Unraveling the Magic of Songwriting: A Conversation with Ron Grimes and Stefan Prigmore
Nov 01, 2023
Co-hosted by John Noblitt and Donna Green
What do truth, love, and the power of music have in common? They form the backbone of a truly impactful song, or so say our guests for this episode, the renowned songwriters Ron Grimes and Stefan Prigmore. Ron and Stefan are here to share their remarkable journeys in the music industry, and we promise it's a narrative you won't want to pause.
We kick things off at the Old Bolivar Station Songwriter Festival, where Ron and Stefan pull back the curtain on their creative processes and talk about the essence of songwriting. Hear it from Ron himself as he recounts his inspiring story from strumming his first guitar at 10 to co-writing chart-topping songs with Leanne Rimes, and learn about Stefan's unique path, one marked by struggles with addiction and the healing power of songwriting. Closing on a high note, we reveal the winner of our songwriter contest, Jordan Shepard, a talent you’ll definitely want to keep an ear out for. So, tune in, and let's celebrate the craft of songwriting and the magic of music together!
You have been listening to The 266 Express, the official podcast of Sanger, TX. IF you have comments or suggestions, please send them to dgreen@sangertexas.org
What do truth, love, and the power of music have in common? They form the backbone of a truly impactful song, or so say our guests for this episode, the renowned songwriters Ron Grimes and Stefan Prigmore. Ron and Stefan are here to share their remarkable journeys in the music industry, and we promise it's a narrative you won't want to pause.
We kick things off at the Old Bolivar Station Songwriter Festival, where Ron and Stefan pull back the curtain on their creative processes and talk about the essence of songwriting. Hear it from Ron himself as he recounts his inspiring story from strumming his first guitar at 10 to co-writing chart-topping songs with Leanne Rimes, and learn about Stefan's unique path, one marked by struggles with addiction and the healing power of songwriting. Closing on a high note, we reveal the winner of our songwriter contest, Jordan Shepard, a talent you’ll definitely want to keep an ear out for. So, tune in, and let's celebrate the craft of songwriting and the magic of music together!
You have been listening to The 266 Express, the official podcast of Sanger, TX. IF you have comments or suggestions, please send them to dgreen@sangertexas.org
Speaker 1:
Welcome to the 266 Express coming to you from the old Bolivar station songwriter festival, first annual. That's John Noblett here with Donna Green. Donna, who do we have?
Speaker 2:
We are very, very blessed to have one of the stars of the show today, mr Ron Grimes, and I cannot thank you enough for all that you have given to this festival to make it a success. It is I could not literally could not have done it without you and a few of your connections that you hooked me up with, so I appreciate you. Thank you so much for being here. Appreciate it.
Speaker 3:
Thank you, it's been such a joy.
Speaker 2:
And this is Stefan. You want to introduce yourself, Stefan.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, I'm Stefan Prickmore. I'm a songwriter for Fort Worth originally. I live in the Far East Texas now with my wife and our ridiculous squirrel dog.
Speaker 2:
So, ron, I will start with you. I know you've got a great story and I love it, but could you just we'll get the short version because I plan to have you on the podcast of what's just you but if you could just kind of tell us a little bit about your background and how you got here, Well, I felt like I was born to do music.
Speaker 3:
I started playing the guitar when I was 10. I taught my mom into buying a guitar instead of that plastic flute at the music store. And but I got my first break just before I was 40, when I got to work with Leanne Rimes and we wound up writing a number of songs about 30 songs in a year. Three of them got done and rest is history. We got, you know, just after an answered prayer, when I felt like I had wasted my time on music and was ready to give it up. We met and we just, we were just meant to do what we did and it was amazing 10 million songs out there and you know, 10 million of the songs we wrote were sold over about a three or four year period of time.
Speaker 2:
Incredible. That's incredible, for sure. Yeah, incredible.
Speaker 3:
But the blessing is is that you know what I thought it was going to be. None of that really mattered. What really mattered was the relationships you know and how we were able to help each other and how our families benefited.
