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Rock Is Lit

Michael Amos Cody, Author of 'Gabriel's Songbook', with Frye Gaillard and Peter Cooper, on Appalachian Music & Culture, MTV, & the Nashville Music Scene in the 1980s

In this episode we’re venturing inside the complicated world of the Nashville music biz. Michael Amos Cody joins me to talk about his novel ‘Gabriel’s Songbook’, which follows starry-eyed Gabriel Tanner on his quest to strike it big as a singer-songwriter in the Music City in the 1980s.  In the final segment, Frye Gaillard and Peter Cooper drop by to talk about the real Nashville music scene in the 1980s. Frye is an historian and author of such books as ‘A Hard Rain: America in the 1960s’, ‘The Southernization of America’, which he co-wrote with Pulitzer Prize-winner Cynthia Tucker, and ‘Watermelon Wine: The Spirit of Country Music’. Peter is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s senior director, producer, and writer.   HIGHLIGHTS: Christopher Cross’s buried guitar lead on “Ride Like the Wind” Suzi Quatro’s convincing argument for including Simon & Garfunkel in a rock novel  The Appalachian setting and culture for part of the novel ‘Gabriel’s Songbook’ and what Appalachia means to Michael and the character Gabriel: food, religion, family, community, mountain music The complexities and difficulties of an image-driven music business during the MTV 1980s on singer-songwriters, like Gabriel, who don’t fit the mold Michael’s own experience as a young musician in Nashville during this time How Michael’s relationship with his wife, Leesa, inspired the relationship between Gabriel and Eliza in ‘Gabriel’s Songbook’ The passion that Michael still feels for making music Frye and Peter talk about the differences between the ‘70s and ’80s Nashville music scene and business   MUSIC AND MEDIA IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: Free Country Instrumental Music/No Copyright Background Music “Born the Run” by Bruce Springsteen “Ride Like the Wind” by Christopher Cross “April Come She Will” by Simon & Garfunkel “Mountain Dew” by The Stanley Brothers “Lookin’ for Love” by Johnny Lee “Mexican Radio” by Wall of Voodoo “Best I’ve Ever Seen” by Michael Amos Cody “Leesa, Listen” by Michael Amos Cody “Soulmates” by Michael Amos Cody “You’ve Got Something I Need” by Michael Amos Cody “The Sweetest Gift” by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris “Better Class of Losers” by Randy Travis “Molly Dear” by Jonathan Byrd “I Came for the Gold” by Michael Amos Cody   LINKS:  Michael Amos Cody’s website: https://michaelamoscody.com/ Michael on Twitter, @DrMacOde Michael on Instagram, @michaelamoscody   Frye Gaillard’s website: https://fryegaillardauthor.com/ Frye on Facebook, @FryeGaillard   Peter Cooper’s website: https://www.petercoopermusic.com/ Peter Cooper on Facebook, @PeterCooper   Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/ Christy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, @ChristyHallberg Christy Alexander Hallberg on Instagram, @christyhallberg Christy Alexander Hallberg’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqag Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Broadcast on:
08 Dec 2022

In this episode we’re venturing inside the complicated world of the Nashville music biz. Michael Amos Cody joins me to talk about his novel ‘Gabriel’s Songbook’, which follows starry-eyed Gabriel Tanner on his quest to strike it big as a singer-songwriter in the Music City in the 1980s. 

In the final segment, Frye Gaillard and Peter Cooper drop by to talk about the real Nashville music scene in the 1980s. Frye is an historian and author of such books as ‘A Hard Rain: America in the 1960s’, ‘The Southernization of America’, which he co-wrote with Pulitzer Prize-winner Cynthia Tucker, and ‘Watermelon Wine: The Spirit of Country Music’. Peter is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s senior director, producer, and writer.

 

HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Christopher Cross’s buried guitar lead on “Ride Like the Wind”
  • Suzi Quatro’s convincing argument for including Simon & Garfunkel in a rock novel 
  • The Appalachian setting and culture for part of the novel ‘Gabriel’s Songbook’ and what Appalachia means to Michael and the character Gabriel: food, religion, family, community, mountain music
  • The complexities and difficulties of an image-driven music business during the MTV 1980s on singer-songwriters, like Gabriel, who don’t fit the mold
  • Michael’s own experience as a young musician in Nashville during this time
  • How Michael’s relationship with his wife, Leesa, inspired the relationship between Gabriel and Eliza in ‘Gabriel’s Songbook’
  • The passion that Michael still feels for making music
  • Frye and Peter talk about the differences between the ‘70s and ’80s Nashville music scene and business

