October 14, 2025 • 35 mins
What if the song that changes your life starts with a brief, a laugh, and a note you weren’t sure you could sing? We sit down with songwriter Abram Dean and trace the unlikely trail from church costumes and a middle-school talent win to LA’s genre-blend grind, a Warner publishing deal, and a move to Nashville that felt less like strategy and more like calling.
We unpack the room where “Gonna Love You” took shape for Parmalee—a “power ballad” request that turned into a simple, soaring promise, a months-long hunt for the right bridge, and a cut day that proved how the right voice can unlock a song. Abram shares how that track later became a conduit for the band to tell a painful family story, showing how country songs carry more than romance—they hold resilience. Then we pivot to “Devil Don’t Go There,” where a stubborn idea flipped POV, landed with Laney Wilson, and raced from Friday write to Monday cut under Jay Joyce. The hook is sharp, but the lesson is sharper: trust your co-writers and write the truth the artist can live.
The ride doesn’t smooth out from there. Abram talks turkey hunts that led to Dylan Marlowe’s “Record High,” an Andy Grammer session that turned into his first major cut with “Red Eye,” and the wild “My Side of Town” saga—instant holds, a Morgan Wallen cut that missed the final tracklist, and a rebirth with Josh Ross. Along the way, we get field-tested advice for new writers: show up to writer rounds, know your role in the room, let simple ideas breathe, and don’t force doors that won’t open.
If you love the craft behind country hits, co-writing dynamics, and real talk about the highs and gut-punches of modern songwriting, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a songwriter friend, and leave a review to help more listeners find the show. What part of Abram’s journey hit you hardest?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_03 (00:03):
You are listening to Stories Behind the Songs with
Chris Blair.
For more information, check outChris Blair.com.
This week's guest is gonna diveinto songs like Gonna Love You
and Devil Don't Go There andtalk about how he got his start
writing songs at a very youngage and then kind of bounced
(00:25):
around, ended up in LA, and thenback to Nashville, and uh just
everything that he's done.
Uh, newer songwriter to thescene, but already making some
big waves.
Let's get to it.
Here is Abram Dean.
We are back again for anotherepisode of Stories Behind the
Songs, and uh today we've gotAbram Dean in the house.
(00:47):
How are you, man?
Good, man.
SPEAKER_02 (00:48):
Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_03 (00:49):
Man, thanks for coming in.
I want to just kind of dive intoGonna Love You.
It was your first number one.
Take me into the room that day.
Who came up with the ideawhere'd that song come from?
SPEAKER_02 (01:01):
Man, um David Fanning's one of my really good
buddies, and he's been one of mygood friends since I moved to
town.
And Andy Sheridan's also in thatsong, and we've written like 70
songs together now.
SPEAKER_03 (01:14):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (01:14):
And um we we were in the room that day, and David
brought in Matt.
He's like, hey, we're just gonnawrite for Parmalet today, and
it's kind of a last secondthing, I believe.
And um we sat down and threwaround some ideas, and they were
like, we really need a a powerballad.
And so they started goingthrough like some references,
(01:36):
and Andy literally just turnedaround and started playing the
chords that are in the song, andI sat there and I was like
singing super high like a girl,like I do.
SPEAKER_01 (01:46):
I was like, I was like, da da la, da da love you.
SPEAKER_02 (01:50):
And I was like, you need a love song, and David, I
think, said, Gonna love you.
And then um Matt was like, hiseyes got big, and he's like,
Man, he's I don't think he hadever sang that high at that
point.
And I and I I was worriedbecause I thought I just girl
sang us out of us out of a cutor a idea for the day.
And uh he he got on the mic, andman, his voice was killer on in
(02:13):
that register, and and it wassomething special.
And I think we went six, sevenmonths without a bridge on that
song.
Really?
And uh we wrote it, I think, amonth or a month before they
went in and cut and uh finishedit up.
SPEAKER_03 (02:28):
It just didn't feel like it needed a bridge at the
time, or or like felt like itdid, and you just weren't there
yet.
SPEAKER_02 (02:34):
We didn't have well it we wanted a moment.
Uh we wanted to have a moment inthe song that just went
somewhere else and nothing wasclicking.
And David and I were together aton, and Andy, so we knew we'd
get back together, and uh uh thecloser it got to that cut date,
I was like, oh, I gotta get thisdone.
But uh we got in and got itdone, and um they killed it.
(02:55):
It sounds awesome, and I wasblessed to be in the room that
day when they cut it, and it wasit was pretty cool.
SPEAKER_03 (03:00):
So this became your first number one.
How'd that feel, man?
SPEAKER_02 (03:02):
Had no idea.
I thought I thought we wrote acool song that day, and it was a
special moment, but I had noidea that that was gonna be the
first one.
I mean, we all have a thousandsongs that were like, that's a
hit, that's a hit, but it's theit seems to be the songs that
you don't expect that turn intothe the ones that get a cut or
let alone this is my firstnumber one, so to see it do
(03:25):
that, it was pretty cool.
SPEAKER_03 (03:26):
Yeah.
What were some of the specialmoments in the room when you
wrote that song?
Like uh or any uh any lines thatare just personal or like have a
deep meaning.
SPEAKER_02 (03:36):
Man I think we just all tapped into what we knew.
Um I don't know if there wasanything super personal or I
mean here's here's the coolthing.
Um we didn't know at the time,but Matt and uh the guys in the
band were looking for aopportunity to showcase um their
(03:59):
story about um his brother thatgot shot, the drummer in the
band.
And I mean, you know that story.
Yeah.
Um they got I guess muggedbasically after a show on their
bus, and um he was uh clingingon the life, and uh they had
never really told that story.
I think he had like a fivepercent chance of living, and he
(04:20):
was in a coma, and uh they theytold us, I guess after they had
cut the song that they weregonna use that song to be able
to go in and and tell thatstory, and that that was very
special.
So we had no idea that that oursong would be used for that
either.
So it was pretty cool.
Yeah, that was cool.
And we didn't recognize it thatday or didn't realize that that
(04:41):
was what it was gonna be usedfor, but yeah, um, pretty cool.
SPEAKER_03 (04:45):
How uh how quick was that right?
I mean, other than the bridge.
SPEAKER_02 (04:49):
Three hours, yeah, three, four hours, yeah.
Okay, and um, we just wanted tomake sure we weren't because it
was so simple at the same time,we didn't want it to be we
wanted to make sure, like, isthis not too simple?
And and but it all just feltright.
Yeah.
And um, and Matt's vocal waskiller um that day, and um,
(05:10):
yeah, we just left.
We just didn't have the bridgeyet.
Yeah, but we got it, we got itthere and went somewhere
different with it for sure.
SPEAKER_03 (05:16):
Let's hear a little bit of it.
Yeah, man.
SPEAKER_02 (05:21):
This one's gonna love you.
A little early, so is this goodone on there?
SPEAKER_00 (05:44):
You never gonna be on.
Never from now.
Need someone to hold your soulon me.
I'll never be from me.
I'm here to stay.
(06:05):
If you give us girls, don't meanthe stick in the last one.
SPEAKER_03 (07:00):
Come on, man.
That morning voice.
That morning voice is stillstrong, bro.
I don't know what you're talkingabout.
Um, let's shift into uh doublenote go there.
Tell me about that one, man.
SPEAKER_02 (07:13):
That was cool.
Um Unreal.
Uh, you you dream about comingto town and uh getting a cut
with an artist like like Laneyor Morgan or Luke or whoever.
And uh uh we went in that daynot thinking that whatsoever.
I this is a testament totrusting your co-writers.
