Come Together... Right Now

By Scott Coner

Country Singer-Songwriter

            I think maybe the Nashville machine is about to change its direction in the same way I believe Washington politics is about to change. I hadn’t ever considered it before, but I have noticed that during the last seven years or so, our country has trended towards a more liberal direction in everything from advertising to music, and from rainbow flags to television. It isn’t my job to say whether or not I think this is a good or bad thing, so know that I am not in any way condoning or condemning anything. I am simply pointing out something I thought seemed kind of obvious.

            Our country seems to operate like a pendulum. It swings back and forth. Sometimes, it goes a little farther to the right than normal. Then, it’s liable to swing to the left even farther as it moderates itself out. I think if you could look at our country like a pie, we would probably be split pretty close down the middle at how we look at things.

            Music, as far as I’m concerned, is like a mirror of society. It moves along with what it perceives to be the approach that society is handling itself. A few years back, the big thing around Nashville was Florida-Georgia Line. Those guys were working with some guy named “Nelly”, and to be honest, I didn’t know who he was and still don’t. But I downloaded the song and thought it was pretty cool. Taylor Swift seemed to turn the town on its ear, and the next thing you know she was on the cover of nearly every magazine you saw. There were and still are a handful of other artists and groups just like these, but they all have one commonality. They are not even close to “traditional” country music. As a matter of fact, I don’t see how you can even compare it in the same vein as country. But once again, I am not saying this is a bad thing at all. I think it is a great thing for music to branch out and allow the tree to develop. After all, rock 'n' roll came from the blues, right? And rap came from people that couldn’t sing….

Scott Coner with Tanya Tucker... "Maybe She Lied"

            I remember being in high school when the whole “Urban Cowboy” thing took over. I used to laugh at all of the ridiculous looking hats and boots the men wore. (They thought they looked so cool, it used to kill me.) As the market saturated itself with this greasy moment in time, low and behold, Ricky Skaggs and Randy Travis showed up to cleanse our souls with honest-to-God country music and bluegrass. Garth Brooks took the nineties by storm and took music to the left again, but there were artists out there like Reba and Alan Jackson on the other end of the line playing tug-of-war with the market.

            Do you remember how radio responded when those girls from Texas called the “Dixie Chicks” slammed George Bush? I believe the pendulum was to the right at the time, and so was their music. In the end, maybe Natalie should have just sung about the wide-open spaces. Oddly enough, as I sit in this Waffle House writing this blog, there are four older gentlemen slamming the current president like it’s their job. Different place and a different time I suppose.

            It is true that as a country we are about to veer way to the right after seven years of liberal agendas. I believe that as we run like rats on a sinking ship towards something less confusing than big government, we will begin to see traditional country music show her pretty face once again. I don’t think most of us want to give up our gun rights. I still think a lot of us want a Christian center. And I know for a fact that we need a little more country and a lot less rap, a lot more wholesomeness and a lot less crap. See there? I just started a country song….

            Before I go, I just wanted you to know that I am not trying to change your way of thinking. I have no agenda to push. This is just what I see from where I stand. I think that we all come together every now and again on certain things that are important, but I also think it is good and healthy for us as a country to bring all of the ideas and put them on the table. I love to read about trends in our culture through the years, and we are trending like a dog with a bad limp right now. I have said it before, so let me say again that country music is like a self-cleaning oven. It gets a little bit grimy, but when you wake up in the morning, it will be clean again. Just like our country. Well, I need to sign off now. I’m gonna go buy a gun and a cowboy hat.  

         Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at www.Facebook.com/ScottConerMusic, www.YouTube.com/user/ScottConer, and www.ScottConer.com. Follow Scott at www.Twitter.com/ScottConer.

Last and Probably Least (It's All In Your Mind)

By Scott Coner

Country Artist

         I was the youngest in our family. I don’t know for sure what that really means to all of you “counseling types” out there. But, I probably wasn’t the one anyone had any money on to do much with his life. I took a friend of mine to dinner the other night that I have known since kindergarten, and he kind of reiterated the fact that nobody expected anything out of me. In truth, I just didn’t have much to work with. And no, I am not being modest at all. I had my share of problems, and I was light headed.