 

MUSIC AND MEDIA IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE:

  1. Free Country Instrumental Music/No Copyright Background Music
  2. “Born the Run” by Bruce Springsteen
  3. “Ride Like the Wind” by Christopher Cross
  4. “April Come She Will” by Simon & Garfunkel
  5. “Mountain Dew” by The Stanley Brothers
  6. “Lookin’ for Love” by Johnny Lee
  7. “Mexican Radio” by Wall of Voodoo
  8. “Best I’ve Ever Seen” by Michael Amos Cody
  9. “Leesa, Listen” by Michael Amos Cody
  10. “Soulmates” by Michael Amos Cody
  11. “You’ve Got Something I Need” by Michael Amos Cody
  12. “The Sweetest Gift” by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris
  13. “Better Class of Losers” by Randy Travis
  14. “Molly Dear” by Jonathan Byrd
  15. “I Came for the Gold” by Michael Amos Cody

 

LINKS: 

Michael Amos Cody’s website: https://michaelamoscody.com/

Michael on Twitter, @DrMacOde

Michael on Instagram, @michaelamoscody

 

Frye Gaillard’s website: https://fryegaillardauthor.com/

Frye on Facebook, @FryeGaillard

 

Peter Cooper’s website: https://www.petercoopermusic.com/

Peter Cooper on Facebook, @PeterCooper

 

Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/

Christy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, @ChristyHallberg

Christy Alexander Hallberg on Instagram, @christyhallberg

Christy Alexander Hallberg’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqag

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we’re venturing inside the complicated world of the Nashville music biz. Michael Amos Cody joins me to talk about his novel ‘Gabriel’s Songbook’, which follows starry-eyed Gabriel Tanner on his quest to strike it big as a singer-songwriter in the Music City in the 1980s.  In the final segment, Frye Gaillard and Peter Cooper drop by to talk about the real Nashville music scene in the 1980s. Frye is an historian and author of such books as ‘A Hard Rain: America in the 1960s’, ‘The Southernization of America’, which he co-wrote with Pulitzer Prize-winner Cynthia Tucker, and ‘Watermelon Wine: The Spirit of Country Music’. Peter is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s senior director, producer, and writer.   HIGHLIGHTS: Christopher Cross’s buried guitar lead on “Ride Like the Wind” Suzi Quatro’s convincing argument for including Simon & Garfunkel in a rock novel  The Appalachian setting and culture for part of the novel ‘Gabriel’s Songbook’ and what Appalachia means to Michael and the character Gabriel: food, religion, family, community, mountain music The complexities and difficulties of an image-driven music business during the MTV 1980s on singer-songwriters, like Gabriel, who don’t fit the mold Michael’s own experience as a young musician in Nashville during this time How Michael’s relationship with his wife, Leesa, inspired the relationship between Gabriel and Eliza in ‘Gabriel’s Songbook’ The passion that Michael still feels for making music Frye and Peter talk about the differences between the ‘70s and ’80s Nashville music scene and business   MUSIC AND MEDIA IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE: Free Country Instrumental Music/No Copyright Background Music “Born the Run” by Bruce Springsteen “Ride Like the Wind” by Christopher Cross “April Come She Will” by Simon & Garfunkel “Mountain Dew” by The Stanley Brothers “Lookin’ for Love” by Johnny Lee “Mexican Radio” by Wall of Voodoo “Best I’ve Ever Seen” by Michael Amos Cody “Leesa, Listen” by Michael Amos Cody “Soulmates” by Michael Amos Cody “You’ve Got Something I Need” by Michael Amos Cody “The Sweetest Gift” by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris “Better Class of Losers” by Randy Travis “Molly Dear” by Jonathan Byrd “I Came for the Gold” by Michael Amos Cody   LINKS:  Michael Amos Cody’s website: https://michaelamoscody.com/ Michael on Twitter, @DrMacOde Michael on Instagram, @michaelamoscody   Frye Gaillard’s website: https://fryegaillardauthor.com/ Frye on Facebook, @FryeGaillard   Peter Cooper’s website: https://www.petercoopermusic.com/ Peter Cooper on Facebook, @PeterCooper   Christy Alexander Hallberg’s website: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/ Christy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, @ChristyHallberg Christy Alexander Hallberg on Instagram, @christyhallberg Christy Alexander Hallberg’s YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSnRmlL5moSQYi6EjSvqag Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices