June 25, 2025 • 24 mins
Join Lynn Hoffman on this Music Saved Me episode with award winning, Grammy nominated singer, songwriter Sandy Knox. She has had songs recorded by Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Neil Diamond, Donna Summer and she is releasing "Weighting-My Life if it were a musical" which is a new groundbreaking audio book that also includes 21 original songs. You'll love Sandy's authenticity and she clearly knows the healing power of music in our lives.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Music Saved Me.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I moved here in nineteen eighty three with a fifteen
hundred dollars in my pocket and not even knowing a
soul in this town. But music was just, It was just,
It was all I could think about. And it was
also no matter if I never if I never ever
got paid, this is what I was gonna do. It
was that important to me.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Welcome to another episode of Music Saved Me, the podcast
where we explored the transformative power of music through the
stories of artists, songwriters, and fans whose lives have been
changed by song. Today, we are honored to welcome Sandy Knox,
a Grammy nominated songwriter and recording artist known for her
(00:41):
heartfelt lyrics and enduring contributions to country music, writing hit
songs for oh just some unknown artists like Reba McIntyre,
Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Dion Warwick, and Donna Summer one
of my personal favorites, just to name a few. Sandy
Knox's journey in the muse music industry is marked by resilience, creativity,
(01:03):
and a deep connection to the healing power of music.
With a career spanning decades, Sandy has penn hits for
legendary artists like I mentioned, and faced personal challenges that
have shaped her unique perspective on life and songwriting. Her
story is one of overcoming adversity, finding hope and melody,
and using music as a lifeline during the toughest moments,
(01:26):
and in this episode, Sandy shares her experiences of how
music has been both a sanctuary and a source of strength,
offering insight into the ways songwriting can help us process grief,
celebrate joy, and even connect with others on a profound level. Now,
she also has something really cool. It's a first hybrid
(01:46):
musical that we're going to get into and talk about,
which I can't wait to hear all about. It's the
first of its kind too, so she's once again groundbreaking.
So hopefully you are in for this amazing ride that
we're about to dive in to Sandy Knox's inspiring journey
and discover how for her music truly saved the day.
(02:07):
Sandy Knox, Welcome to Music Saved Me. It's so great
to have you here.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Thank you so much. I'm so glad to be here.
You're my first podcast interview about this project, So this
is exciting.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Oh, I am so excited to talk to you about it.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Before we get into that, I want to kind of
roll back a bit and go back to sort of
the beginning and some of your early inspirations, and maybe
have you shared with our audience a little bit about
your early experiences with music, And I want to know
what first drew you to to songwriting.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
You know, my parents had a very eclectic music collection.
Music was very prevalent in our home, and I just
gravitated toward it. It was just something that was always
there in my ear lyrics. I knew songs, you know,
(03:03):
I was really as very young, I was studying lyrics.
When I say studying, I mean like looking at them
and reading them and wondering, you know. And also, I'll
just say this, one of the first inspirations probably for
me for meter and rhyme were Doctor seuss books. Oh interesting,
because he rhymed everything. There was a there was a
(03:24):
there was a pattern, there was a meter to his
books and how they were when you when someone was
reading them out loud to you. And I think that
had something to do with me going in that direction
also toward music.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yeah, that's so cool.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
You know a lot of people do say that it's
their parents' music, and of course it would make sense
the albums, putting them on and hearing them and learning
them all. Was there a moment that you realized, or
an event in your life where music was sort of
more than just entertainment and that it could actually help
to save you.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yes, I will tell you that when I was in
about seventh grade, well, first of all, I wanted to
be in the choir. I wanted to be played the
drums in the marching band. And in order to do
that in the junior high school that I went to
in Houston, you had to have a year a choir.
(04:23):
So I was like, I got to take a year
a choir, but all I wanted to count on those
big drums, and so I had to go in and
take a year a choir. And sixth grade you had
to sing the choir teacher, Missus Hinkle. You always remember
the teachers that meant something. Missus Hinkle. She in order
to so she would know where to place you in
the choir, you had to sing my Bonny Lies over
(04:46):
the Ocean, because that has that's a pretty little, rangy
little couple of notes. So I sang it, and I
remember her turning and looking at me, and she said,
sing it again, and she went up. You know, you
went up a half step. I matched her. She kept
going up, she kept going up, and that day, I'm
going to tear up on saying this, she called my
mother and said, do you know your daughter can sing?
(05:09):
And I didn't want to play the drums in that
marching band anymore. I just wanted to be in the choir.
And there was just instant acceptance, and all of a sudden,
the music happened so much more. And I also that year,
so my parents bought me a guitar and I started
(05:30):
learning to chords and the first song that I wrote
was called O Since we Broke Up Chuck, and I
called it up Chuck and.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
The comical sensibility comes right out.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Already, and my parents, believe it or not, said, wow,
that's actually pretty clever for an eleven year old. And
so from that point on, songwriting was something I was
really interested in, and they supported it. They continued to
support it all my life.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
That's a big thing what you said about the chorus teacher.