         I remember sitting in class throughout seventh grade begging my mind to stay focused. The teacher would be at the chalkboard doing a fine job of explaining algebra or whatever a pronoun is, but my mind would be somewhere else. I hadn’t lost myself to music yet, so I must have been thinking basketball, or maybe about Michelle P. or Julie W. or whoever else I was tripping on that week. The simple, easy-to-explain fact of the matter is that I simply didn’t know how to control my mind yet. I’m sure nobody had really talked to me about it much. They probably just told me to pay attention and stop being such a screw-up. This problem, this habit, followed me for the next several years. To say that I improved in high school would probably be an exaggeration. I just traded basketball fantasies for music. The girl thoughts never really left the building if you know what I’m saying.

         Looking back now, I can totally see what my problems were. But things were much different back in the '70s, and I think the typical assessment was that people grew out of their stupidity. My parents tried to help me. My mom took me to a math and English tutor. I even went to summer school between seventh and eighth grade. The problem was not a learning disability though. It was something within me. To quote the late Syd Barrett, “I have an oddly shaped head, and you’ll never understand me.”

         My older sister was the one with all of the talent. She sang every Friday night at The Little Nashville Opry near where we lived. She would stand there on stage as a mere teenager and sing to several thousand people to get them engaged for whatever country music superstar would be appearing that night. My sister was pretty. She was popular and smart. She was head of the student council, prom queen, and homecoming queen. She had lots of friends and dated whoever she wanted. Me? Well, I wasn’t any of those things. That’s probably okay though, because I don’t look all that cool in a tiara. 

Country/Americana artist Scott Coner (second from right) celebrates the completion of a Nashville recording session with fellow music industry professionals at Studio 515 in Berry Hill. Joining Coner for the session were (from left) guitarist Mike Waldren, guitarist Jake Widenhofer, keyboardist Dane Bryant, drummer Sean McDonald, engineer/producer Logan Schiegel, engineer Trever Golden, and Lynyrd Skynyrd background vocalist Carol Chase. (Photo by Cynnamae Media Productions)

         I’m telling you all of these embarrassing and belittling facts about myself to get to a point. The point is, I hadn’t really “arrived” yet. But, I was being prepared for my future unknowingly. Like I said, every single Friday night I was being taken to see some of America’s greatest country talent whether I liked it or not. These people were the real deal, too. Not some suburban kid with a cowboy hat infusing rap with country music. I think I saw every single star from that era excluding Willie Nelson, and I’m not sure why he never showed up. All of this music was being poured into my head, and I wasn’t smart enough or wise enough at the time to realize that a transformation was taking place in my soul.

         Something else happened during that season that opened my eyes to a possibility. My mom and my sister had a garage sale, and my sister had a card table set up with a cash box on it to hold their combined fortunes. Near that cash box was a piece of paper with a song on it my sister was working on. I’ll never forget the lyrics:

         “Long, long ago in a town called Tyrone City,

         Lived a man who stood seven feet tall.

         All the people called him “Big Jack” 'cause he was so big and tall.”

         Yeah, I know. You haven’t ever heard that one on a hit parade on American Country Countdown. But I remember it, and that is all that matters. I looked at those lyrics, I heard her singing the melody, and knew almost instantly that I could write a song. I began to slowly think in a new direction. So many things happened after that that pointed me in the direction I’m headed now. I’ve already told you about the summer I was shut in the house with a stack of 45’s and comic books due to bee sting allergies. And I have also told you about the time my friend Jr. Crowder and me went to a high school talent contest, and I heard “Free Bird” for the first time. All of these moments and many others were unique in how they formed me. Music taught me how to concentrate and shut out everything else. It healed me of so much, and it gave me direction. It actually allowed me to visualize who and what I wanted to be.

         So, long story short, my sister ended up quitting the music business. But she did go to college, and she is a writer now. I was never popular in school, never was prom king, or anything remotely like that. But I became a singer-songwriter. I even write a little book from time to time.