(07:36):
Um we were in with Lance Millerand Joe Fox, and I had this
idea, um, and I in my head itwas burned in my mind, it's a
male idea, it would hook likethis, and I took it in, and the
first thing Joe said, he's like,Man, I really think that would
hit harder as a female idea.
And I was like, okay.
And I so I fought him on it forprobably two hours, wasting
(07:58):
time, and uh we uh we finallygot around, I was like, man,
okay, this is really good, andyou're right, and let's go down
this road.
And by the time we were donefighting on it, um that we
weren't really fighting on it,but by the time we were going
back and forth on it, uh uh wejust had like a rough idea that
was enough to hear like, oh,this is really good.
(08:21):
So I took it to um that night Ihad dinner with my wife, um,
Jenna, who's best friends withLaney, has been for years.
And I wasn't thinking, I knew itwas for a female idea, but I
knew it was a pipe dream to havea song with her.
And so I just played it forJenna just to get her initial
thoughts without puttinganything in her head.
(08:41):
And the first thing she said waslike, you need to send that to
Laney.
Like, I know she's cutting soon,you need to send that to her.
And so I I was all excited, Iwas like, sweet.
So um I texted over to her toher right there at dinner, and
five minutes later she hit backand she's like, Oh my goodness,
can I finish this with you?
This is special.
And um, so we got in, she got usin uh her busy schedule, she got
(09:03):
us in uh on a Friday, and shecut for the last time for the
record, I believe, on theMonday.
And it was so cool.
And uh after we finished writingit, she turned to us, she's
like, guys, I'm going to cutthis on Monday, like no matter
what, this is this is great.
And I'm getting chills right nowthinking about it.
Um but uh but yeah, so that thatwas special, and to hear her uh
(09:26):
her vocal on it was just cool,man.
And Jay Joyce, I mean, come on,so cool.
SPEAKER_03 (09:31):
Dive into that one a little deeper.
Peel some peel some layers backfor me um on uh on the idea and
the whole story behind thatsong.
SPEAKER_02 (09:40):
Yeah, I mean, um so just the the idea of and she
could resonate with it.
I mean, she's talked about herpast relationships a lot and and
now finding her fiancesoon-to-be husband, who we all
love.
Um she's now realized like herprevious relationships that just
(10:02):
weren't great, and she can'tbelieve I mean she said it, I'm
not saying anything that Ishouldn't say, but um her
previous relationships that uhshe was just like, why did I let
somebody treat me that way?
Um I mean we all have those.
And um she just I feel like sheresonated with that and and
really she she threw the coloron that song and made it what it
(10:24):
is, and um and turned it upsidedown and and made it a Laney
song, um, obviously withanything she touches.
But uh but yeah, just just thesentiment of like, man, that was
you treated me so bad that thedevil wouldn't even go there.
Like that's pretty low.
And we just kind of leaned intothat the entire time and um uh
(10:44):
thank the Lord she uh uhresonated with it.
Yeah.
Yeah, play a little bit of thatone?
Yeah, man.
This one's high.
SPEAKER_00 (11:27):
Cause damn they burn like a marble red.
I know the difference betweenwrong and right.
And boy, that way you saidgoodbye.
Even the devil don't go therethe way he did me that night.
(11:50):
I bet the hell he put me throughcan make his angels cry.
Held you up and leave me likethat.
Are you really that kind?
I'm betting even where he lives,he wouldn't go that low.
(12:12):
Even the devil don't go there.
SPEAKER_03 (12:18):
Come on, bro.
Yeah, that is such a great song,and I feel like everybody uh
everybody's been there at somepoint, you know.
For sure, like whether it's uhuh a personal relationship or
whether that's somebody thatthey've seen go through that, or
um, you know, someone in theirfamily or whatever.
Like it's just uh but it it isone of those those songs that I
(12:42):
feel like can resonate with witheverybody out there in some some
level uh in a brilliant way touh to to put all that together,
man.
What a hook.
SPEAKER_02 (12:51):
Thank you, man.
That was that was that wasawesome to see that come to
fruition.
SPEAKER_03 (12:58):
Uh what else you got going on with Laney right now?
SPEAKER_02 (13:02):
Um we're working on some ideas, um, praying that
they they make the next record.
Yeah, um, we all know how thatgoes.
Um working on stuff.
Uh we have a few sessions comingup.
I know she's she's cutting soon.
And um and yeah, just justtrying to write the best songs
we can every day.
SPEAKER_03 (13:20):
Yeah, I love it.
Um let's uh all right, let'slet's go back to the beginning.
Um a lot of times I start withthis, but I wanted to just kind
of dive into songs today forsome reason.
Um but yeah, take me back to uhwhat was Abram like growing up?
SPEAKER_02 (13:37):
Um the first thing that popped in my mind was uh I
my my mom and my aunt uh to giveyou the picture.
My mom and my aunt uh they uhput on like church productions.
So it was always like thecrucifixion and stuff like that
at church.
And so I'd I had boxes and boxesof uh like what do you call
(14:00):
them?
Like outfits or whatever.
Yeah, costumes.
I was I was Chipper Jones oneday, I was Jesus the next day, I
was Peter Pan, Tarzan.
Um yeah, there's there'spictures of that that will stay
on my phone.
But um, but yeah, I was I wascreative.
I I was blessed.
Um I was big into sports umearly on.
(14:24):
And uh my mom though always sangpray led praise and worship at
church, and my dad ran sound, soI was always kind of around
music.
Yeah.
And I played drums as everylittle boy wants to do.
And um, yeah, man, I just I wasI was big into AU basketball and
football, and and then one dayuh a girl came along and uh she
(14:49):
loved the Jonas brothers, and Iwas like, I'll be a Jonas
brother for you, and and pickedup a guitar and started writing
songs and not even knowing thatthat could be a career choice.
And um my sister actually umentered me into a local talent
competition.
Uh it's called like HanoverIdol, is where I grew up.
SPEAKER_03 (15:11):
And um And you grew up in uh Richmond, Virginia,
right?
SPEAKER_02 (15:14):
Yeah, right outside of Richmond, Mechanicsville, to
be exact.
And uh she uh I didn't even wantto do it because I that wouldn't
that wouldn't have been like meto sign up for that.
I would have been too nervous orsomething.
But we did it and I went andauditioned, and um I um I I made
it.
They wanted me to to do itagainst like 20 other people,
(15:35):
and uh I sang a song that uh Iwrote and it was awkward, that
same girl that I was writingsongs for.
The song was called Talk to Mebecause she wouldn't talk to me
in middle school, and um and Iwon with that song, and I
started playing little gigsaround town uh and started
falling in love with music.
SPEAKER_03 (15:55):
And you wrote you wrote your first song at 12
years old?
SPEAKER_02 (15:59):
Yeah, like I and again I think that's just being
around it and um not reallyknowing, like they weren't
great, obviously.
SPEAKER_03 (16:08):
Um but were where was it um do you feel like you
were more of a poet before that,or even at that time, or were
were you like putting songs anduh or lyrics and music together
at that point?
SPEAKER_02 (16:25):
I I picked up a guitar at 12 and 13, so I was I
think I was I did I wasn't greatat guitar, but I was kind of
putting them together a littlebit, but really it did start
with just writing down wordsthat rhymed and and lines and
like doing poetry.
My dad was like, My son's notdoing poetry, and I and uh it
turned into songs and um yeah,and uh yeah man, I'm just so
(16:51):
thankful um that my parents werevery supportive, still are yeah,
and uh and uh when even though Iwas big into sports, they they
saw that I was latched on tomusic and and uh kind of just
let me walk through those doors.
SPEAKER_03 (17:06):
So, okay, then I sorry I had to jump in there.
