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  • Hello Songwriter: Gordon Kennedy

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    Andrea Bailey Willits
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    A profile of Grammy Award-winning songwriter Gordon Kennedy

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    A profile of Grammy Award-winning songwriter Gordon Kennedy

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    69 views2 pages

    Hello Songwriter: Gordon Kennedy

    Uploaded by

    Andrea Bailey Willits
    A profile of Grammy Award-winning songwriter Gordon Kennedy

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 2
    OE TO Ta CT aS PATO Nes VOK AMPS, HOMAGE TO A VINTAGE GEAR OBSESSION. TOLEX FROM A 50S FENDER AMP EDGES THE COFFEE TABLE. A WINDOW BEHIND THE LEATHER COUCH ‘SURVEYS GRAY SKIES AND A PEACEFUL FOREST. IT'S WHERE YOU WOULD EXPECT the Grammy Award-winning waiter, guitarist and pro ducer who penned Eric Claptons iconic "Change the World,” to do most of his writing and recording The son of session ace Jetty Kennedy who played for Elvis Predey and Bob Dylan, the 50-year-old has also written for Garth Brooks, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Hornsby, Carrie Underwood, Peter Frampton and coundles others. He most recently co-wrote and produced Ricky Skaggs album Moszic, which was ‘nominated for multiple Grammys this year. Bue when T ask how a songwriter goes about achieving such success, Kennedy rnods affably and. starts talking about failure. He wants to tell me a story, he says, about a litle song called “ the World.” “My friend Wayne Kickpatrick and I went to the studio in the spring of 91,” Ken nedy explains, leaning back in his chair beside the 1962 Gibson J-45 guitar he writes wich every day “We were trying to get a record deal, and ‘we were recording four songs wed written. During the session, Tommy Sims was playing bass and si, “Saye fellas, on this groove, this thing youre working ‘on, could we do something like this?" And he played the into eff for ‘Change the World.” The young, broke Kennedy felt the melody in his bones. Hed recently finished a sine withthe Chris- tian rock band White Heart, vas on the outs with his publisher and was ast hankering forthe next leg of his music career. But when he and Kiskpatick brought the finished song to a label exce in New York to ink a record deal, the guy shrugged and said, Tim going to pass on you guys. I just dont hear the his Kennedy was crushed. But his hopes picked up again ‘when he learned chat Wynonna Judd was going to record the song. "We were cold, ‘It’s going to be a tingle.” he recalls, Buc yeas passed, and the single didal happen. Te was fll ix yeas later when Kirkpatrick came vo Kennedy and said, "Hey, we've got another cut on “Change the World.” ‘Oh, eally? Whe?” "Clapton: [Not only did Clapton record che song, ic found a spot on John Travolta 1996 film Phenomenon. A few months late, Kennedy, Kirkpatrick and Sims walked onto the stage of Madison Square Garden in New York City amidse thunderous applause to accept their Grammy. Glofia Estefan had just com ‘open the envelope and announced the Song ofthe Year: "Change the World” A smile plays across Kennedy's lean, stubbled face “Now, if you asked me, ‘What would you prefer what you wanted to happen or what happened? “WHEN YOU THINK YOU'VE FAILED MISERABLY, HOLD ON. WAIT A LITTLE WHILE. KEEP KNOCKING ON DOORS ‘AND WALKING THROUGH OPEN ONES. YOU MAY END UP SOMEWHERE BETTER THAN YOU EVER DREAMED.” T would say; the thing that happened was what ‘vas meant to be and was far greater for ws than if [Kirkpatrick and I] had gotten a record deal our selves, We might have given ‘Change the World the equivalent of a decent burial as 2 copyright, but Clapton made it immor: al” The reason he tell cis story, both to sme and to hundreds of sarry-

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