When someone you look up to tells you that you're
good at something, that's huge.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Oh sorry about that.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
I'm sorry, I'm crying. I'm still you know. I always
sang around the house and everything, And like I said,
there was lots of music in our household, and neither
of my parents played an instrument or sang or anything,
but music was always being listened to. But yeah, when
(06:35):
Missus Sinkle called my mother that day and said, you
need to your daughter can sing, really can sing, and
you need to maybe get her into voice lessons.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Wow, wow, So.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
I started taking voice lessons.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
So yeah, have you ever talked to her again since
then or.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Not since then? But you only had Missus Sinkle for
one year and then you went into uh next level
acchoir with Missus Scandret and Missus Scandret and I kept
in touch until she passed away.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Wow, it's amazing that.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
I bet they're just filled with such joy hearing that
they had such an impact on your life.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Yeah. Unfortunately they both lived long enough to see my
early success with my songs.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
That's so great.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Well, I wonder how songwriting helped you sort of navigate
through your life once you realized that was what you
wanted to do. Perhaps during maybe difficult times, did you
sort of grab the pen and just start writing or
is that you know, is that part of your process?
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Oh gosh, yes, Can I tell you my publisher loved
it when I broke up with.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
A boyfriend's the original Taylor Swift.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Yeah, the great songs were going to be coming forth.
So yeah, I do write about what I'm no except
in one instance, I will tell you this, does he
love you? I get asked all the time if I
ever had an affair with a married man, and that's
where it came from. I never had an affair with
a married man that came That song came about because
(08:14):
of something else totally different, which you know, maybe we'll
get to that or not. But but for the most part,
I do pull from things in my life or something
somebody said, or maybe something I read then I went oof.
That could be a that could be a song, you
know in there, so there's a hook is always somewhere,
you know, it's always spinning around, just somewhere.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
That's true.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
And you've worked with so many incredible artists. Is there
anyone favorite or collaboration that you had and something that
really made it extra special that you could share with
the audience.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
You know, Neil Diamond did a tune of mine called
Like You Do. It was on this Tennessee Moon album.
And I got to know Neil a little bit. And uh,
I actually, i'll tell you what. He came to one
of my gigs, which, let me tell you, look singing
along doing your gig with your band and looking out
and singing Neil Diamond sit in front row and center.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
I don't think he was as nervous to see me
as I wantsh to see him, I bet. But he
invited me to coming into the studio. He wanted to
try the song out as a duet and he was
going to pitch it to Barbara streisand so he said, well, stay,
will you come out to the studio and sing it,
you know, try it as a duet? So I did,
And so that was pretty fun going in the studio
(09:35):
and just you know, just hanging with Neil.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
You know, singing with Neil Diamond.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
He didn't end up doing it as a duet. He
did record it, but he did it you know as
a solo. Yeah, but that was that was pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
He mentioned that that I can't imagine that they gets
much bigger than that. But say, for example, you're you know,
driving in the car and you hear a song that
you wrote for an artist store.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
You were at a show saying.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
You know, what does it feel like when you see
Dolly Parton singing one of your songs or Donna Summer?
You know that means maybe is there anything personal that
in there that it's I can't even imagine what goes
through your mind.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Yeah, you know, Dolly did a remix of does He
Love You with Rebus, so that's that cut. You know,
there is a this career. You know, we're rolling the
dice when we decide we're going to move to Nashville
or wherever and pursue songwriting. And when you hear one
(10:35):
of your tunes on the radio for the first time,
it is such a stamp of approval. I made it.
Oh my gosh, I can't believe this. I can't believe
I did this. It is a it's a huge deal.
The day that my first cut on Riba, which was
an album cut song called he Wants to Get Married,
was also the first day that a single Dion Warwick
(10:57):
came out called where My Lips Have Been? I sat
on the floor of my apartment with the cassettes. I
don't know if I had CDs or cassettes, but I'd
play one, then I'd play the other I played. I
just kept going, pinging back and forth listening to both
of these songs with these iconic artists singing them. That
was a big day And I'll never forget that moment.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
I can't even imagine.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
And did you ever see the role of music sort
of and how it connected with mental health and understanding
that how songs can help us emotionally in terms of healing,
not just for yourself but also for those of us
listening to these incredible songs. Did you realize that that
was going to be a side effect of what you
(11:43):
were doing?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Not really, I will tell you I've had a lot
of people telling you that certain songs affected them greatly,
like cause them to stop and think or to put
things in a different perspective. The first time I did
Dozzi Love You, it had just been released and I
was performing in Harlan Howard's birthday bash, you know, which
(12:06):
was a great honor to be asked to come sing
on that stage. And I got off the stage. The
song had only been on the radio I'm gonna say
maybe three weeks, and I sang it with A dear
friend of mine got off the stage, and I remember
this youngish woman stopped me and said, because of that song,
(12:28):
I stopped having an affair with a married man that
has been breaking my heart for years. I'll never forget
that that song had affected her in that manner. As
sort as mental health. She mentioned mental health. One of
the ways that music saved me was I was a
pretty fun kid, a little mischievous, got into trouble here
(12:49):
and there when I was in junior high. One of
the people at the school, I don't know, I think
it was the vice principal called my parents and suggested
that because I one of my conduct cards said, if
there is ever a distraction in the class, we can
pretty much bank Sandy will be in the middle of
(13:09):
thought of that.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Now, you know that means good that you were intelligent,
because it really does a lot of the ones that
didn't pay attentions because they were bored.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
By audim because they knew it already.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
I get that. And this, like I said, I think
it was the vice principal. He suggested that maybe my
parents should entertain the idea of putting me on Ridlin.