I just wanted to wanted to go alittle deeper with with uh with
when you actually started, butuh keep going.
Then you uh how'd you get to LA?
Oh, um yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (17:20):
When I go on a writing I say, like, yeah, I
spent four years out in LA,they're like, what?
Like you, the hunter and thefisher?
Like, yeah, I was still huntingand fishing out there, but I I
had um when I when I won thatcompetition back home, I my
sister again, thank you to her.
Um, she found me a vocal coachbecause I knew I needed the next
(17:40):
step and I was super young andgreen.
Um and I didn't know songwritingwas a thing at this time.
I was just like, I want to domusic, I want to pick up a
guitar and play.
And uh she found me a vocalcoach in Dallas, and I went out
there to just do a summer camp,and they uh called my mom and
(18:02):
they're like, hey, this stuff isreally good.
Would he want to audition for amaster program?
And uh and she takes on 10 kidsa year, and um and uh he could
come out here and do that, anduh, thousands of kids were
auditioning or whatever, andlike, yeah, let's just go do it,
let's walk through that door,and um we did, and I made it,
(18:25):
and uh my parents were verysupportive, and they moved with
me at that young age to Dallas,and uh we made a family
commitment, and uh that led tomeeting a manager and a producer
out in LA one of those yearswhile being there.
(18:46):
And I had never I hadn't evenbeen to Nashville yet.
Um, but I wanted growing up, Iwas listening to country music,
that's the weird thing.
And singer Jason Moraz was frommy hometown, so that was a huge
um inspiration.
And uh so I took the trip out toLA, met with those guys, and I
was like, okay, we're gonna walkthrough this door.
(19:07):
And I moved to LA, and withinsix months I signed with Warner
Chapel for a publishing deal,didn't even know what a
publishing deal was.
I walked out of the building,and uh, but then I started
getting in those early sessions,and I was like, okay, this is
what I want to do.
I could write singer-songwriterone day, country the next day,
pop, sync, and it was just avery creative space.
(19:28):
And and so I was out there foruh four years, I believe, and
then I took a trip to Nashville,and um uh I don't want to get
ahead of you.
Uh I took a trip to Nashvilleand um I fell in love with it
instantly.
Two days in, I called mypublisher, I was like, hey, and
(19:48):
she was urging me, she's like,Hey, I think Nashville is like
you're gonna love it.
Yeah, and I had just had an AndyGrammar cut and was working with
like early on Sabrina Carpenterand uh and uh some other Disney
stuff, and uh I was like man,things are starting to happen.
I don't, I don't but I reallyfelt God calling me to
(20:09):
Nashville, and it was just sostrong when I was here, and I
was just walking up and downMusic Row, calling my mom,
called everybody, and Iliterally just sent a shot off
an email to my publisher and Iwas like, Hey, I think I'm gonna
move to Nashville, and she wassuper stoked for me and
connected me with the WarnerNashville team and um was with
Warner Nashville for a few yearsand then left them and signed
(20:31):
with Concord three years ago.
SPEAKER_03 (20:33):
Yeah.
Just been writing songs, man.
Yeah.
So what uh walk me through whatdid you do when you first got to
town?
Because it's uh I mean, I thinkNashville is like what we have
here is so special.
Yeah.
Um, but it's special becauseit's like a family and that like
everybody everybody's rootingfor each other.
Um, but you know, you stillgotta get out there and network
(20:53):
and yeah and build your camp andmeet your people.
So like um, what was that likefor you coming into town that
you had never been here anddidn't know anybody?
SPEAKER_02 (21:03):
Man, on it was it was a a whirlwind.
Um luckily I had Warner that wassetting me up on rights, and I
was just thinking about this theother day.
One of my my first rights thatmy LA publisher got me was with
Brett James, and um we all knowthat he just passed away.
Um uh and I so I was blessedwith those kind of rights early
(21:28):
on, and um got me thinking aboutBrett now, man.
Yeah.
Um I was blessed with thoserights, and so I was kind of
thrown into it, and um meetingnew people and uh Jesse Lee was
one of my early friends, and wedid shows at the listening room
(21:48):
and meeting everybody there andnetworking.
Um, so I have you to thank forthat.
Um and uh and yeah, just kind ofthrown into it and uh doing
really rounds, writers' roundswere the the main thing where I
met new people and um gettinginvolved and not trying to be
too much for anybody and and umpressure anybody, like please
(22:11):
write with me.
Yeah.
But again, I was blessed with uhand super thankful to have
Warner setting up rides for meand and uh and also I hunted and
fished, so it was it was easy tofind somebody's yeah you want to
go turkey hunting in four hourslate late on a Friday night,
like hey, what are you doingtomorrow morning?
Yeah um but uh but yeah dateDavid Fanning, Jesse Lee, those
(22:34):
are some of my early friends intown, and they they really uh we
really just started writingsongs and and and it went from
there.
SPEAKER_03 (22:42):
How did you get hooked up with uh Dylan Marlowe?
Man, turkey hunting.
Turkey hunting, really?
SPEAKER_02 (22:48):
So when he when I think I was one of his first
writes in town, and uh we uh wewe hit it off instantly because
he's talking about hunting andfishing and everything, and and
uh he we we just started writingsongs, man, and and he had
(23:08):
really nothing going at at thattime.
He was with Dallas, I believe,and and they were kind of just
trying him out.
Um and they just obviously sawthe talent um that he had the
natural talent, and uh he justhad it, and uh we went turkey
hunting a lot, and that that'sreally the foundation of our
friendship.
Yeah.
Um, and we got in and wrote afew songs, and next thing you
(23:32):
know, he's got a record dealputting out those songs, and
it's just it's just pretty cool.
SPEAKER_03 (23:37):
Yeah.
Did they that help you uh getsome pretty big credibility
right away?
SPEAKER_02 (23:42):
Yeah, um, record high.
That one, um, I think that was asong like we knew we knew what
we had that day.
It was me, him, and um ZachAlbin.
And uh and Dylan came in, he waslike, hey guys, I have this
verse, and it just blew us allaway.
And we're like, Yes, we'rewriting that today.
(24:03):
And 45 minutes later, the wholething was written.
And uh and yeah, it it itchanged my life for sure, and I
know it changed Dylan's.
Um, so it's pretty cool to dothat with your buddy.
SPEAKER_03 (24:15):
Yeah, man, I love that.
SPEAKER_02 (24:17):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (24:17):
Um, you uh you talked about Andy Grammar
earlier.
Let's go back to that um and hiton uh Red Eye.
Yeah, man.
SPEAKER_02 (24:25):
So that was I feel I'm like ashamed.
Um we my buddy, I don't know ifhe I still don't know to this
day if he actually told me ornot, but we were in the set in
the studio and he had just oneof my buddies that I wrote a ton
of songs with, he was just like,hey man, you writing on Friday?
He's like, let's like let'swe're gonna meet here.
(24:46):
We're gonna write with thisproducer, MDL, and and um he I
don't think he mentioned Andybecause I I got in the room and
I was like, man, this guy looksfamiliar and he sounds familiar.
I had no idea who he was.
And um obviously I knew Andy,but yeah, when you're in the
room with a ball cap andeverything, you just it just it
(25:07):
just didn't register with me,and I had never written with an
artist like that yet.
Um so we're writing, and Andygets up to go to the bathroom,
and um I lean over to Josiah, mybuddy, and I'm I'm like, dude,
is that Andy Gramer?
And he's like, Yeah.
I was like, you didn't tell mewe're in with Andy Gramer today
today.
Whoa, more water.
(25:31):
Can we cut this out?
Yeah.
