TUCKED AWAY IN HIS
SONG WRITING CABIN,
ALLEN SHAMBLIN
CO-WROTE THE 2010 COUNTRY MUSIC
SONG OF THE YEAR,
"THE HOUSE THAT BUILT ME."
* IF I COULD JUST COME IN, *
* I SWEAR I'LL LEAVE *
* IT WON'T TAKE NOTHING *
* BUT A MEMORY *
THE AWARD WINNING BALLAD
RECORDED BY MIRANDA LAMBERT
IS SHAMBLIN'S SIXTH NUMBER ONE HIT.
DURING HIS CAREER, HE WROTE
SONGS WITH LEGENDS LIKE KEITH
URBAN.
AN USHER ASKED ME IF I WAS
NOMINATED FOR A SONG, AND SHE
SAID, IF IT WINS, YOU'RE NOT
GOING TO CRY OR NOTHING, ARE
YOU?
HIS JOURN -- INJURE KNEE
INTO SONGWRITER STARTED WHEN HE
REALIZED HE WASN'T SUPPOSED TO
BE A REAL ESTATE APPRAISER, I
WAS POUNDING ON THE DASH IN MY
CAR SAYING, NO, THIS CAN'T BE
MY LIFE, AND ABOUT THAT TIME, I
STARTED ASKING MYSELF, WHAT AM
I PASSIONATE ABOUT, AND THE
ANSWER KEPT COMING BACK, MUSIC,
MUSIC, I REMEMBER ONE NIGHT, I
WENT FOR A WALK AND I SAID,
GOD, I'VE NEVER ASKED YOU THIS
BEFORE, BUT WOULD YOU HELP ME
BE A SONGWRITER, I DIDN'T HEAR
A VOICE OR NO BELLS BUT I HAD
AN INSTANT KNOWLEDGE IN MY
HEART THAT WAS THE PATH I WAS
SUPPOSED TO TAKE.
I BEGAN THANKING GOD RIGHT
THERE, I SAID, THANK YOU FOR
THE SONG THAT IS ARE GOING TO
COME.
ALLEN BARELY PLAYED GUITAR
OR DIDN'T HAVE ANY CONTACTS IN
THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.
I WAS WRITING WORDS,
PHRASING, THINGS THAT RHYMED, A
VERSE, A CHORUS, I WAS FILLING
UP WORDS IN A TEXTBOOK BUT NO
SONGS TAKE TOGETHER, SO I WENT
FOR ANOTHER WALK, AND I SAID,
LORD, I THOUGHT YOU TOLD ME YOU
WERE GOING TO SEND ME SONGS AND
I'M GOING TO KEEP THANKING YOU
UNTIL THEY GET THERE r HERE.
HE MET A LADY.
WE WENT OUT TO JOHNNY'S
HOUSE AND I HAD NEVER IN MY
LIFE SANG IN ANY KIND OF
MICROPHONE, I NEVER PERFORMED
WITH ANYBODY AND HE PUT ME AT
EASE, SO I STARTED TO PLAY AND
HE SAID, WOE, LET ME SEE THAT
GUITAR.
HE SAID, DID YOU REALIZE THIS
THING IS THREE OP TIFFS TOO
HIGH, HE TUNED IT UP FOR ME AND
I PLAYED GUITAR AND HE PLAYED
FIDEL AND IT WAS A SIMPLE
RECORDING SYSTEM.
MUSIC EXECUTIVES SHOWED UP
IN TEXAS TO SEE HIM.
HE SAID, WE LOVE THAT.
AND I SAID, YOU DO, AND THEY
BOTH ENCOURAGED ME TO MOVE TO
NASHVILLE.
IT TOOK HIM TWO YEARS TO GET
THE COURAGE TO LEAVE TEXAS AND
MOVE TO NASHVILLE, HE WORKED
JOBS AND WROTE SONGS ON THE
SIDE, BUT TWO YEARS WENT BY
WITHOUT ANY BREAKS.
I QUESTIONED MYSELF MORE
THAN GOD, I SAID, AM I DOING
THE RIGHT THINGS.
ALLEN WAS ABOUT TO GIVE UP.
I GOT UP AND I WALKED TO THE
TV AND I HIT THE ON BUTTON AND
I HEARD SOMEBODY BEHIND ME SAY,
THERE'S SOMEBODY FIXING TO GIVE
UP ON A DREAM, DON'T GIVE UP,
THE RACE ALWAYS GETS TOUGHEST
BEFORE YOU CROSS THE FINISH
LINE.
HE WALKED ON WATER.
HE WAS A SONGWRITER.
HE WALKED ON WATER CAME OUT
OF MY MOUTH AND I GOT CHILLS
ALL OVER MY BODY AND THE SONG
LITERALLY POURED OUT LIKE HONEY
OUT OF A JAR.
THAT'S A LONG WAY WITH
SOMEBODY WHO DIDN'T KNOW WHAT
HE WIZ -- WAS GOING TO DO WITH
HIS LIFE.
YOU MENTIONED A NUMBER OF
TIMES GOD AND PRAYER?
YES.
AND HEARING A VOICE.
YES, YES.
DO THIS?
YES.
WHERE DID THAT SIGHT OF LIFE
COME TO PLAY?
I WAS RAISED IN THE CHURCH,
I'M A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST,
I DON'T STAND ON A SOAP BOX AND
WAVE A BIG FLAG.
I FEEL LIKE MY LIFE NEEDS TO
BEAR FRUIT IF THAT'S WHAT I
BELIEVE BECAUSE IF I GO AROUND
TALKING ABOUT IT A LOT, THEN MY
LIFE DOESN'T AFFIRM WHAT THE
WORDS SAY, THEN MY WORDS RING
HOLLOW.
SO, AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING
I DO IS MY FAITH.
I WANT TO BE AN ENCOURAGER, I
SEE PEOPLE STRUGGLING TO HANG
ON TO THEIR HOPE.
THERE NEEDS TO BE SONGS BORN
WITH WHAT'S COMING DOWN THE
ROAD, I PRAY FOR IDEAS, AND THE
PATH UNFOLDS BEFORE ME.
I FEEL REALLY FORTUNATE I'VE
MADE IT THIS FAR WITH NATURE
AND HORSES AND ANIMALS IN MY
FAMILY AND MY CHILDREN.
WHEN YOU LOOK AROUND AT
WHERE YOU ARE NOW, YOUR WIFE,
CHILDREN, ALL THIS THAT YOU
MENTIONED AND LOOK BACK ON THE
INJURE -- JOURNEY, GRATITUDE
OF HEART?
YEAH, I FEEL A LOT OF
GRATITUDE.