I think Ridlin was just starting to come out or something.
It was just so and you know, a drug to
tap me down. And my mother, who was not a
pill popper, she barely took Tyland all. She said, we
(13:43):
will not tap down her, her imagination or her creativity.
Sandy's not going to go on drugs in order to
come to school and be calmer. I thank my mother
for that so much. I think about that. I thank
god she didn't say, oh, of course, she said no,
We're not going to give her a pill to tap
(14:05):
her down. But what ended up happening is I really
started channeling my energy towards music and writing songs and
being and being in shows at school and trying out
for things. And and then my my click of friends
started becoming more music oriented or theater. I was very
involved in theater, and that ended up being what I
(14:28):
took in college. But it drove me to a different
group of friends who were a little who were healthier
for me to be abroud because I could have gone
a different direction. I had a couple of friends suit yeah,
inviting me to be in get into trouble.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
I bet you remember their names too.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
In contact with them, are you?
Speaker 1 (14:47):
That's so fun?
Speaker 2 (14:48):
One of them became a police officer.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Oh interesting, isn't that funny? What you know?
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Focus sounds to me more like what you really needed,
which is what you found in getting into that music thing.
And you know, I always like to ask my guests
what advice they would give to those who want to
get into this and also to use it as a
way of sort of coping or healing, especially if they
(15:17):
dream of a career in songwriting.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
What kind of advice would you give them?
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Wow, you know, the terrain has changed a great deal
since I entered and since I moved here in nineteen
eighty three with fifteen hundred dollars in my pocket and
not even knowing a soul in this town. But music
was just it was just it was all I could
think about. And it was also no matter if I
(15:43):
never if I never ever got paid. This is what
I was gonna do. It was that important to me.
I think, you know, God, giving advice to young people
about this career, I think you've got it. You have
to believe in yourself. I think it's very important to
research the history of songwriters in their lives and learn
what and who went before you. I think that's crazy important.
(16:08):
I would love it. If a couple of the schools here,
a couple of the universities that have music industry programs
would have a class, a class in the history of
like songwriters and stuff in their journey. I think that's
very important, and I did that before I moved here.
I read every hardback book I could find on the
(16:29):
on songwriters' bios, on music industry, on people's journey, and
to find out that a lot of them stumbled and
fell several times. Boy, okay, then I can stumble and fall.
I can get back up too, then because look what
they did. So I think that that's an important part
(16:50):
of the music. But a new you know, I just
think I go to the old adage, write what to know.
I would not write a long about being a golden
medal Olympias, because I don't anything about that. But I
think that's important, right, what you know? And you got
to stay true to your star. And I'll tell you what,
(17:16):
continuing to believe in yourself. That's a hard road. Sometimes
that's a really hard road. But as my mother said,
because there were a couple of times I wanted to bail,
I wanted to give up, and my mother would say, well,
you know, if if you keep trying, if you give up,
(17:36):
you have one hundred percent chance of not making it.
If you keep trying, at least you got a fifty
percent chance.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
That's great advice and.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
I'll never forget that because there were times when I
just wanted to.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Throw in the tail glass.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Oh there's times, I'm sure even up until this moment
that there have been.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
But you know, what you said really hits home.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
To me because you know, I moved in New York
with six months disposable income, and if I didn't make it,
I was going to go home. So one of those
things is to be to be fearless, you know, take
a calculated risk and and do your do your homework
on the history of what you what you want to
I think that that's probably the first time I've ever
heard anyone give that kind of advice, and it's such
(18:20):
great advice.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Study study of the especially because this this industry. You know,
at that point when I was making my journey into
there were there wasn't colleges where you could go take
classes in the music industry and such. Now there are
kids have a little bit more of an opportunity to
go study. There are several colleges. But you know, all
(18:43):
I had was to be able to read and and
try to dive into stuff. And you know, I had
so many books on the music industry and on Elvis.
I loved Elvis.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Oh, my gosh, who doesn't love Elvis?