Like, you didn't tell me we werein with Andy Gramer today, and
uh I just thought that was socool, and we were already on a
good song, so all the pressurewas off, and we're talking about
everything, and he is the nicesthuman being in the world.
Um, like what you see is whatyou get, and he he really is, he
(25:56):
has a heart, a really big heartfor people, and um an amazing
talent, and we were blessed tohave that one.
And uh we wrote two days in arow, actually, because the first
one went so well, and the secondsong didn't end up making the
record, but um his manager camein the next day, he's like, just
so y'all know we're cuttingthis.
And that was the cool that wasone of the coolest moments for
me so far.
Yeah, I bet, man.
(26:16):
Writing.
Um, so yeah.
Yeah.
And that was your first majorcut, right?
First major cut.
SPEAKER_03 (26:22):
It was pretty cool.
Um so what what did he say whenhe uh found out that uh the
first half of the the write thatyou had, you had no idea that it
was still has no idea until thepodcast comes back.
SPEAKER_02 (26:37):
Yeah, but uh but yeah, we'll make sure we tag him
in it.
Yeah, there you go.
I had no idea who you were, man.
SPEAKER_03 (26:44):
That's a lot of that's so funny, man.
SPEAKER_02 (26:46):
I love it.
SPEAKER_03 (26:47):
Yeah.
Uh talk about uh My Side ofTown.
That's got a cool story too.
SPEAKER_02 (26:52):
Yeah.
Um, My Side of Town, uh this isa crazy talk about the ups and
downs of the industry.
We uh it was me, Josh Miller,Seth Innis, and Jimmy Robbins.
And um walking into their room,I was like, man, this is a
stacked room, stoked for today.
And uh we we got in there and uhSeth instantly, after small
(27:17):
talking, uh, started at 11, likewe all do, and Seth instantly
threw out the idea.
Guys, I have this idea of myside of town.
And he was like, I think thehook goes like this, and Jimmy
literally picks up the guitarand starts playing um literally
(27:39):
just that, and then and then I'mpacing back and forth in the
room, and I'm just thinking ofhis hook, and I just go, gotta
take your side on my side, andthen Josh is like, I like that,
and then Josh goes, Ham onlyrics, and we were just like
(28:00):
trying to keep up, and um Joshwent off and he was just
spitting off just gold, and uhwe wrote that thing in 45
minutes, um, and uh Jimmy hadthe acoustic vocal done within
an hour, hour and a half, andwe're driving home when we get
it, and it was like 12:30, andby one o'clock, I feel like we
(28:24):
had three holds.
It was just a random day.
Like that doesn't happen.
That had never happened, yeah.
And um, and I was just I was sostoked, and uh, we had three
holds, and then by three o'clockthat evening, Morgan Wallen had
put it on hold.
And we're like, yes, like youcan have whatever you want.
Yeah, and uh uh so I'm obviouslythat's the the cut that
(28:48):
everybody in town wants, and butit was so early on in this
project, um, that was a worry aswell.
Like, is he gonna still be inlove with it by the time it
comes to cut?
So six months later, I think, Iwere in the room and uh and I'm
cutting a vocal one morning, andI knew it was the first day that
(29:10):
Morgan was going in to cut forthe record.
And um I I my phone's blowing upout of the corner of my eye, and
I'm like, dude, I can't takethis right now.
I just need to finish this vocaland and get out of here.
And I finally pick up the phone,like, guys, I gotta take this,
and it's my publisher, MattTurner, and he's he's like, hey
dude, and he's like, he cut it.
(29:31):
It's like first day he he cutit, and I just start bawling
like a baby, man.
And calling my mom, calling mywife, and just just bawling, and
um so we have to live with thatnow for all this time, and uh
another six months later, andhe's still cutting songs, he cut
(29:51):
50, I think, for the record, andput out 37, 38, or something
like that.
And um, the week before thetrack listing comes out, and we
Knew he was like taking offsongs, putting on songs, and it
didn't make the record, and Iballed like a baby again.
Yeah.
And um, but it didn't thisbusiness fun, man.
Yeah, heart heartbreaking.
(30:12):
But um, literally days later,um, Josh Ross was such a fan of
that song early on.
He he took the song and cut thecrap out of it, and um his
vocals insane.
They they really did an amazingjob.
And um, literally like three orfour days later, after that news
that Morgan had dropped thesong, and um, so yeah, that
(30:34):
song's a huge blessing.
Just thankful.
Thankful to be in a room withguys like that and um and to be
inspired.
It's crazy.
This, yeah, this business iscrazy.
SPEAKER_03 (30:43):
Yeah.
But yeah.
Yeah.
Well, man, thanks, thanks forsharing some of these stories.
Uh, we always love having you atthe listening room and um, you
know, hearing hearing the thebrief intros before, and that's
why we wanted to start doingthis to share like you know the
the the real stories, the forsure, you know, the big stories.
So um what what do you gotcoming up next?
SPEAKER_02 (31:05):
Man, um I don't know, like there's a bunch of
songs on hold, and that likeanybody, don't know if you want
to say it, because if it doesn'thappen, just like that story.
Yeah, don't say that.
Um but uh I'm just I I'm superblessed.
Um uh we're just again going inevery day and trying to write
the best song, either eitherwith a brand new artist or um
(31:28):
dreaming of cuts like with Laneyor Morgan or Luke.
It's like um it's just a ablessing to get to do this, and
I'm just so thankful.
SPEAKER_03 (31:36):
Love it.
Amen.
Um what uh what kind of advicewould you give new writers or uh
or artists that are coming totown uh with just the way that
things have changed um even overthe last just few years?
I mean, just it seems like it'sconstantly changing, but yeah,
if someone were in your shoescoming, you know, from Virginia
(32:00):
or LA or wherever, what wouldyou tell them to do as soon as
they get to town?
SPEAKER_02 (32:05):
I really think, and I'm not just saying this because
I'm with you, I I really thinkgetting involved in writers'
rounds, meeting people, um, andand uh and not just just getting
involved in the uh the communityand and being friends, being
being a good person, being agood hang and uh uh really the
(32:29):
listening room, bluebird, placeslike that, like just go listen
go listen to songs that peopleare writing and walk up to them
and be like, man, I'm a fan.
Um and uh and just startco-writing with people.
And uh because there's beauty inthat.
Like like the the Laney song,like I had a totally different
(32:50):
idea of what that song was gonnabe, but my co-writer made it
that much better.
And um just get into co-writingand and and know the roles in
the room that day.
If if somebody's coming infiring on all cylinders and with
ideas and lyrics, just sit backand and be the support, fill the
other gaps, be be melody thatday and and hone it all in.
(33:14):
And um and the other vice versa.
If they if they're not andsomebody's got melody, like
throw out some ideas and startspitballing some lyric and and
um but yeah, I mean just justget involved in the community
because this is such a greattown and um accepting and and
everybody wants to listen towhat everybody's creating.
SPEAKER_03 (33:33):
Yeah, love that man.
Uh alright, last question.
Yeah, if you can go back toeight-year-old Abram, Peter Pan,
Abram.
Yeah, uh what kind of advicewould you give yourself today?
SPEAKER_02 (33:48):
Man.
I I don't know if eight-year-oldAbram would understand this.
Maybe he would.
Um but just walk through thedoors that God opens and and
don't try to force open thedoors that God closes, and um
and just uh yeah, just just beso thankful and enjoy every
(34:10):
second, man.
Man, love that.
Love that, dude.
SPEAKER_03 (34:14):
Dude, thanks again, man.
Thanks for sitting down.
Yeah, brother.
Thanks for having me.
Absolutely.
All right, and thanks everybodyout there for listening.
This has been another episode ofStories Behind the Songs.
