Greg Trooper – A Tribute

Greg Trooper passed away on January 16, 2017. He’d been sick for awhile, but he didn’t let it slow him down that much. He was still doing shows up until a few months ago, and had just recorded tracks for a record with Stewart Lerman, Steuart Smith and Kenny Blevins,...

How Do We Acknowledge Veterans Day?

We have learned so much from the veterans who have attended our SongwritingWith:Soldiers programs—the various reasons they joined the military, the struggles they endured, the feats they accomplished, the deep bonds they formed with their brothers and sisters in arms,...

What About The Wolves?

By Mary Judd, SW:S Executive Director He stared at me, his eyes silver blue, intense. I could tell he was gritting his teeth behind his slight grin, jaw muscles pulsating. He thought he’d gotten me. I knew this was coming eventually, being cornered and questioned by a...

Inspiring and “Outspiring”

At SongwritingWith:Soldiers retreats, veterans talk a lot about being inspired—inspired to share their stories with the songwriters, inspired by each other’s courage in opening up, inspired by the powerful songs written, inspired by a new community of friends....

One Day…

Our story is simple. One day in 2012, Darden Smith wrote a song with a veteran. The connection was so strong that he thought, What if I got more songwriters to do this? On that same day, Mary Judd watched them work together and recognized the impact of helping...