Speaker 2 (18:56):
I found live three times before I was gosh, before
I was eighteen years old.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Wow, I never got to see him.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
I wish I did, you know, And that brings me
to my next question about funny or surprising stories from
your time Off the top of your head, You've always
wanted to tell that you haven't been able to tell.
Nothing salacious, but just something okay, spectacular. Well, if you
want to get salatious, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Here's a story when I first moved here in nineteen
eighty three, and I can tell you August. August thirteenth,
the nineteen eighty three is the day that the U
haul pulled up. Because my dad drove the U haul
and I drove my car. The next day, he flew
back to Houston, and I went to the grocery store
because I had my first apartment all by myself. I
was scared to death, and I loaded up the cart
(19:46):
with food because I was putting stuff in my brand
new apartment, and all of a sudden it dawned on
me that I was very much alone in the city
I'd never been to, and I didn't know anybody, and
I needed to get a job and bub blah, and
I just burst into tears in the I think it
was the spice isle of the Kroger, and I just
left my cart and in the middle of the aisle
(20:08):
and went home to cry because it was it was
so scary. But I don't know where we are on time,
But I will tell you this story. When I moved here,
we were Nashville was in the middle of a phone strike,
so I couldn't get a new phone. So I am
delivering cassette tapes at publishers with no contact information because
(20:31):
I didn't have a phone. So I had my name
and I think I wrote my address, and so somebody
had told me, a neighbor had said, you know, to go.
And this is the funny thing about Nashville. You know,
it's a lot about who you know, networking or whatever.
But I took I dropped off a tape. A couple
of days later, I decided to call and follow up.
(20:52):
I call him. Follow up, I said, and get to
the woman and said, can I ask for Roger Sovin
and can I tell him it's callin Sandy. Not Roger
comes on the phone, he picks up in the go
they where have you been? And I'm thinking that The
receptionist said, Tammy, why nuts online one Sandy and he's
picked up the wrong line. I said, this is Sandy
Knox and he said, I know you didn't put your
(21:13):
phone number on your cassette.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Goosebumps.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yeah, wow, yeah, so that was me. That was a
fun I never forgot that moment that he actually wanted
to pick up the phone talk to me.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Isn't that amazing?
Speaker 3 (21:28):
And you know, you wonder if that cassettes even never
get to the desk of the person you're sending it
to to begin with.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Yeah, that's that's great. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
I don't want to let you go because there's so
much more I want to talk about with you. But
let's get to something that we kind of teased up front,
which is sort of your groundbreaking. You're you're doing an
audio book slash musical and it's called Waiting. And there
was a quote that I had to read real quick
(21:57):
from it. It says we will all meet the love
of our lives, reside in a perfect fairy tale existence,
and achieve complete and total world peace just as soon
as we lose twenty pounds.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
I mean, that's like going on a diet Monday, you know.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
Can you tell us about this exciting new chapter for
you and what we can expect?
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Well, you know, it is an audiobook slash musical, So
I call it a boobsicle. That's what I've called it
for the last several years. I've been working on it,
and it's about a place that I actually went to
after breaking up with a bad boyfriend. It was kind
of a diet place, an alternative to going, you know,
on a cruise where you'd eep all the time. It
was like a place where you went and kind of
(22:39):
were healthy and watched your food and your intake. And
I left that place thinking, man, there's something something about
this place and the people I met and everything else.
And I started thinking about is this a song? And
then I realized it was much more than a song,
and so through. And that was in nineteen ninety six,
ninety seven, so years later, I really started thinking about
(23:01):
it as something else. First it was going to be
a musical, and then during COVID I started thinking, when
the lockdown happened and live venues and everything we're on
the download, I started thinking, you know, I think I
could write this as a audio book and interweave songs,
let the songs happen at a certain times. So that's
(23:22):
how it was born.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
So yeah, that's so cool if you could sort of
is there any connection or how can people get this
and see it and hear it?
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Well, it will be available across all audiobook platforms. And
then we have a single. There's a single coming out
called there Could Never Be Enough of You. Yeah, well
we all want to hear right from yes, everybody who
says they love us. And then the whole soundtrack of
It's twenty eight chapters, twenty one original songs and it
(24:00):
and the whole book is only five and a half hours.
It's not a huge listening commitment. And then the soundtrack
drops on July eleventh, and that'll be on every music
platform where you get your tunes.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
That's what they wherever you get your tunes.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
I like that Instead of your podcast, Sandy Knox, I
could talk to you all day. It is just such
an honor to meet you, and I can't believe how
much we actually have in common personally. I would love
to talk to you when we're done with this and
just compare notes. And I really appreciate you coming on
the show and sharing all of this personal stuff with
everyone because I think it's just so important.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Because we're so much more alike than we are different.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
And you know, if just one person listening takes the
advice of someone who's been there, done that, then we've
done our job.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
So Sandy, thank you so much
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Thank you so much.