         There is a moral to this story, and here it is. I was once as stupid as a stick. I couldn’t think clearly. I couldn’t concentrate. And I think I may have been a little bit mental. I allowed myself to change and morph into what I am today. And today, I am a very happy individual. I cannot complain about much of anything. My ship came in a little later than most, but I think that was for the best as well because I had some transforming to do. Music and God did this for me. I gave my heart to God because of a song being played in church called “God of the Mountain” by The McKameys. I let go of a lot of anger because of music. I even fell in love because of music, but that’s another story. I believe we all have this in us. Maybe music doesn’t reside in everyone’s heart, but something does. We have to reach out to whatever it is and grab hold of it like it’s the only line to survival.

         Look back on your own life and connect the dots. If you look hard enough, I promise you will see the very hand of God as he molded you and prepared you for your own version of greatness. Don’t waste time living in the shadows of your past. The past is past. Today is what we have been given. Look in the mirror and open yourself up to who and what you truly are, not just what you have allowed yourself to become. We only get one pass at this. Make it count.

         Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at www.Facebook.com/ScottConerMusic, www.YouTube.com/user/ScottConer, and www.ScottConer.com. Follow Scott at www.Twitter.com/ScottConer.

For Valentine's Weekend: 'I Worship Her... I Need to be Close to Her'

By Scott Coner

Country Artist

         It’s been over 20 years ago now, but I remember everything. The first time I saw her my whole world changed. I knew that somehow, I needed to impress this woman enough to marry me. I walked around in a cloud for weeks not knowing what to do. I was in a bad marriage, and I was having more trouble than you could imagine getting out of it. Cyndi was also in the final stages of a break-up. The timing couldn’t have been worse. But, this woman, this relationship, was worth fighting for. I needed her. I had never felt feelings like those, and I didn’t know how to act.

         We both grew up within just a few miles of each other, but the odd thing is I actually met her in Nashville. She had been working for a Christian record label called Brentwood Music. I had wanted to pitch some of my music to them, but since I was in the middle of a divorce, nobody wanted to talk to me too seriously. I wasn’t very bothered by this though, because I could have cared less for their label. I just wanted their blonde.

Cyndi Coner

         As a little boy, I used to go with my mom after school to make bi-weekly payments at a furniture store in our town called Barnes’ Furniture. It was owned by a very kind Christian man who really impacted me just to be around him. It turns out that this man was actually Cyndi’s uncle. I look at our old photos of our families, and it looks like we grew up with the same furniture. Another interesting fact about Mr. Barnes was that he had three daughters. They were all older than me, but they were crazy beautiful. These girls were Cyndi’s cousins. Turns out that this family has a very dominant gene of beauty. Not unlike my family’s genetic hair displacement or big ears.

         Early on, I was supposed to meet Cyndi in Nashville for dinner. I sat at the table for nearly an hour, and she didn’t show. I finally got up and went to the salad bar and found myself standing next to Carl Perkins. I was too troubled to even care, so I didn’t thank him for his contributions to music or offering me a chilled plate for my salad. I stormed out of the restaurant only to find Cyndi sitting all alone in a chair waiting for me to get there. I felt like such an idiot, but to tell you the truth, I bet she hadn’t been there long. Through the years, I have noticed that I sit around waiting on her quite a bit, but I don’t mind.

         Anyway, long story short, we found a way through the mess and ended up getting married. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for her being in my life. She has proved to be a perfect mother. She treats my parents like her own. And she actually loves me unconditionally, and I have no earthly idea why. I don’t deserve a woman like her. I lie in our bed at night and hold her. I feel her soft skin and soft hair while she’s there next to me, and I find myself smiling in the darkness.

          Through the years, I have made mistakes and let her down. It hurts me to think about it, because I care for her so much. But, I keep trying to show her in all kinds of ways how much she means to me. I have mentioned before that I worry about having to die some day because I just don’t want to be away from her, and I truly mean it. I don’t want to have to leave. Every day, every minute, matters more than I could say.

