nelson. "Thing Called Love," "Riding With The King," "Feels Like Rain," "Through Your Hands" are a few examples. He also wrote the most popular wedding song in the world "Have A Little Faith In Me." The lyrics of "Hear Him Sing" include the title of at least one Hiatt song in every verse. I was tipping my cap to one of the greatest writers of his generation. It's drawn interest from producers looking for songs in Nashville in the past and now it's gotten me an appearance on a worldwide TV broadcast. I'm truly grateful to you all and encourage you to keep turning people on to Indie Music - including the incredible Tom Dean who produced, played acoustic guitar licks and sang the harmonies on this song. He's an amazing talent that one magazine called "simply one of the finest songwriters walking this earth." Check him out and tell him Jeff sent you! www.tomdeansongs.com - you can find him on SoundCloud as well: Tom Dean Songs Until the next time my friends, be well and take care, ~Jeff