Speaker 2:
That's a real story, so Stephen, how did you get here? How did I get here today? No, how did you become a songwriter? I know how you got here today.
Speaker 4:
Yeah, I drove. I drove. Well, my father's a musician and I grew up around it. I think it was a country musician, a drummer. I played drums for years and then, when I was about 16 or 17, I started playing guitar and started writing. And then got out of high school, went hitchhiking around the country for about five years and got strung out real bad on dope and got off dope and worked as a loan shark for a while and then I went back to make music and writing songs and been doing it in earnest now for about 10 years. I'm real grateful to get to do it. It's awesome to go play music with my friends.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, we find out more and more that when we talk to singer songwriters that there's a little bit of tenacity there. It's got a passion. So what motivates you? You were talking a little bit wrong about ready to hang it up. What keeps you going?
Speaker 3:
Well, I learned that when you seek the truth, then you wind up finding it, and where you find truth, you find love, and that's where the song is. It's like the greatest songs ever written are just truth, expressed in a way with conviction that touches people, and that's what it's all about. I mean, I want to write that song that 60 years from now, like Unchained Melody, people are dancing and falling in love. Songs have impact, and the songs that have the most impact are the songs that are just straight up truth.
Speaker 2:
What keeps you going?
Speaker 4:
For me it's more personal.
Speaker 4:
I appreciate anybody that listens to my music and I'm grateful that they do, or that anybody buys tickets to my shows, but stuff that I'm blessed to get to process through song, like then's where the rubber meets the road.
Speaker 4:
For me it's like there's a multi-level thing, like there's a thing that happens to me first and then there's however much time goes fast where I don't process it or don't really realize what happened. And then there's the moment where I take it to the pen and paper and start really working on what was going on when that went down and at some point in all that there's a catharsis where I realize I'm getting through it and I'm coming out the other side of it and then I can go out live and tell other people about that and that Just that process where I get through it and have the catharsis and the realization of the knowledge from it, is enough. But then the moment that I get to do this for a living and that didn't even further Blessing is when somebody else connects with that and then we can kind of see God and each other when that happens.
Speaker 4:
It's yes, warning but this first song on the singing I do it for me get me saying you know, it's a beautiful craft.
Speaker 1:
Did you find yourself as songwriters first or music musicians first, or is it just kind of a progression of both?
Speaker 3:
For me it was the words first, and but then, when you realize how powerful it is when the words and the music are saying the same thing, you know that's, that's when it really comes together.
Speaker 2:
Thanks you've never, heard him sing. I've heard him sing.
Speaker 1:
I heard some this morning. Well, if people are looking for you, where do they find you?
Speaker 4:
me. You can find Stephen Freak more and all the streaming stuff Facebook, instagram, stephen three four dot net on my website. Join my mailing list. Sign up on patreon, I'll give you a ton of free stuff, you know. Thanks for having me on the singing. Thank you for hosting.
Speaker 1:
Rob, where, like where, can they find you?
Speaker 3:
Usually with my two granddaughters, all my kids and my parents. But no, seriously, they can just search me up online. They can contact Donna if you're familiar with Donna, and Donna can get in touch with me.
Speaker 1:
Fantastic. Thank you both For the session this morning. Oh, thank you for the session later. I know we've got a winner.
Speaker 2:
Yes, he picked us a one of our songwriters that entered the contest. I was chosen and he got to get to announce that today, so yeah, I'll let you tell everybody once again. I talked to him earlier and I was like I wanted to tell you so bad, but I promised I would we could do it, I can go ahead, you go.
Speaker 2:
George Shepard. Yes and his his song is absolutely it's. It's very moving. We'll post that on our Facebook links and we'll put a Post to the link of it down at the bottom of the podcast. So they're making air.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, I'm about to go see Jordan. I've performed. What an amazing songwriter yes, I mean, it boy knows how to turn a phrase but so authentic and so honest. So I'm looking forward to.
Speaker 2:
I'm gonna get over there. I'm trying to see that myself.
Speaker 1:
We're gonna let you guys get out there to enjoy some more of the festival. Thank you so much.