You've been listening to AbramDean.
I'm Chris Blair, and we will seeyou next time.
This has been an episode ofStories Behind the Songs with
(34:37):
Chris Blair.
For more information after theshow, head over to Chris
Blair.com.
That's where you can findinformation on these episodes,
trailer notes, video links, allkinds of great stuff.
Also, make sure to leave us agreat rating on iTunes, like and
follow us on Spotify, YouTube,wherever you listen to podcasts.
(34:57):
Leave us a comment, let us knowwhat you think.
I really hope that you thinkthis show is awesome, and we
really appreciate the love andsupport.
I promise to keep gatheringgreat content and continuing to
sit down with more amazingsongwriters and artists as we
grow.
Thanks so much for listening.
Thanks for the support.
We'll see you next time.
You are listening to Stories Behind the Songs with
Chris Blair.
For more information, check outChris Blair.com.
This week's guest is gonna diveinto songs like Gonna Love You
and Devil Don't Go There andtalk about how he got his start
writing songs at a very youngage and then kind of bounced
(00:25):
around, ended up in LA, and thenback to Nashville, and uh just
everything that he's done.
Uh, newer songwriter to thescene, but already making some
big waves.
Let's get to it.
Here is Abram Dean.
We are back again for anotherepisode of Stories Behind the
Songs, and uh today we've gotAbram Dean in the house.
(00:47):
How are you, man?
Good, man.
SPEAKER_02 (00:48):
Thank you for having me.
SPEAKER_03 (00:49):
Man, thanks for coming in.
I want to just kind of dive intoGonna Love You.
It was your first number one.
Take me into the room that day.
Who came up with the ideawhere'd that song come from?
SPEAKER_02 (01:01):
Man, um David Fanning's one of my really good
buddies, and he's been one of mygood friends since I moved to
town.
And Andy Sheridan's also in thatsong, and we've written like 70
songs together now.
SPEAKER_03 (01:14):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (01:14):
And um we we were in the room that day, and David
brought in Matt.
He's like, hey, we're just gonnawrite for Parmalet today, and
it's kind of a last secondthing, I believe.
And um we sat down and threwaround some ideas, and they were
like, we really need a a powerballad.
And so they started goingthrough like some references,
(01:36):
and Andy literally just turnedaround and started playing the
chords that are in the song, andI sat there and I was like
singing super high like a girl,like I do.
SPEAKER_01 (01:46):
I was like, I was like, da da la, da da love you.
SPEAKER_02 (01:50):
And I was like, you need a love song, and David, I
think, said, Gonna love you.
And then um Matt was like, hiseyes got big, and he's like,
Man, he's I don't think he hadever sang that high at that
point.
And I and I I was worriedbecause I thought I just girl
sang us out of us out of a cutor a idea for the day.
And uh he he got on the mic, andman, his voice was killer on in
(02:13):
that register, and and it wassomething special.
And I think we went six, sevenmonths without a bridge on that
song.
Really?
And uh we wrote it, I think, amonth or a month before they
went in and cut and uh finishedit up.
SPEAKER_03 (02:28):
It just didn't feel like it needed a bridge at the
time, or or like felt like itdid, and you just weren't there
yet.
SPEAKER_02 (02:34):
We didn't have well it we wanted a moment.
Uh we wanted to have a moment inthe song that just went
somewhere else and nothing wasclicking.
And David and I were together aton, and Andy, so we knew we'd
get back together, and uh uh thecloser it got to that cut date,
I was like, oh, I gotta get thisdone.
But uh we got in and got itdone, and um they killed it.
(02:55):
It sounds awesome, and I wasblessed to be in the room that
day when they cut it, and it wasit was pretty cool.
SPEAKER_03 (03:00):
So this became your first number one.
How'd that feel, man?
SPEAKER_02 (03:02):
Had no idea.
I thought I thought we wrote acool song that day, and it was a
special moment, but I had noidea that that was gonna be the
first one.
I mean, we all have a thousandsongs that were like, that's a
hit, that's a hit, but it's theit seems to be the songs that
you don't expect that turn intothe the ones that get a cut or
let alone this is my firstnumber one, so to see it do
(03:25):
that, it was pretty cool.
SPEAKER_03 (03:26):
Yeah.
What were some of the specialmoments in the room when you
wrote that song?
Like uh or any uh any lines thatare just personal or like have a
deep meaning.
SPEAKER_02 (03:36):
Man I think we just all tapped into what we knew.
Um I don't know if there wasanything super personal or I
mean here's here's the coolthing.
Um we didn't know at the time,but Matt and uh the guys in the
band were looking for aopportunity to showcase um their
(03:59):
story about um his brother thatgot shot, the drummer in the
band.
And I mean, you know that story.
Yeah.
Um they got I guess muggedbasically after a show on their
bus, and um he was uh clingingon the life, and uh they had
never really told that story.
I think he had like a fivepercent chance of living, and he
(04:20):
was in a coma, and uh they theytold us, I guess after they had
cut the song that they weregonna use that song to be able
to go in and and tell thatstory, and that that was very
special.
So we had no idea that that oursong would be used for that
either.
So it was pretty cool.
Yeah, that was cool.
And we didn't recognize it thatday or didn't realize that that
(04:41):
was what it was gonna be usedfor, but yeah, um, pretty cool.
SPEAKER_03 (04:45):
How uh how quick was that right?
I mean, other than the bridge.
SPEAKER_02 (04:49):
Three hours, yeah, three, four hours, yeah.
Okay, and um, we just wanted tomake sure we weren't because it
was so simple at the same time,we didn't want it to be we
wanted to make sure, like, isthis not too simple?
And and but it all just feltright.
Yeah.
And um, and Matt's vocal waskiller um that day, and um,
(05:10):
yeah, we just left.
We just didn't have the bridgeyet.
Yeah, but we got it, we got itthere and went somewhere
different with it for sure.
SPEAKER_03 (05:16):
Let's hear a little bit of it.
Yeah, man.
SPEAKER_02 (05:21):
This one's gonna love you.
A little early, so is this goodone on there?
SPEAKER_00 (05:44):
You never gonna be on.
Never from now.
Need someone to hold your soulon me.
I'll never be from me.
I'm here to stay.
(06:05):
If you give us girls, don't meanthe stick in the last one.
SPEAKER_03 (07:00):
Come on, man.
That morning voice.
That morning voice is stillstrong, bro.
I don't know what you're talkingabout.
Um, let's shift into uh doublenote go there.
Tell me about that one, man.
SPEAKER_02 (07:13):
That was cool.
Um Unreal.
Uh, you you dream about comingto town and uh getting a cut
with an artist like like Laneyor Morgan or Luke or whoever.
And uh uh we went in that daynot thinking that whatsoever.
I this is a testament totrusting your co-writers.
(07:36):
Um we were in with Lance Millerand Joe Fox, and I had this
idea, um, and I in my head itwas burned in my mind, it's a
male idea, it would hook likethis, and I took it in, and the
first thing Joe said, he's like,Man, I really think that would
hit harder as a female idea.
And I was like, okay.
And I so I fought him on it forprobably two hours, wasting
(07:58):
time, and uh we uh we finallygot around, I was like, man,
okay, this is really good, andyou're right, and let's go down
this road.
And by the time we were donefighting on it, um that we
weren't really fighting on it,but by the time we were going
back and forth on it, uh uh wejust had like a rough idea that
was enough to hear like, oh,this is really good.
(08:21):
So I took it to um that night Ihad dinner with my wife, um,
Jenna, who's best friends withLaney, has been for years.
And I wasn't thinking, I knew itwas for a female idea, but I
knew it was a pipe dream to havea song with her.