         Valentine’s Day is the mandatory, designated day to promise our undying love to someone. I have written many songs about my wife, but “Close to You” is one of my favorites. There simply is no way I can put into words how much Cyndi means to me. I believe she saved me from a miserable life and a terrible ending. All I wanted to say to her is, “Thank you for saving me from me." Without her, things would have gone much different. I would have been bitter, mad and lost. Instead, I’m happy, glad and found.

         I hope you like the song and video. But, more than that, I hope each of you has a special Valentine’s Day. If by chance this year finds you alone, don’t worry. I’ve had plenty of those, too. Your best bet is to wait until Sunday, go to the drugstore, and buy yourself some special chocolate on sale and wait around until the right person comes along. There’s somebody out there for all of us. I’m living proof of that.

         The first song I wrote about Cyndi was this one I am including. I haven’t recorded it, but I remember the lyrics. Maybe one day I can take it to the studio. I’m not sure how many songs people want to hear about my personal experiences.

“Seven Kinds of Ways”

Hey girl we’re about to be free

And I was wondering if you’d marry me

And give me a little girl

We’ll name her Emily Sae

And we’ll hold hands and ride swings in the park

And I’ll hold you when the world goes dark

And girl, I won’t ever leave

(Chorus)

But when you smile are you really laughing at me?

For being such a love-sick fool?

In just three days

I fell for you seven kinds of ways

And girl, my heart belongs to you

How’d you get those pretty brown eyes?

And girl can you sympathize?

You see, I’ve never felt this before

Everything’s not as it seems

And my feelings are here on my sleeve

All I can do is think about you

Girl, I’ll do anything you want me to do

(Lyric Copyright 2016 Scott Coner)

Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at www.Facebook.com/ScottConerMusic, www.YouTube.com/user/ScottConer, and www.ScottConer.com. Follow Scott at www.Twitter.com/ScottConer.

Shine A Light

By Scott Coner

Country Artist

 

            So earlier today, we all gathered at the studio here in Nashville. Each person had been hand picked for this day of tracking. I hadn’t thought about it much, but today things started to become clear. I was surrounded by some of the best players around.  I had been putting this group together with my engineer for quite a while. You see, I am finishing up an album that I have been working on for quite a while. And these final tracks were very important to me. I wanted to bring all of the primary players I had worked with together at one time and do four songs as one group to finish up the project.

            The keyboard player works with Clint Black and also is music director at The Flamingo in Vegas for Olivia Newton John. One of the guitar players and the drummer play for The Matthew West Band, and they have the #6 single on the Christian charts this week. The other guitar player has toured with nearly everyone you have ever heard of, and the lady singing with me is in Lynyrd Skynyrd. My wife, Cynthia was there doing film and photography. Then, there was me. This type of realization makes a guy realize the importance of being prepared.

            To be honest, as this process is still fully motion, I find myself to be emotional. It’s probably because I am nearly done with the album. But, I also realize how fortunate I have been to be a part of something so special. At dinner tonight, my wife had to leave the table to take a phone call. I sat there like a fool with big tears in my eyes. I was embarrassed, but too grateful to care what anybody else thought. More than anything, I need to tell God just how appreciative I am for this life he has allowed me to have. My children are beautiful and wonderful. My wife is perfect in every way possible. My parents are healthy. And I have been allowed to taste the dream that I have wanted for so long. 

            I don’t know when this ride ends. I didn’t even know I had a ticket in the first place until I was in the middle of things. I guess what I wanted to say is that I am very happy, very whole at this moment. Please don’t think that I am bragging about any of this because that is not what this is. Instead, I come very humbly, very thankfully to simply proclaim that I am very pleased and appreciative with how things finally turned out. I have seen my share of dark moments. We all have. But just know that life isn’t a collection of the dark times. Instead, life is about the light that shines for all of us if we are simply willing to have faith. I have truly had moments along this path when I didn’t know how much further I could go. But I had faith. I wasn’t strong because of my faith in myself. I found strength because I have always felt like God was in control of and for me. He has continually picked me from the fires that I alone started. He has allowed me learn. He has allowed me wisdom that I couldn’t obtain on my own. And he has answered my prayers. Life is Good. I am happy. Now, I’m going to have to quit writing now. Those tears keep on coming and I think maybe I could use a few Midol. And maybe some chocolate…

            By the way, the music we started today sounds better than I ever thought it could. It’s kind of funny what some light can do.  

