6A
THE NEWS JOURNAL
Raeford, N.C.
October 2,1996
Songwriter motivated by love of music
,By Jen Osborn
Assistant editor
Rockfish resident Earl Chason may
never find fame or fortune, but he is
following his dream.
The 53-year-old singer/songwriter
has had two of his songs recorded by
country music artists in Nashville.
, One even hit the number three spot on
‘the charts in Holland —joining the
i likes of famous country music re-
! cording artists George Jones and
'David Ball.
Although like any writer, he would
ilove to hit the big time but Chason
• said he’s happy he’s come this far.
“Even if it doesn’t turn out to be a
'very profitable situation, it’s just so
•^gratifying to see my name on those
Uape and CD covers,” Chason said. “It
• was very uplifting and really made
• my adrenaline get to flowing.”
' The story began many years ago.
• Chason said in an interview with Hard
• Country’ Beal magazine that in the
Nearly 1960s his mother taught him
• some chords on a guitar and he took
• off from there. In 1969, he had a one-
• hour bluegrass show on a local radio
• station. His band was called “Earl and
Uhe Bluegrass Partners.”
• In the 1970s, he played and sang
with a group called “The Maverics."
They played clubs at Fort Bragg and
several night spots around
Fayetteville, earning about $ 15 a night.
In the 1980s, he said, he organized a
group of teenagers and called them
selves “The Rockfish Revue Band.”
His son. Chuck, played lead guitar
and the group played for events like
hog callings, com shuckings, chicken
pluckings, hog cookings, family re
unions for several years, as well as
;shows at Fayetteville’s country mu-
jsic clubs.
; “We had some fantastic times,” he
;said.
The entire time, Chason said he
was writing. While working as a de
partment manager in hospital engi
neering in North and South Carolina,
Chason spent hours at a time on the
road. While driving, he says he had a
good chance to mull over things in his
life.
“I think everybody stops and takes
check on their life once in a while,” he
said and added that he wrote several
songs during these times.
Now two of his songs have been
recorded by Nashville recording art
ists. The first break came in March
when Chason said he received a letter
f^rom KM A Record’s Keith Bradford,
asking him to submit songs for an
upcoming album, “One More Broken
Heart.”
Chason said he sent five songs to
Bradford, who is part of a group that
opens shows for Nashville star Kitty
Wells. One song, “Love Runs Away
From Me,” was chosen and recorded.
Later, Bradford asked Chason to
write a song for his sister-in-law,
Charlotte Bradford.
“I had never thought about writing
for a female artist,” he said.
So before he could begin, Bradford
X
a
Earl Chason’s songs have hit number three in Holland.
Photo by Jen Osbom
sent him a tape of some of her other
songs.
“It means a lot if you're going to
write a song for someone if you get to
know their style, ’ Chason explained.
Bradford selected the song, “You
Went out Two-Steppin' One Too
Many Times,” and recorded it on the
KMA record label as well.
“The demo sounds great, " Chason
said in a recent issue of Hard Country
Beal magazine, “and Tm equally
happy about this one. Hopefully these
will help establish me as a 'good'
songwriter and someday make a hit
song if one of these don’t make it."
Although he’s happy with the way
things have turned out, Chason said
hd hopes he’s not finished yet. He's
gfed the Bradford’s have recorded his
songs, but he would be even happier
if abig-name artist would pick upone
of his songs and re-record it.
“A break in country music would
certainly help ensure that retirement
would be secure for me in my older
days,” Chason said in the magazine.
Not only would it be flattering, it
could also be lucrative for him be
cause he gets a percentage of royal
ties every time the song is played on
the radio — despite the artist.
“People don’t realize when a radio
station plays a singer’s song, he gets
money for that,” he said.
The same goes for the writer. So if
a big name recording artist records
Chason’s song on a bigger record
label, Chason said there’s a better
chance for him to make money.
“If they do, the pyramid just goes
on and on,” Chason said. “That’s re
ally what you hope for — that some
one will pick it up and record it many
times.”
Chason said he also now belongs
to a group that pays royalties if a song
written by him gets any airplay.
Getting there is a long process, he
said. Asa newly published songw riter.
Chason said he's learning how to pro
tect himself in the recording industry.
First, he said, every song —
whether or not an artist has decided to
record it — must be copyrighted
through the Library of Congress to
protect the writer. That can take six to
eight weeks, but if it's not done,
Chason said an artist can steal or
change any part of the song and make
it his own.
“But once you copyright it. they can
not change anything in it." Chason said.
For those who are interested in
entering the musical recording field.
Chason gives this adv ice—check out
all businesses you may have contact
with. One way to do this is by calling
the Better Business Bureau.
“There's so many of these things that
are not on the up and up." Chason said
In fact, Chason said he encoun
tered one compunyin Texas th.it ot
fered to record his .song. Although the
Better Business Bureau said they hud
no complaints against the business.
Chason said he wasn’t comfortable.
He held onto his songs and later they
were picked up by the KMA label.
Chason said he will continue to
pursue a songwriting career.
“I've never been to Nashv ille. but
always wanted to go and perform
there when I was younger," Chason
said in the magazine. "But. now that
I’ve grown older. I’m pleased to see
my name on an album cover as a
writer of a song.”
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group’s fundraising campaign. The group raises money for several Hoke County organizations, including the
Uteracy Council, the Children's Developmental Center and the Rescue Squad.
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County Health Day
Mitchell Byrd, EMS director, Dr^a" -j
Hoke County Sheriffs Departf'-
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rotary to t^e county manager, and Walter Bryant of the
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