And so I just played it forJenna just to get her initial
thoughts without puttinganything in her head.
(08:41):
And the first thing she said waslike, you need to send that to
Laney.
Like, I know she's cutting soon,you need to send that to her.
And so I I was all excited, Iwas like, sweet.
So um I texted over to her toher right there at dinner, and
five minutes later she hit backand she's like, Oh my goodness,
can I finish this with you?
This is special.
And um, so we got in, she got usin uh her busy schedule, she got
(09:03):
us in uh on a Friday, and shecut for the last time for the
record, I believe, on theMonday.
And it was so cool.
And uh after we finished writingit, she turned to us, she's
like, guys, I'm going to cutthis on Monday, like no matter
what, this is this is great.
And I'm getting chills right nowthinking about it.
Um but uh but yeah, so that thatwas special, and to hear her uh
(09:26):
her vocal on it was just cool,man.
And Jay Joyce, I mean, come on,so cool.
SPEAKER_03 (09:31):
Dive into that one a little deeper.
Peel some peel some layers backfor me um on uh on the idea and
the whole story behind thatsong.
SPEAKER_02 (09:40):
Yeah, I mean, um so just the the idea of and she
could resonate with it.
I mean, she's talked about herpast relationships a lot and and
now finding her fiancesoon-to-be husband, who we all
love.
Um she's now realized like herprevious relationships that just
(10:02):
weren't great, and she can'tbelieve I mean she said it, I'm
not saying anything that Ishouldn't say, but um her
previous relationships that uhshe was just like, why did I let
somebody treat me that way?
Um I mean we all have those.
And um she just I feel like sheresonated with that and and
really she she threw the coloron that song and made it what it
(10:24):
is, and um and turned it upsidedown and and made it a Laney
song, um, obviously withanything she touches.
But uh but yeah, just just thesentiment of like, man, that was
you treated me so bad that thedevil wouldn't even go there.
Like that's pretty low.
And we just kind of leaned intothat the entire time and um uh
(10:44):
thank the Lord she uh uhresonated with it.
Yeah.
Yeah, play a little bit of thatone?
Yeah, man.
This one's high.
SPEAKER_00 (11:27):
Cause damn they burn like a marble red.
I know the difference betweenwrong and right.
And boy, that way you saidgoodbye.
Even the devil don't go therethe way he did me that night.
(11:50):
I bet the hell he put me throughcan make his angels cry.
Held you up and leave me likethat.
Are you really that kind?
I'm betting even where he lives,he wouldn't go that low.
(12:12):
Even the devil don't go there.
SPEAKER_03 (12:18):
Come on, bro.
Yeah, that is such a great song,and I feel like everybody uh
everybody's been there at somepoint, you know.
For sure, like whether it's uhuh a personal relationship or
whether that's somebody thatthey've seen go through that, or
um, you know, someone in theirfamily or whatever.
Like it's just uh but it it isone of those those songs that I
(12:42):
feel like can resonate with witheverybody out there in some some
level uh in a brilliant way touh to to put all that together,
man.
What a hook.
SPEAKER_02 (12:51):
Thank you, man.
That was that was that wasawesome to see that come to
fruition.
SPEAKER_03 (12:58):
Uh what else you got going on with Laney right now?
SPEAKER_02 (13:02):
Um we're working on some ideas, um, praying that
they they make the next record.
Yeah, um, we all know how thatgoes.
Um working on stuff.
Uh we have a few sessions comingup.
I know she's she's cutting soon.
And um and yeah, just justtrying to write the best songs
we can every day.
SPEAKER_03 (13:20):
Yeah, I love it.
Um let's uh all right, let'slet's go back to the beginning.
Um a lot of times I start withthis, but I wanted to just kind
of dive into songs today forsome reason.
Um but yeah, take me back to uhwhat was Abram like growing up?
SPEAKER_02 (13:37):
Um the first thing that popped in my mind was uh I
my my mom and my aunt uh to giveyou the picture.
My mom and my aunt uh they uhput on like church productions.
So it was always like thecrucifixion and stuff like that
at church.
And so I'd I had boxes and boxesof uh like what do you call
(14:00):
them?
Like outfits or whatever.
Yeah, costumes.
I was I was Chipper Jones oneday, I was Jesus the next day, I
was Peter Pan, Tarzan.
Um yeah, there's there'spictures of that that will stay
on my phone.
But um, but yeah, I was I wascreative.
I I was blessed.
Um I was big into sports umearly on.
(14:24):
And uh my mom though always sangpray led praise and worship at
church, and my dad ran sound, soI was always kind of around
music.
Yeah.
And I played drums as everylittle boy wants to do.
And um, yeah, man, I just I wasI was big into AU basketball and
football, and and then one dayuh a girl came along and uh she
(14:49):
loved the Jonas brothers, and Iwas like, I'll be a Jonas
brother for you, and and pickedup a guitar and started writing
songs and not even knowing thatthat could be a career choice.
And um my sister actually umentered me into a local talent
competition.
Uh it's called like HanoverIdol, is where I grew up.
SPEAKER_03 (15:11):
And um And you grew up in uh Richmond, Virginia,
right?
SPEAKER_02 (15:14):
Yeah, right outside of Richmond, Mechanicsville, to
be exact.
And uh she uh I didn't even wantto do it because I that wouldn't
that wouldn't have been like meto sign up for that.
I would have been too nervous orsomething.
But we did it and I went andauditioned, and um I um I I made
it.
They wanted me to to do itagainst like 20 other people,
(15:35):
and uh I sang a song that uh Iwrote and it was awkward, that
same girl that I was writingsongs for.
The song was called Talk to Mebecause she wouldn't talk to me
in middle school, and um and Iwon with that song, and I
started playing little gigsaround town uh and started
falling in love with music.
SPEAKER_03 (15:55):
And you wrote you wrote your first song at 12
years old?
SPEAKER_02 (15:59):
Yeah, like I and again I think that's just being
around it and um not reallyknowing, like they weren't
great, obviously.
SPEAKER_03 (16:08):
Um but were where was it um do you feel like you
were more of a poet before that,or even at that time, or were
were you like putting songs anduh or lyrics and music together
at that point?
SPEAKER_02 (16:25):
I I picked up a guitar at 12 and 13, so I was I
think I was I did I wasn't greatat guitar, but I was kind of
putting them together a littlebit, but really it did start
with just writing down wordsthat rhymed and and lines and
like doing poetry.
My dad was like, My son's notdoing poetry, and I and uh it
turned into songs and um yeah,and uh yeah man, I'm just so
(16:51):
thankful um that my parents werevery supportive, still are yeah,
and uh and uh when even though Iwas big into sports, they they
saw that I was latched on tomusic and and uh kind of just
let me walk through those doors.
SPEAKER_03 (17:06):
So, okay, then I sorry I had to jump in there.
I just wanted to wanted to go alittle deeper with with uh with
when you actually started, butuh keep going.
Then you uh how'd you get to LA?
Oh, um yeah.
SPEAKER_02 (17:20):
When I go on a writing I say, like, yeah, I
spent four years out in LA,they're like, what?
Like you, the hunter and thefisher?
Like, yeah, I was still huntingand fishing out there, but I I
had um when I when I won thatcompetition back home, I my
sister again, thank you to her.
Um, she found me a vocal coachbecause I knew I needed the next
(17:40):
step and I was super young andgreen.
Um and I didn't know songwritingwas a thing at this time.
I was just like, I want to domusic, I want to pick up a
guitar and play.
And uh she found me a vocalcoach in Dallas, and I went out
there to just do a summer camp,and they uh called my mom and
(18:02):
they're like, hey, this stuff isreally good.
