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ing sessions that may or may not include
ZGP: Well, however you are writing songs,
you must be doing something right. Con-
gratulations on becoming the 2019 Song-
writer of the Year at the Tennessee Music
Awards.
WB: Yeah, that was cool. I was nominated before, but
that year I won Songwriter of the Year and Song of
the Year with “Running Out of Road,” with co-writer
and producer Cody Criswell. I was in the compa-
ny of some great artists, and with the awards being
‘fan-voted,’ it makes the whole thing really special. It
means people took the time out of their day to vote
and vote for me and my music. The Tennessee Music
Awards is still in its infancy and, people should know
that it is statewide. So to be honored with an award,
you would need to be pretty well received by your
fans.
ZGP: Just for fun, Will, if you could go on
tour with any artist – living or dead – who
would it be?
WB: Living or dead? See, that made it tough. Ok, I’m
going to do both and narrow them down to three
each. Living: Eric Church, Cody Jinks, and Koe
Wetzel. Dead: Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings
definitely; I’m all about that outlaw swagger he had.
Keith Whitley because he had a timeless voice, and
no one yet sounds like him.
ZGP: In a 2015 interview, Tom Petty was
asked about his ability to write songs and
musical ability. Petty said he felt he had a
conduit to a musical energy that few could
tap. Do you feel like you have access to that
musical energy?
WB: Honestly, sometimes yes and sometimes no.
When the song or music flows freely, then sure, yeah,
I feel tapped into the musical energy. Still, the oppo- having a couple of drinks. Maybe that will get turned
site is true – when the music is more challenging to
create, then maybe not as connected as I would like
to be. But, yeah, it is a gift and a blessing to be able to
do what I do musically. While each of us has individ-
ual talents, not everyone can sit down, write songs,
or create melodies. So yeah, a conduit, I’d say so.
ZGP: How do music and lyrics come to-
gether for you? Some people sit alone in a
bar or isolated space and write out words
on napkins. In contrast, others create writ-
124 www.zoegracepublishing.com
it, black and white? If there wasn’t any music to bring people together, then what you are left with is a bunch of
other writers. ugliness. If I couldn’t rock out to Tom Petty, DMX, and Waylon Jennings, and all the other crazy stuff I listen to
WB: “Run Out of Road” was a song I wrote initial- every day, I’d most likely lose my mind.
ly and took that completed work to Cody Criswell,
where we both finished it up for production. Initially, ZGP: Thank you for talking with me.
in the songwriting structure, I do better on my own. WB: I love doing stuff like this. I mean, no one ever asks us things like this at shows. There isn’t someone coming
Once the flow is starting to work, it is helpful to have up and asking, “So hey, how did you get started in music?” No, it’s more like, “Play some Freebird, man!” So, to
other minds involved. Again, my nerves get involved, sit down with someone genuinely interested in how we started and how we feel about things, that’s a mint for us.
and I fear my early ideas may not be well received. The only person I talk about this stuff with is my girlfriend, and I know she is tired of hearing me ramble on. It’s
So it is easier to flush those out and bring those extra cool because ZGP Magazine is local, and I’m a big believer in locals helping locals, building each other up.
naturally evolved lyrics to the think tank for more Around here, we try to support each other rather than compete because we know we can achieve so much more.
creative input. I mean, lyrics can come to me while
I’m in the field on a tractor, and with those bursts
of inspiration, I’d prefer to iron them out on my
own first. Of course, more than one creative mind is
always better, in my opinion. Cody Criswell came in Follow Will and his Music
on my first two singles, and he just has an awesome
musical mind; you need someone like that. Cody was
the driving force behind “Run out of Road” and the
other single, “Missin’ Me”, without him, man, I’m not
sure they would be as good. You want someone who
will add substance to your song, especially country
music. There should be a depth to a country track
broader than “Hey girl,” beer, and a truck bed tune.
ZGP: Do you believe music, maybe more
so than any other medium, brings people
together?
WB: Definitely, I think so. I believe music has heal-
ing powers. It can bring people together. I mean, I
love playing in West Tennessee, especially here at
The Tap. When I look out over a packed house, and
no one is worried about the world’s problems, it is
refreshing. When no one is looking around at the
color of another’s skin, or wondering about some-
one’s sexual orientation, or considering someone’s
left or right political angles, it’s nice. It is just a bunch Check out more Will Burton Tunes on YouTube
of diverse people having fun, jiving to music, and
off when they walk out of these doors and into the
world. But there was a universal connection for one
another and the music for a few hours. It is hard for
me to name another type of venue with that type of
harmony other than a live music event.
ZGP: What would the world look like if
there was no music?
WB: I don’t know. I don’t even want to think about
Good Thing Missin’ Me
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