If you’ve listened to music, let’s say in the last 30 years, then you’re likely familiar with my guest today, but not in the way you may think. Gary Burr is a legendary songwriter and vocalist who is behind hit songs for artists like Kelly Clarkson, Kenny Chesney, Lady A, The Oak Ridge Boys, Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, Juice Newton, Christine Aguilera, Garth Brooks, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Carole King, and Ringo Starr…and seriously…that’s the tip of the iceberg here.
He's had 14 #1 hits in total (so far), 24 top 10s, and 32 top 40 hits to his name - a master of the 4-minute story arc known as a song.
But, while I could talk to him for years about his songwriting career, I reached out to him about something else — his foray into fiction. On July 5th, 2024, Gary is releasing his first novel called, Reunion - A Rock-n-Roll Fairy Tale and it is his take on the question…"What if?" What if John Lennon wasn’t assassinated? Could they ever come together again and play as a band? And, as a reader, can you let your imagination even go there?
I talk to Gary about the process of writing a fairy tale novel. How is it different (or similar) to writing songs? How did he take four of the most famous people in history and script an alternative story? Why tackle someone like the Beatles? Did he know from the outset how it would end? And, most importantly — what does Ringo (who Gary has worked with for the past 20 years) think of this fairy tale?
We often think about “what ifs” in our own lives and it is a fascinating idea to explore.
Order Reunion - A Rock-n-Roll Fairy Tale
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Theme Music: Your Love by Atch -License: Creative Commons License - Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)
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