Would he want to audition for amaster program?
And uh and she takes on 10 kidsa year, and um and uh he could
come out here and do that, anduh, thousands of kids were
auditioning or whatever, andlike, yeah, let's just go do it,
let's walk through that door,and um we did, and I made it,
(18:25):
and uh my parents were verysupportive, and they moved with
me at that young age to Dallas,and uh we made a family
commitment, and uh that led tomeeting a manager and a producer
out in LA one of those yearswhile being there.
(18:46):
And I had never I hadn't evenbeen to Nashville yet.
Um, but I wanted growing up, Iwas listening to country music,
that's the weird thing.
And singer Jason Moraz was frommy hometown, so that was a huge
um inspiration.
And uh so I took the trip out toLA, met with those guys, and I
was like, okay, we're gonna walkthrough this door.
(19:07):
And I moved to LA, and withinsix months I signed with Warner
Chapel for a publishing deal,didn't even know what a
publishing deal was.
I walked out of the building,and uh, but then I started
getting in those early sessions,and I was like, okay, this is
what I want to do.
I could write singer-songwriterone day, country the next day,
pop, sync, and it was just avery creative space.
(19:28):
And and so I was out there foruh four years, I believe, and
then I took a trip to Nashville,and um uh I don't want to get
ahead of you.
Uh I took a trip to Nashvilleand um I fell in love with it
instantly.
Two days in, I called mypublisher, I was like, hey, and
(19:48):
she was urging me, she's like,Hey, I think Nashville is like
you're gonna love it.
Yeah, and I had just had an AndyGrammar cut and was working with
like early on Sabrina Carpenterand uh and uh some other Disney
stuff, and uh I was like man,things are starting to happen.
I don't, I don't but I reallyfelt God calling me to
(20:09):
Nashville, and it was just sostrong when I was here, and I
was just walking up and downMusic Row, calling my mom,
called everybody, and Iliterally just sent a shot off
an email to my publisher and Iwas like, Hey, I think I'm gonna
move to Nashville, and she wassuper stoked for me and
connected me with the WarnerNashville team and um was with
Warner Nashville for a few yearsand then left them and signed
(20:31):
with Concord three years ago.
SPEAKER_03 (20:33):
Yeah.
Just been writing songs, man.
Yeah.
So what uh walk me through whatdid you do when you first got to
town?
Because it's uh I mean, I thinkNashville is like what we have
here is so special.
Yeah.
Um, but it's special becauseit's like a family and that like
everybody everybody's rootingfor each other.
Um, but you know, you stillgotta get out there and network
(20:53):
and yeah and build your camp andmeet your people.
So like um, what was that likefor you coming into town that
you had never been here anddidn't know anybody?
SPEAKER_02 (21:03):
Man, on it was it was a a whirlwind.
Um luckily I had Warner that wassetting me up on rights, and I
was just thinking about this theother day.
One of my my first rights thatmy LA publisher got me was with
Brett James, and um we all knowthat he just passed away.
Um uh and I so I was blessedwith those kind of rights early
(21:28):
on, and um got me thinking aboutBrett now, man.
Yeah.
Um I was blessed with thoserights, and so I was kind of
thrown into it, and um meetingnew people and uh Jesse Lee was
one of my early friends, and wedid shows at the listening room
(21:48):
and meeting everybody there andnetworking.
Um, so I have you to thank forthat.
Um and uh and yeah, just kind ofthrown into it and uh doing
really rounds, writers' roundswere the the main thing where I
met new people and um gettinginvolved and not trying to be
too much for anybody and and umpressure anybody, like please
(22:11):
write with me.
Yeah.
But again, I was blessed with uhand super thankful to have
Warner setting up rides for meand and uh and also I hunted and
fished, so it was it was easy tofind somebody's yeah you want to
go turkey hunting in four hourslate late on a Friday night,
like hey, what are you doingtomorrow morning?
Yeah um but uh but yeah dateDavid Fanning, Jesse Lee, those
(22:34):
are some of my early friends intown, and they they really uh we
really just started writingsongs and and and it went from
there.
SPEAKER_03 (22:42):
How did you get hooked up with uh Dylan Marlowe?
Man, turkey hunting.
Turkey hunting, really?
SPEAKER_02 (22:48):
So when he when I think I was one of his first
writes in town, and uh we uh wewe hit it off instantly because
he's talking about hunting andfishing and everything, and and
uh he we we just started writingsongs, man, and and he had
(23:08):
really nothing going at at thattime.
He was with Dallas, I believe,and and they were kind of just
trying him out.
Um and they just obviously sawthe talent um that he had the
natural talent, and uh he justhad it, and uh we went turkey
hunting a lot, and that that'sreally the foundation of our
friendship.
Yeah.
Um, and we got in and wrote afew songs, and next thing you
(23:32):
know, he's got a record dealputting out those songs, and
it's just it's just pretty cool.
SPEAKER_03 (23:37):
Yeah.
Did they that help you uh getsome pretty big credibility
right away?
SPEAKER_02 (23:42):
Yeah, um, record high.
That one, um, I think that was asong like we knew we knew what
we had that day.
It was me, him, and um ZachAlbin.
And uh and Dylan came in, he waslike, hey guys, I have this
verse, and it just blew us allaway.
And we're like, Yes, we'rewriting that today.
(24:03):
And 45 minutes later, the wholething was written.
And uh and yeah, it it itchanged my life for sure, and I
know it changed Dylan's.
Um, so it's pretty cool to dothat with your buddy.
SPEAKER_03 (24:15):
Yeah, man, I love that.
SPEAKER_02 (24:17):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_03 (24:17):
Um, you uh you talked about Andy Grammar
earlier.
Let's go back to that um and hiton uh Red Eye.
Yeah, man.
SPEAKER_02 (24:25):
So that was I feel I'm like ashamed.
Um we my buddy, I don't know ifhe I still don't know to this
day if he actually told me ornot, but we were in the set in
the studio and he had just oneof my buddies that I wrote a ton
of songs with, he was just like,hey man, you writing on Friday?
He's like, let's like let'swe're gonna meet here.
(24:46):
We're gonna write with thisproducer, MDL, and and um he I
don't think he mentioned Andybecause I I got in the room and
I was like, man, this guy looksfamiliar and he sounds familiar.
I had no idea who he was.
And um obviously I knew Andy,but yeah, when you're in the
room with a ball cap andeverything, you just it just it
(25:07):
just didn't register with me,and I had never written with an
artist like that yet.
Um so we're writing, and Andygets up to go to the bathroom,
and um I lean over to Josiah, mybuddy, and I'm I'm like, dude,
is that Andy Gramer?
And he's like, Yeah.
I was like, you didn't tell mewe're in with Andy Gramer today
today.
Whoa, more water.
(25:31):
Can we cut this out?
Yeah.
Like, you didn't tell me we werein with Andy Gramer today, and
uh I just thought that was socool, and we were already on a
good song, so all the pressurewas off, and we're talking about
everything, and he is the nicesthuman being in the world.
Um, like what you see is whatyou get, and he he really is, he
(25:56):
has a heart, a really big heartfor people, and um an amazing
talent, and we were blessed tohave that one.
And uh we wrote two days in arow, actually, because the first
one went so well, and the secondsong didn't end up making the
record, but um his manager camein the next day, he's like, just
so y'all know we're cuttingthis.
And that was the cool that wasone of the coolest moments for
me so far.
Yeah, I bet, man.
(26:16):
Writing.
Um, so yeah.
Yeah.
And that was your first majorcut, right?
First major cut.
SPEAKER_03 (26:22):
It was pretty cool.
