Face The Music - Scott Russell Music & Entertainment Writer

  It was ABC's "Good Morning America" featuring Elton John and Leon Russell performing from their new duet album The "Union" that caught the early bird's eye on Wednesday, October 20th, 2010.  The following morning another great performance by the duo was featured on "The View".  During the View one-on-one Elton's comment regarding todays songwriters give the current song pros reason to "face the music".  When ask what he thought of todays songwriters; "There are some great writers but on the whole, it's pretty awful".  That said, some songsters have yet to grasp the reality that their craft is tied firmly to performing and recording artists. A song can make or break both.
The following paragraphs is an excerpt for an article I wrote in March of this year.

Hello All - Scott Russell here.....In some ways looking back on how much I have been blessed as a songwriter isnt always an easy task....but trust me,  with all ups and downs, doing what I do is worth the effort to continue. To this day I remember my first attempt as a professional songwriter. The melody structures held up but the lyrical content was less than signable to a publisher or anyone else. (I still have the expense receipts to remind me)

Luckily, the grace of God buffered me from the dark side of the business and gave me the strength to continue. The bumps and bruises still showed during my first 5 years...they just dicipated faster as time went on.

My favorite first mentor was and is Leon Russell....not because he was a Rock & Roll Hero but because he heard me and listened one long night in the summer of 74' at the Church Studio in Tulsa Oklahoma . I admitted that I didnt know it all and needed an opportunity to learn and be a better writer than I was......which was hard for me to admit and even harder to ask for help. Yes, pride "can and does" rob many a person of their true life calling... His words I will always remember & Lord willing-will never forget: "To become a good songwriter, listen to good songs"."To become a great songwriter means that you've reach others who decide your songs place in their lives."

There began the path that I am on today.....still writing and happy to face the music. There is no doubt that our industry as a whole has taken some blows....Is it over and done? Not by a platinum mile !!!!!

The bottom line is that Elton is right.   He and others are always on the hunt for great songs.