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.