Music Saved Me.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
I moved here in nineteen eighty three with a fifteen
hundred dollars in my pocket and not even knowing a
soul in this town. But music was just, It was just,
It was all I could think about. And it was
also no matter if I never if I never ever
got paid, this is what I was gonna do. It
was that important to me.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Welcome to another episode of Music Saved Me, the podcast
where we explored the transformative power of music through the
stories of artists, songwriters, and fans whose lives have been
changed by song. Today, we are honored to welcome Sandy Knox,
a Grammy nominated songwriter and recording artist known for her
(00:41):
heartfelt lyrics and enduring contributions to country music, writing hit
songs for oh just some unknown artists like Reba McIntyre,
Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, Dion Warwick, and Donna Summer one
of my personal favorites, just to name a few. Sandy
Knox's journey in the muse music industry is marked by resilience, creativity,
(01:03):
and a deep connection to the healing power of music.
With a career spanning decades, Sandy has penn hits for
legendary artists like I mentioned, and faced personal challenges that
have shaped her unique perspective on life and songwriting. Her
story is one of overcoming adversity, finding hope and melody,
and using music as a lifeline during the toughest moments,
(01:26):
and in this episode, Sandy shares her experiences of how
music has been both a sanctuary and a source of strength,
offering insight into the ways songwriting can help us process grief,
celebrate joy, and even connect with others on a profound level. Now,
she also has something really cool. It's a first hybrid
(01:46):
musical that we're going to get into and talk about,
which I can't wait to hear all about. It's the
first of its kind too, so she's once again groundbreaking.
So hopefully you are in for this amazing ride that
we're about to dive in to Sandy Knox's inspiring journey
and discover how for her music truly saved the day.
(02:07):
Sandy Knox, Welcome to Music Saved Me. It's so great
to have you here.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
Thank you so much. I'm so glad to be here.
You're my first podcast interview about this project, So this
is exciting.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Oh, I am so excited to talk to you about it.
Speaker 3 (02:22):
Before we get into that, I want to kind of
roll back a bit and go back to sort of
the beginning and some of your early inspirations, and maybe
have you shared with our audience a little bit about
your early experiences with music, And I want to know
what first drew you to to songwriting.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
You know, my parents had a very eclectic music collection.
Music was very prevalent in our home, and I just
gravitated toward it. It was just something that was always
there in my ear lyrics. I knew songs, you know,
(03:03):
I was really as very young, I was studying lyrics.
When I say studying, I mean like looking at them
and reading them and wondering, you know. And also, I'll
just say this, one of the first inspirations probably for
me for meter and rhyme were Doctor seuss books. Oh interesting,
because he rhymed everything. There was a there was a
(03:24):
there was a pattern, there was a meter to his
books and how they were when you when someone was
reading them out loud to you. And I think that
had something to do with me going in that direction
also toward music.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yeah, that's so cool.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
You know a lot of people do say that it's
their parents' music, and of course it would make sense
the albums, putting them on and hearing them and learning
them all. Was there a moment that you realized, or
an event in your life where music was sort of
more than just entertainment and that it could actually help
to save you.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yes, I will tell you that when I was in
about seventh grade, well, first of all, I wanted to
be in the choir. I wanted to be played the
drums in the marching band. And in order to do
that in the junior high school that I went to
in Houston, you had to have a year a choir.
(04:23):
So I was like, I got to take a year
a choir, but all I wanted to count on those
big drums, and so I had to go in and
take a year a choir. And sixth grade you had
to sing the choir teacher, Missus Hinkle. You always remember
the teachers that meant something. Missus Hinkle. She in order
to so she would know where to place you in
the choir, you had to sing my Bonny Lies over
(04:46):
the Ocean, because that has that's a pretty little, rangy
little couple of notes. So I sang it, and I
remember her turning and looking at me, and she said,
sing it again, and she went up. You know, you
went up a half step. I matched her. She kept
going up, she kept going up, and that day, I'm
going to tear up on saying this, she called my
mother and said, do you know your daughter can sing?
(05:09):
And I didn't want to play the drums in that
marching band anymore. I just wanted to be in the choir.
And there was just instant acceptance, and all of a sudden,
the music happened so much more. And I also that year,
so my parents bought me a guitar and I started
(05:30):
learning to chords and the first song that I wrote
was called O Since we Broke Up Chuck, and I
called it up Chuck and.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
The comical sensibility comes right out.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Already, and my parents, believe it or not, said, wow,
that's actually pretty clever for an eleven year old. And
so from that point on, songwriting was something I was
really interested in, and they supported it. They continued to
support it all my life.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
That's a big thing what you said about the chorus teacher.