'Roll With The Changes...'

By Country Artist Scott Coner

“As soon as you are able, women I am willing

To make the break that we are on the brink of

My cup is on the table, my love is spilling

Waiting here for you to take and drink of...

So if you’re tired of the same old story

Oh, turn some pages

I will be here when you are ready

To roll with the changes…."

-- K. Cronin / R.E.O Speed Wagon

            It’s cold today here in Indiana. The water for my horses is frozen, I can’t get the barn any warmer than it is, and my hands hurt from being out in the weather. I picked my parents up at the airport early this morning when they came in from their home in Florida, and I could see the shock on their faces as the cold wind whipped around them. These are the days that I long to be anywhere else but where I’m from. I grew up outside of the town that I currently live outside of, and I have to tell you that I need to leave as soon as possible.

            When I grew up here, it was a much smaller, much more personal community than it is now. My friends were here, my family pretty much all lived on the same road, and I was comfortable. I figured things would always stay the same. Man, was that ever an oversight. I still have a handful of friends around here, but we don’t really have anything in common. We rarely even see each other, and there isn’t much to say.  One of my childhood friends sells cars, and the other sells insurance. They are great guys, and I care deeply about them, but it sure sounds like a John Prine song doesn’t it? We just drifted apart. Our values are different, the way we raise kids is different, and what we enjoy is different. Long story short is, I’m ready to get on out of here for good.

            The music is finally starting to get its own legs, my daughters are both pretty much raised, and my worst nightmare is that I don’t finally seek some change in my life. I stayed around to be with my parents if you want to know the truth, but they have moved on as well. They stay in Ft. Myers in the winter and travel most of the summer, and I am very happy for them. It’s me and my immediate family who need to move away. I just don’t have much to keep me here year-round anymore. I expect I’ll keep my house and farm. After all, it’s where my kids grew up. But I need to begin the process of looking around seriously for a different place to land when I'm in Nashville. I spend way too much time in hotels when I’m there, and I never feel fully relaxed. Life changes us in ways we never expected, doesn’t it?

Scott Coner ( Photo by Cynnamae Media Productions)

            When you are young, you think you have all of the time in the world. That big clock in the sky doesn’t even show itself until you begin to hear this very loud ticking, and you start to get things in perspective pretty quickly. There is so much I want to do. So many things I want to see with my wife and kids. I stand back these days and look at my music, listen to my songs, and I can’t always remember writing them all. There was a time I didn’t believe anything good was ever going to happen for me, and yet, finally things seem to have turned around. It leaves me with a warm, satisfied feeling in my heart. But I still feel detached where I’m at today, and I know it is close to time for me to move along. I don’t know why, but I expect that will be a sad, tearful day. I might just be relieved to be honest.

            I hope as you have read this you haven’t found yourself starting to think I am not appreciative for what I have. That’s not the case at all. Instead, I am truly grateful for all that has happened for me, and I always will be. What I hope you take away from this is something far more personal and real than my own complaints and ramblings. I hope you take a look at your life and your position, and do a self -check. Are you happy? Are you complete? Is there something missing that could actually be corrected? Don’t wait too long. Don’t put things off. Begin the process of change. Remember, it is a process and it doesn’t usually take place in one day.

