Catherine Campbell sat in an empty room in her new house, guitar in hand, trying not to feel overwhelmed.
She’d recently returned from an intensive weeklong songwriting camp in Nashville and was eager to apply what she’d learned. But all the lessons, advice, and critiques kept intruding on her creative process.
“They were really great instructors,” she recalled, “and I’m so grateful for all the help, but at times I got a little paralyzed. I started to get blocked, so I had to stop and remind myself that these people aren’t gods. Their creativity and success isn’t necessarily my creativity and success.”
It would be hard not to feel intimidated by the creativity and success of instructors like John Paul White, Beth Neilson Chapman, and Rodney Crowell, who wrote songs for Emmylou Harris and was married to Rosanne Cash. “We’d be in class, and he’d mention something about his father-in-law,” Campbell laughed, “and then you’d realize he’s talking about Johnny Cash.”
One important lesson she recalled from her instructors was the importance of a good story. “It really benefited me to think about songwriting and the lyrics as part of a story.”
And so she began to apply those songwriting strategies to the story a friend had told her – the story of a guy with alluring long hair, and the larger struggles of dating and feeling pressure to change who you are. A new song called “Long Hair” began to take shape.
“I think it’s kind of a funny song,” she explained. “Is this guy really an attractive person, or does he just have long hair? Is he actually a good match for you, or does he just have cool tattoos?”
“I’ve faced that dilemma plenty of times,” she said of past boyfriends. “Is this person actually good for me, or is there just something about him that I think is really exciting – like he has a cool motorbike?” The song and its story continued to grow and evolve, but the metaphor of sexy long hair remained at its core.
Cities all around Chattanooga will have their brush with “Long Hair” when Catherine Campbell sets off for a February tour with Jane Huntsman. Cities include Memphis, Athens, Lexington, Knoxville, Nashville, Birmingham, and Florence. She also plans to release her first full-length album in the summer of 2024.
Though she may tinker with some phrases or musical ideas, the song is mostly finished and she is excited to premier it for Chattanooga audiences on Thursday, January 4th at the Woodshop. She will appear alongside Matt Bohannon as the inaugural guests at The Woodshop Variety Show, a free weekly songwriter showcase at the Woodshop. The night will be hosted by Alex the Band.
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