When someone you look up to tells you that you're
good at something, that's huge.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Oh sorry about that.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
I'm sorry, I'm crying. I'm still you know. I always
sang around the house and everything, And like I said,
there was lots of music in our household, and neither
of my parents played an instrument or sang or anything,
but music was always being listened to. But yeah, when
(06:35):
Missus Sinkle called my mother that day and said, you
need to your daughter can sing, really can sing, and
you need to maybe get her into voice lessons.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Wow, wow, So.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
I started taking voice lessons.
Speaker 1 (06:47):
So yeah, have you ever talked to her again since
then or.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Not since then? But you only had Missus Sinkle for
one year and then you went into uh next level
acchoir with Missus Scandret and Missus Scandret and I kept
in touch until she passed away.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Wow, it's amazing that.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
I bet they're just filled with such joy hearing that
they had such an impact on your life.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Yeah. Unfortunately they both lived long enough to see my
early success with my songs.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
That's so great.
Speaker 3 (07:23):
Well, I wonder how songwriting helped you sort of navigate
through your life once you realized that was what you
wanted to do. Perhaps during maybe difficult times, did you
sort of grab the pen and just start writing or
is that you know, is that part of your process?
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Oh gosh, yes, Can I tell you my publisher loved
it when I broke up with.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
A boyfriend's the original Taylor Swift.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Yeah, the great songs were going to be coming forth.
So yeah, I do write about what I'm no except
in one instance, I will tell you this, does he
love you? I get asked all the time if I
ever had an affair with a married man, and that's
where it came from. I never had an affair with
a married man that came That song came about because
(08:14):
of something else totally different, which you know, maybe we'll
get to that or not. But but for the most part,
I do pull from things in my life or something
somebody said, or maybe something I read then I went oof.
That could be a that could be a song, you
know in there, so there's a hook is always somewhere,
you know, it's always spinning around, just somewhere.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
That's true.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
And you've worked with so many incredible artists. Is there
anyone favorite or collaboration that you had and something that
really made it extra special that you could share with
the audience.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
You know, Neil Diamond did a tune of mine called
Like You Do. It was on this Tennessee Moon album.
And I got to know Neil a little bit. And uh,
I actually, i'll tell you what. He came to one
of my gigs, which, let me tell you, look singing
along doing your gig with your band and looking out
and singing Neil Diamond sit in front row and center.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:13):
I don't think he was as nervous to see me
as I wantsh to see him, I bet. But he
invited me to coming into the studio. He wanted to
try the song out as a duet and he was
going to pitch it to Barbara streisand so he said, well, stay,
will you come out to the studio and sing it,
you know, try it as a duet? So I did,
And so that was pretty fun going in the studio
(09:35):
and just you know, just hanging with Neil.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
You know, singing with Neil Diamond.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
He didn't end up doing it as a duet. He
did record it, but he did it you know as
a solo. Yeah, but that was that was pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
He mentioned that that I can't imagine that they gets
much bigger than that. But say, for example, you're you know,
driving in the car and you hear a song that
you wrote for an artist store.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
You were at a show saying.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
You know, what does it feel like when you see
Dolly Parton singing one of your songs or Donna Summer?
You know that means maybe is there anything personal that
in there that it's I can't even imagine what goes
through your mind.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
Yeah, you know, Dolly did a remix of does He
Love You with Rebus, so that's that cut. You know,
there is a this career. You know, we're rolling the
dice when we decide we're going to move to Nashville
or wherever and pursue songwriting. And when you hear one
(10:35):
of your tunes on the radio for the first time,
it is such a stamp of approval. I made it.
Oh my gosh, I can't believe this. I can't believe
I did this. It is a it's a huge deal.
The day that my first cut on Riba, which was
an album cut song called he Wants to Get Married,
was also the first day that a single Dion Warwick
(10:57):
came out called where My Lips Have Been? I sat
on the floor of my apartment with the cassettes. I
don't know if I had CDs or cassettes, but I'd
play one, then I'd play the other I played. I
just kept going, pinging back and forth listening to both
of these songs with these iconic artists singing them. That
was a big day And I'll never forget that moment.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
I can't even imagine.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
And did you ever see the role of music sort
of and how it connected with mental health and understanding
that how songs can help us emotionally in terms of healing,
not just for yourself but also for those of us
listening to these incredible songs. Did you realize that that
was going to be a side effect of what you
(11:43):
were doing?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
Not really, I will tell you I've had a lot
of people telling you that certain songs affected them greatly,
like cause them to stop and think or to put
things in a different perspective. The first time I did
Dozzi Love You, it had just been released and I
was performing in Harlan Howard's birthday bash, you know, which
(12:06):
was a great honor to be asked to come sing
on that stage. And I got off the stage. The
song had only been on the radio I'm gonna say
maybe three weeks, and I sang it with A dear
friend of mine got off the stage, and I remember
this youngish woman stopped me and said, because of that song,
(12:28):
I stopped having an affair with a married man that
has been breaking my heart for years. I'll never forget
that that song had affected her in that manner. As
sort as mental health. She mentioned mental health. One of
the ways that music saved me was I was a
pretty fun kid, a little mischievous, got into trouble here
(12:49):
and there when I was in junior high. One of
the people at the school, I don't know, I think
it was the vice principal called my parents and suggested
that because I one of my conduct cards said, if
there is ever a distraction in the class, we can
pretty much bank Sandy will be in the middle of
(13:09):
thought of that.
