Meet Terry
Oklahoma native, Terry Clayton, spent nearly two decades as a staff songwriter for some of Nashville's leading music publishers, including SONY/Tree, Warner/Chappel, New Clarion, and Smith Haven, before starting his own company, Custer City Publishing. His songs have been recorded by country stars from Jason Aldean and Ashley Monroe, to Charley Pride and Doug Stone. In late 2020, Clayton enlisted former members of Gringo Stew, northeast Ohio’s powerhouse Americana/trad country band, to form The Red Dirt Disciples as a vehicle for performing songs from his voluminous catalogue.
Q. What led to your being hired as a staff songwriter in Nashville?
A. I had been writing songs for awhile and sent some of them to a few small publishing companies there. I was offered single song contracts for a couple of them. Subsequently, I started taking trips to Nashville where I knocked on the doors at a few publishing houses and got contracts for a couple more of my songs. I also started performing my songs at open mic nights around Nashville, including at The Bluebird, where I made friends with some other aspiring song writers. One of my friends got signed by a small publisher, so I auditioned there and they signed me on as a staff writer.
Q. Is there an artist who particularly surprised or impressed you when you worked with them?
A. Of all of the artists I've known and had the pleasure to work with, I was most impressed by Terri Clark. Fresh out of Medicine Hat, Alberta (Canada), she came walking into our publishing company one day looking for someone to take an interest in her. The head of our company asked if I would write with her. Back then she was a little rough around the edges, in her cowboy hat, boots and jeans, but I saw her talent, drive and charisma right away. The very first song we co-wrote made it onto her first album. We continued to write together and, ultimately, I had three songs placed on her platinum debut album!
Q. What advice do you have for young, aspiring songwriters, particularly in the country music genre?
A. Well, Nashville publishers no longer accept unsolicited material. My advice to writers would be to take some trips to Nashville, find the places where they have open mic nights, play your songs, and meet other aspiring songwriters. Networking and perserverance are key.
Q. When and how did you come up with the idea of showcasing your songs by performing them live, and how did your association with the guys from Gringo Stew come about?
A. Frank Scialdone, the former lead guitarist for the band, Gringo Stew, is a good friend. He had heard a couple CDs of my songs and asked if I might be interested in hooking up with him and some other former Gringo Stew musicians to create a showcase for my music. How could I say "No"? We started rehearsing the first 15 or so selected songs, all previously recorded by country artists. It's been a lot of fun. I feel very lucky to be working with such talented, creative musicians!
Q. Finally, Terry, what should the audience look forward to when they come to a Red Dirt Disciples show?
A. They will hear songs I've had recorded by some major, and some minor, Nashville artists—Jason Aldean, Gene Watson, Terri Clark, Ashley Monroe, Charley Pride, Jeff Bates, Brett James, Rhett Akins, Billy Yates, Doug Stone, and others. They'll hear some first-hand stories and anecdotes about Nashville, the successful singers and writers I've worked with, as well as what inspired some of the songs. Me and the boys from (the former) Gringo Stew are really looking forward to performing for you in the coming year.