Um so what what did he say whenhe uh found out that uh the
first half of the the write thatyou had, you had no idea that it
was still has no idea until thepodcast comes back.
SPEAKER_02 (26:37):
Yeah, but uh but yeah, we'll make sure we tag him
in it.
Yeah, there you go.
I had no idea who you were, man.
SPEAKER_03 (26:44):
That's a lot of that's so funny, man.
SPEAKER_02 (26:46):
I love it.
SPEAKER_03 (26:47):
Yeah.
Uh talk about uh My Side ofTown.
That's got a cool story too.
SPEAKER_02 (26:52):
Yeah.
Um, My Side of Town, uh this isa crazy talk about the ups and
downs of the industry.
We uh it was me, Josh Miller,Seth Innis, and Jimmy Robbins.
And um walking into their room,I was like, man, this is a
stacked room, stoked for today.
And uh we we got in there and uhSeth instantly, after small
(27:17):
talking, uh, started at 11, likewe all do, and Seth instantly
threw out the idea.
Guys, I have this idea of myside of town.
And he was like, I think thehook goes like this, and Jimmy
literally picks up the guitarand starts playing um literally
(27:39):
just that, and then and then I'mpacing back and forth in the
room, and I'm just thinking ofhis hook, and I just go, gotta
take your side on my side, andthen Josh is like, I like that,
and then Josh goes, Ham onlyrics, and we were just like
(28:00):
trying to keep up, and um Joshwent off and he was just
spitting off just gold, and uhwe wrote that thing in 45
minutes, um, and uh Jimmy hadthe acoustic vocal done within
an hour, hour and a half, andwe're driving home when we get
it, and it was like 12:30, andby one o'clock, I feel like we
(28:24):
had three holds.
It was just a random day.
Like that doesn't happen.
That had never happened, yeah.
And um, and I was just I was sostoked, and uh, we had three
holds, and then by three o'clockthat evening, Morgan Wallen had
put it on hold.
And we're like, yes, like youcan have whatever you want.
Yeah, and uh uh so I'm obviouslythat's the the cut that
(28:48):
everybody in town wants, and butit was so early on in this
project, um, that was a worry aswell.
Like, is he gonna still be inlove with it by the time it
comes to cut?
So six months later, I think, Iwere in the room and uh and I'm
cutting a vocal one morning, andI knew it was the first day that
(29:10):
Morgan was going in to cut forthe record.
And um I I my phone's blowing upout of the corner of my eye, and
I'm like, dude, I can't takethis right now.
I just need to finish this vocaland and get out of here.
And I finally pick up the phone,like, guys, I gotta take this,
and it's my publisher, MattTurner, and he's he's like, hey
dude, and he's like, he cut it.
(29:31):
It's like first day he he cutit, and I just start bawling
like a baby, man.
And calling my mom, calling mywife, and just just bawling, and
um so we have to live with thatnow for all this time, and uh
another six months later, andhe's still cutting songs, he cut
(29:51):
50, I think, for the record, andput out 37, 38, or something
like that.
And um, the week before thetrack listing comes out, and we
Knew he was like taking offsongs, putting on songs, and it
didn't make the record, and Iballed like a baby again.
Yeah.
And um, but it didn't thisbusiness fun, man.
Yeah, heart heartbreaking.
(30:12):
But um, literally days later,um, Josh Ross was such a fan of
that song early on.
He he took the song and cut thecrap out of it, and um his
vocals insane.
They they really did an amazingjob.
And um, literally like three orfour days later, after that news
that Morgan had dropped thesong, and um, so yeah, that
(30:34):
song's a huge blessing.
Just thankful.
Thankful to be in a room withguys like that and um and to be
inspired.
It's crazy.
This, yeah, this business iscrazy.
SPEAKER_03 (30:43):
Yeah.
But yeah.
Yeah.
Well, man, thanks, thanks forsharing some of these stories.
Uh, we always love having you atthe listening room and um, you
know, hearing hearing the thebrief intros before, and that's
why we wanted to start doingthis to share like you know the
the the real stories, the forsure, you know, the big stories.
So um what what do you gotcoming up next?
SPEAKER_02 (31:05):
Man, um I don't know, like there's a bunch of
songs on hold, and that likeanybody, don't know if you want
to say it, because if it doesn'thappen, just like that story.
Yeah, don't say that.
Um but uh I'm just I I'm superblessed.
Um uh we're just again going inevery day and trying to write
the best song, either eitherwith a brand new artist or um
(31:28):
dreaming of cuts like with Laneyor Morgan or Luke.
It's like um it's just a ablessing to get to do this, and
I'm just so thankful.
SPEAKER_03 (31:36):
Love it.
Amen.
Um what uh what kind of advicewould you give new writers or uh
or artists that are coming totown uh with just the way that
things have changed um even overthe last just few years?
I mean, just it seems like it'sconstantly changing, but yeah,
if someone were in your shoescoming, you know, from Virginia
(32:00):
or LA or wherever, what wouldyou tell them to do as soon as
they get to town?
SPEAKER_02 (32:05):
I really think, and I'm not just saying this because
I'm with you, I I really thinkgetting involved in writers'
rounds, meeting people, um, andand uh and not just just getting
involved in the uh the communityand and being friends, being
being a good person, being agood hang and uh uh really the
(32:29):
listening room, bluebird, placeslike that, like just go listen
go listen to songs that peopleare writing and walk up to them
and be like, man, I'm a fan.
Um and uh and just startco-writing with people.
And uh because there's beauty inthat.
Like like the the Laney song,like I had a totally different
(32:50):
idea of what that song was gonnabe, but my co-writer made it
that much better.
And um just get into co-writingand and and know the roles in
the room that day.
If if somebody's coming infiring on all cylinders and with
ideas and lyrics, just sit backand and be the support, fill the
other gaps, be be melody thatday and and hone it all in.
(33:14):
And um and the other vice versa.
If they if they're not andsomebody's got melody, like
throw out some ideas and startspitballing some lyric and and
um but yeah, I mean just justget involved in the community
because this is such a greattown and um accepting and and
everybody wants to listen towhat everybody's creating.
SPEAKER_03 (33:33):
Yeah, love that man.
Uh alright, last question.
Yeah, if you can go back toeight-year-old Abram, Peter Pan,
Abram.
Yeah, uh what kind of advicewould you give yourself today?
SPEAKER_02 (33:48):
Man.
I I don't know if eight-year-oldAbram would understand this.
Maybe he would.
Um but just walk through thedoors that God opens and and
don't try to force open thedoors that God closes, and um
and just uh yeah, just just beso thankful and enjoy every
(34:10):
second, man.
Man, love that.
Love that, dude.
SPEAKER_03 (34:14):
Dude, thanks again, man.
Thanks for sitting down.
Yeah, brother.
Thanks for having me.
Absolutely.
All right, and thanks everybodyout there for listening.
This has been another episode ofStories Behind the Songs.
You've been listening to AbramDean.
I'm Chris Blair, and we will seeyou next time.
This has been an episode ofStories Behind the Songs with
(34:37):
Chris Blair.
For more information after theshow, head over to Chris
Blair.com.
That's where you can findinformation on these episodes,
trailer notes, video links, allkinds of great stuff.
Also, make sure to leave us agreat rating on iTunes, like and
follow us on Spotify, YouTube,wherever you listen to podcasts.
(34:57):
Leave us a comment, let us knowwhat you think.
I really hope that you thinkthis show is awesome, and we
really appreciate the love andsupport.
I promise to keep gatheringgreat content and continuing to
sit down with more amazingsongwriters and artists as we
grow.
Thanks so much for listening.
Thanks for the support.
We'll see you next time.
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