Songwriting

Each year, Music City extends a call to amateur hopefuls, conducting a worldwide search for the best original song. This year, actress-turned country singer Jana Kramer plays a big role in the Music City Songwriting Competition.

Whenever 'American Idol' contestant Lauren Alaina is having a bad day, you can probably find her with a pen in hand, writing songs.

Tom Petty sparked the ire of country music fans and artists earlier this week in an interview that found him insulting modern country acts.

Life is good for Brantley Gilbert. At the CMA Songwriters Series in Nashville last week (Oct. 31), Gilbert showed off his vocal and songwriting prowess alongside a stellar lineup of fellow hit songwriters, including Sugarland's Kristian Bush, Bob DiPiero ('Southern Voice,' 'Blue Clear Sky') and Brett James ('Cowboy Cassanova,' 'Blessed').

It’s hard to imagine Tim McGraw having any insecurities concerning his successful 25-year career as a country artist, but the ‘Better Than I Used to Be’ singer admits when it comes to finding the the perfect songs, he tends to rely more on Nashville’s songwriting community rather than cutting his own material.