The 31st edition of Tin Pan South came to a close on Saturday (April 1) with several late-night sets around Nashville. Jeffrey Steele was the final act to perform at 3rd & Lindsley and proved why he’s one of the most revered songwriters in the country genre. Throughout his more than two-hour set, Steele performed his many hits recorded by Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, Zac Brown Band and Montgomery Gentry.
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An engaging live performer, Steele’s set highlighted his guitar prowess and humor. He shared the stories behind his songs and his life as well as the best songwriting advice he received from Kris Kristofferson. Here are the top five moments from the Nashville Songwriter Hall of Famer’s set.
1. Jeffrey Steele’s first Rascal Flatts No. 1 almost didn’t happen
In 1999, Steele’s publisher came to him and asked him to finish somebody else’s song.
“He had this song that was half written [by] this guy from London of all places,” Steele recalled. “I was like, ‘I’m not finishing anybody else’s song. Are you kidding me? I’m a professional songwriter.’ He said, ‘Quit being a jerk and listen to it.’”
Steele then listened to the music a few times and began writing about growing up in Los Angeles and a woman he knew in Hollywood (his now wife). He didn’t have a title and admits he thought “it was crap.” Six weeks later, his publisher called him and said a new band named Rascal Flatts recorded the song, which was eventually titled “These Days.” It marked the first single released on Rascal Flatts’ sophomore album Melt and became the trio’s first No. 1 hit.
2. Writing “Something to Be Proud Of”
Steele had seen success penning several songs for Montgomery Gentry, including “Gone,” “Hell Yeah,” and “My Town,” all of which he played on Saturday. When he was approached to produce the duo’s fourth album, Steele asked about the direction of the project. He was told by the record label that they wanted “to get ‘My Town’ Pt. 2.”
“I was thinking, ‘What the hell is she saying?’ and then I said to her, ‘Man, I want to write something to be proud of.’ Then I caught myself saying, ‘Oh, gotta go.’ I called my buddy Chris Wallin and we wrote this song.”
3. James Slater details how Luke Combs’ “Joe” came to be
The Tin Pan South showcase was billed as “Jeffrey Steele & Friends,” unbeknownst to Steele. One of those friends, James Slater, happened to be in the audience so Steele invited him up to perform a pair of songs. Slater then explained how he and co-writer Erik Dylan penned a song three years ago about addiction. At the time titled “Light at the End of the Bottle,” Dylan shared the song with Luke Combs, who told the songwriter, “I gotta get on that song.”
“So Luke ended up writing this with us,” Slater recalled before he played the song alone on the piano. “Last Friday, his new album came out and it’s on there. … It’s called ‘Joe.’ These are the songs you want to leave behind. I hope it helps some people who have been going through any kind of addiction.”
4. Kris Kristofferson’s songwriting advice
Steele’s father was the one that convinced him to listen to and write country music. Years later, Steele saw Kristofferson in an alley in California and the young songwriter approached him for advice.
“[He said] ‘Son, never do it for the money,’” Steele recalled. “ Then he got into a limo. … So many songwriters get so caught up and worried about trying to make money. Quit trying to make money. Just write songs and money will find you.”
5. Zac Brown Band’s “Knee Deep” was inspired by a joke
Steele admitted that some of his songs began with a “good, bad joke.” Zac Brown Band’s “Knee Deep” was one of those jokes. During a hang with Zac Brown, the pair bonded over their favorite guitar players, including Stevie Ray Vaughan. After trading guitar licks back and forth, they began telling jokes.
Steele was running out of jokes and decided to share one of his dad’s: “How deep is a lake with frogs in it?” Brown’s response: “What? I don’t know.”
Steele then shared the punchline: “I said, ‘Kneedeep.’ He didn’t laugh either. But then his eyes got really big and he said, ‘Dude, that’s a great title for a song!’ I said, ‘Well yeah, I’m a professional songwriter.’”
Tin Pan South ran Tuesday, March 25, through Saturday, April 1.