Speaker 3 (13:10):
Now, you know that means good that you were intelligent,
because it really does a lot of the ones that
didn't pay attentions because they were bored.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
By audim because they knew it already.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
I get that. And this, like I said, I think
it was the vice principal. He suggested that maybe my
parents should entertain the idea of putting me on Ridlin.
I think Ridlin was just starting to come out or something.
It was just so and you know, a drug to
tap me down. And my mother, who was not a
pill popper, she barely took Tyland all. She said, we
(13:43):
will not tap down her, her imagination or her creativity.
Sandy's not going to go on drugs in order to
come to school and be calmer. I thank my mother
for that so much. I think about that. I thank
god she didn't say, oh, of course, she said no,
We're not going to give her a pill to tap
(14:05):
her down. But what ended up happening is I really
started channeling my energy towards music and writing songs and
being and being in shows at school and trying out
for things. And and then my my click of friends
started becoming more music oriented or theater. I was very
involved in theater, and that ended up being what I
(14:28):
took in college. But it drove me to a different
group of friends who were a little who were healthier
for me to be abroud because I could have gone
a different direction. I had a couple of friends suit yeah,
inviting me to be in get into trouble.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
I bet you remember their names too.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
In contact with them, are you?
Speaker 1 (14:47):
That's so fun?
Speaker 2 (14:48):
One of them became a police officer.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Oh interesting, isn't that funny? What you know?
Speaker 3 (14:56):
Focus sounds to me more like what you really needed,
which is what you found in getting into that music thing.
And you know, I always like to ask my guests
what advice they would give to those who want to
get into this and also to use it as a
way of sort of coping or healing, especially if they
(15:17):
dream of a career in songwriting.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
What kind of advice would you give them?
Speaker 2 (15:22):
Wow, you know, the terrain has changed a great deal
since I entered and since I moved here in nineteen
eighty three with fifteen hundred dollars in my pocket and
not even knowing a soul in this town. But music
was just it was just it was all I could
think about. And it was also no matter if I
(15:43):
never if I never ever got paid. This is what
I was gonna do. It was that important to me.
I think, you know, God, giving advice to young people
about this career, I think you've got it. You have
to believe in yourself. I think it's very important to
research the history of songwriters in their lives and learn
what and who went before you. I think that's crazy important.
(16:08):
I would love it. If a couple of the schools here,
a couple of the universities that have music industry programs
would have a class, a class in the history of
like songwriters and stuff in their journey. I think that's
very important, and I did that before I moved here.
I read every hardback book I could find on the
(16:29):
on songwriters' bios, on music industry, on people's journey, and
to find out that a lot of them stumbled and
fell several times. Boy, okay, then I can stumble and fall.
I can get back up too, then because look what
they did. So I think that that's an important part
(16:50):
of the music. But a new you know, I just
think I go to the old adage, write what to know.
I would not write a long about being a golden
medal Olympias, because I don't anything about that. But I
think that's important, right, what you know? And you got
to stay true to your star. And I'll tell you what,
(17:16):
continuing to believe in yourself. That's a hard road. Sometimes
that's a really hard road. But as my mother said,
because there were a couple of times I wanted to bail,
I wanted to give up, and my mother would say, well,
you know, if if you keep trying, if you give up,
(17:36):
you have one hundred percent chance of not making it.
If you keep trying, at least you got a fifty
percent chance.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
That's great advice and.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
I'll never forget that because there were times when I
just wanted to.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
Throw in the tail glass.
Speaker 3 (17:50):
Oh there's times, I'm sure even up until this moment
that there have been.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
But you know, what you said really hits home.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
To me because you know, I moved in New York
with six months disposable income, and if I didn't make it,
I was going to go home. So one of those
things is to be to be fearless, you know, take
a calculated risk and and do your do your homework
on the history of what you what you want to
I think that that's probably the first time I've ever
heard anyone give that kind of advice, and it's such
(18:20):
great advice.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Study study of the especially because this this industry. You know,
at that point when I was making my journey into
there were there wasn't colleges where you could go take
classes in the music industry and such. Now there are
kids have a little bit more of an opportunity to
go study. There are several colleges. But you know, all
(18:43):
I had was to be able to read and and
try to dive into stuff. And you know, I had
so many books on the music industry and on Elvis.
I loved Elvis.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
Oh, my gosh, who doesn't love Elvis?
Speaker 2 (18:56):
I found live three times before I was gosh, before
I was eighteen years old.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Wow, I never got to see him.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
I wish I did, you know, And that brings me
to my next question about funny or surprising stories from
your time Off the top of your head, You've always
wanted to tell that you haven't been able to tell.