            The things I need to do are scary for me. I get uncomfortable whenever things start to change. I’m a creature of habit. But change is usually good because it challenges us to be aware of things and allow for a new approach. I worry about being on the road with my music. I worry about being away from my family. I even worry about my farm and animals. But I have worked hard, and so has my wife. It is time to put all of our cards on the table and play the hand we have. And yes, it scares me quite a bit. I hope you will do the same thing. Place your bets people and believe in yourselves… and always "Keep Pushin’". (By the way, I sure miss Gary Richrath)

“Well, it’s coming together and I finally feel like a man

I never thought I’d be where I am

Every day I work a little bit harder

I keep pushing on.…"

-- K. Cronin / R.E.O Speed Wagon   

         Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at www.Facebook.com/ScottConerMusic, www.YouTube.com/user/ScottConer, and www.ScottConer.com. Follow Scott at www.Twitter.com/ScottConer.

About My New Short Story 'When An Angel Cried'

By Scott Coner

Country Singer-Songwriter & Author

(Scott Coner will release the new short story "When An Angel Cried" at 1 p.m. CST Tuesday, Feb. 2, at www.ScottConer.com. The story is based on his heartfelt song and video about domestic abuse called "When The Angels Cry". In this blog article, he shares how this life-changing project came about. You can watch the video at https://youtu.be/SXUUgLl43TA )

         The characters in my song and short story on domestic abuse have been with me for a long time. Sometimes some of the people in my songs have a way of residing within me without anyone else knowing about them. They flash through my heart and mind without my beckoning them forward. They aren’t always welcome to be honest.

         I didn’t know for sure if I even wanted to record the song "When The Angels Cry", much less write the accompanying short story, "When An Angel Cried". I had carried the song with me for the better part of 20 years before I ever recorded it. It’s a dark theme, and I didn’t want people thinking I considered myself some kind of authority on the matter, because I’m not. Although like most of you, I do have some pretty strong opinions about the subject.

         My wife, Cyndi, has always been pretty descriptive when she tells a story. She doesn’t get in too big of a hurry and pays attention to details. In truth, she can tell me the story line about a movie she saw, and I usually don’t even feel like I need to see it any longer. So, when she told me about her own mother being abused after divorcing her biological father, it was like standing in the kitchen with all of the broken glass.  We hadn’t been married long at all when she brought all of those terrible details to life. I remember it was a weekday probably around 5:30 p.m. She was making dinner while I sat in the living room fiddling around with an Am chord. As I played, I thought about what it must have been like to be in her shoes. It didn’t seem fair to me that her young life had been altered in such a way -- that her loving, Christian home was turned upside down simply because of some terrible decisions by one person. But, it happens in millions of homes around the globe, and I suppose all we can do is try to break free from the chain of events and make a pact with ourselves to never be part of the problem.

         As I began writing the song, I wrote pretty much what Cyndi had told me. But, by the time I got to the bridge, a different character took over the story line. I didn't want my wife to re-live those experiences over and over again. So I decided to give the abused woman in the song more strength and common sense than Cyndi had been forced to witness first hand.   

         Cyndi put the video together herself last year. She told me where to stand, what to do, and where to look. She brought the actors into our home and shot their parts. She had scouted other locations, but it felt odd asking people if we could shoot a spousal abuse video in their home because it “just felt right”.

         By the time Cyndi edited the video, I had written most of the short story in my mind, and all I needed to do was write it down. I wanted to keep the story kind of barren the same way we had approached the recording of the song. Cyndi has ways of “classing” things up when she touches them. I have watched the video several times, and I always seem to see something else that she allowed to stay in a shot that’s significant in some way.

         I’m not in any way qualified to tell any woman what she should do if she finds herself in an abusive situation. But I believe I do have the right to say that everyone matters and no woman deserves to be treated badly. I have told this to my own daughters over and over again. I will never understand why anyone would stay in such a dark situation.

         I guess I just now realized all I can do is write about how I composed the song and wrote the short story. This is just one of those really heavy topics I don’t know how to approach... one of the many things that shouldn’t be in our society.

         Scott Coner is a country singer-songwriter who has worked in the studio with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown and Charlie Daniels. You can learn more about him and hear his music at www.Facebook.com/ScottConerMusic, www.YouTube.com/user/ScottConer, and www.ScottConer.com. Follow Scott at www.Twitter.com/ScottConer.