Aug 9, 2023
Songwriting is an often underappreciated talent in
the world of great music. Singers and musicians are celebrated for
the emotion they capture in their performances, but songwriters can
sometimes appear to be at the bottom of the music world's
hierarchy.
That is why we are so grateful to have Dove Award
Winning Songwriter Sue C. Smith on today's episode of the Music for
the Soul Podcast. Sue shares with us her journey into songwriting,
growing up with a father who led music at his church despite no
formal background in music. From there, she began writing songs and
getting connected in the world of Christian Music. Since then she
has written over 20 #1 songs and had her works cut by countless top
artists.
Sue talks about the importance of connection,
communication and recognition in songwriting, and how she used
those elements to create The Write About Jesus Conference in 2000.
She explains the importance of having a conference that welcomes
writers of all levels, both those that are award winning and those
that are just starting, into a place where they can talk, eat and
pray as one community.
Who is Sue C.
Smith?
Sue has written 20 #1 songs, including "Not For Long" (The
Guardians) in March 2023, "Looks Like Jesus" (Brian Free and
Assurance in 2022, and "Goliath" (Joseph Habedank) in 2021. A
Daywind Music Publishing staff writer, she is deeply involved in
writing music for the church and for church choirs, having written
over 100 musicals which are presented annually in churches around
the world. Sue is a five-time Dove award winning songwriter who has
had cuts by Avalon, Jason Crabb, The Oak Ridge Boys, The Crabb
Family, Sandi Patty, and many others.
She and her husband John founded The Write About Jesus Workshop in
2000, They co-hosted it each year until John's passing 2020. Sue
continues to host the workshop as well as mentor many other
writers. The workshop has been the launch pad for the songwriting
of dozens of fresh voices in Christian music.
Resources:
Learn more about The Write About Jesus Conference and how to
register on their website: www.writeaboutjesus.com
Learn more about Sue's work in songwriting, read her blog posts
and contact her at her website: www.suecsmithsongwriter.com