I was living in Nashville, and at the Bluebird Cafe, when this nerdy guy in a George Strait look-a-like get-up sits down and talks about how much he likes George. We were not interested at that point, everyone likes George. Then he sang, nope, nothing there, sounds too much like George. So, we got up and left.

6 months or so later I was working at Tower Records when Garth's CD came out and I was putting them on the shelf. I thought he looked like the guy we walked out on, so I figured he wouldn't last long. During Fan Fair, what it used to be called, we had the chance to get Garth in live to perform with just a guitar. He was a little afraid to perform in so intimate of a setting with not much for sound gear. He came out and sang "The Dance", I thought,

 

WOW! What a great song. Then he sang "Unanswered Prayers", I wasn't convinced he would be great. Then he tells us he is working on a new album and this will most likely be the first single. He sang "Friends In Low Places", ok, I'm hooked, this guy is going to be big. Little did I know he was writing most of his songs.

When I met Alan Jackson he played the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and had this little known group called Brooks and Dunn opening up for him. I first heard about Alan Jackson because I heard this story he was in a club in Nashville, I think it was also the Bluebird Cafe, and wrote a song with the bartender on a napkin and told everyone it was a huge hit...the song was "Here In The Real World". That's when I learned to bartend!!!

The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame is honoring two who do, Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson, with induction into the hall.

Garth and Alan will join songwriters Thom Schuyler (“Sixteenth Avenue”), Allen Shamblin (“The House That Built Me”) and John Bettis (“Slow Hand”) in this go around.

Garth co-wrote “The Thunder Rolls,” “The River” and others, while Alan has written “Chattahoochee,” “Where Were You” and dozens of others.

The induction will happen Oct. 16 at a Nashville hotel.

[Source: Country Weekly]

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