Nothing salacious, but just something okay, spectacular. Well, if you
want to get salatious, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Here's a story when I first moved here in nineteen
eighty three, and I can tell you August. August thirteenth,
the nineteen eighty three is the day that the U
haul pulled up. Because my dad drove the U haul
and I drove my car. The next day, he flew
back to Houston, and I went to the grocery store
because I had my first apartment all by myself. I
was scared to death, and I loaded up the cart
(19:46):
with food because I was putting stuff in my brand
new apartment, and all of a sudden it dawned on
me that I was very much alone in the city
I'd never been to, and I didn't know anybody, and
I needed to get a job and bub blah, and
I just burst into tears in the I think it
was the spice isle of the Kroger, and I just
left my cart and in the middle of the aisle
(20:08):
and went home to cry because it was it was
so scary. But I don't know where we are on time,
But I will tell you this story. When I moved here,
we were Nashville was in the middle of a phone strike,
so I couldn't get a new phone. So I am
delivering cassette tapes at publishers with no contact information because
(20:31):
I didn't have a phone. So I had my name
and I think I wrote my address, and so somebody
had told me, a neighbor had said, you know, to go.
And this is the funny thing about Nashville. You know,
it's a lot about who you know, networking or whatever.
But I took I dropped off a tape. A couple
of days later, I decided to call and follow up.
(20:52):
I call him. Follow up, I said, and get to
the woman and said, can I ask for Roger Sovin
and can I tell him it's callin Sandy. Not Roger
comes on the phone, he picks up in the go
they where have you been? And I'm thinking that The
receptionist said, Tammy, why nuts online one Sandy and he's
picked up the wrong line. I said, this is Sandy
Knox and he said, I know you didn't put your
(21:13):
phone number on your cassette.
Speaker 1 (21:16):
Goosebumps.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Yeah, wow, yeah, so that was me. That was a
fun I never forgot that moment that he actually wanted
to pick up the phone talk to me.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Isn't that amazing?
Speaker 3 (21:28):
And you know, you wonder if that cassettes even never
get to the desk of the person you're sending it
to to begin with.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Yeah, that's that's great. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (21:37):
I don't want to let you go because there's so
much more I want to talk about with you. But
let's get to something that we kind of teased up front,
which is sort of your groundbreaking. You're you're doing an
audio book slash musical and it's called Waiting. And there
was a quote that I had to read real quick
(21:57):
from it. It says we will all meet the love
of our lives, reside in a perfect fairy tale existence,
and achieve complete and total world peace just as soon
as we lose twenty pounds.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
I mean, that's like going on a diet Monday, you know.
Speaker 3 (22:14):
Can you tell us about this exciting new chapter for
you and what we can expect?
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Well, you know, it is an audiobook slash musical, So
I call it a boobsicle. That's what I've called it
for the last several years. I've been working on it,
and it's about a place that I actually went to
after breaking up with a bad boyfriend. It was kind
of a diet place, an alternative to going, you know,
on a cruise where you'd eep all the time. It
was like a place where you went and kind of
(22:39):
were healthy and watched your food and your intake. And
I left that place thinking, man, there's something something about
this place and the people I met and everything else.
And I started thinking about is this a song? And
then I realized it was much more than a song,
and so through. And that was in nineteen ninety six,
ninety seven, so years later, I really started thinking about
(23:01):
it as something else. First it was going to be
a musical, and then during COVID I started thinking, when
the lockdown happened and live venues and everything we're on
the download, I started thinking, you know, I think I
could write this as a audio book and interweave songs,
let the songs happen at a certain times. So that's
(23:22):
how it was born.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
So yeah, that's so cool if you could sort of
is there any connection or how can people get this
and see it and hear it?
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Well, it will be available across all audiobook platforms. And
then we have a single. There's a single coming out
called there Could Never Be Enough of You. Yeah, well
we all want to hear right from yes, everybody who
says they love us. And then the whole soundtrack of
It's twenty eight chapters, twenty one original songs and it
(24:00):
and the whole book is only five and a half hours.
It's not a huge listening commitment. And then the soundtrack
drops on July eleventh, and that'll be on every music
platform where you get your tunes.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
That's what they wherever you get your tunes.
Speaker 3 (24:15):
I like that Instead of your podcast, Sandy Knox, I
could talk to you all day. It is just such
an honor to meet you, and I can't believe how
much we actually have in common personally. I would love
to talk to you when we're done with this and
just compare notes. And I really appreciate you coming on
the show and sharing all of this personal stuff with
everyone because I think it's just so important.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Because we're so much more alike than we are different.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
And you know, if just one person listening takes the
advice of someone who's been there, done that, then we've
done our job.
Speaker 1 (24:46):
So Sandy, thank you so much
Speaker 2 (24:47):
Thank you so much.
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