Off The Charts

How do you turn a 70s novelty hit into a 40-year NPR legacy? Larry Groce is the ultimate "Serial Creator." 👇 Full Chapters & The Life Lesson Start Below! Click "Show More" 👇 From the Top 10 success of "Junk Food Junkie" to founding the institution that is Mountain Stage , Larry has navigated the music industry on his own terms. In this episode, we discuss why he walked away from the LA "hit...

The secret lesson Carl Perkins taught me about surviving the music business. Most people would be bitter if Elvis became "The King" using their song. Carl chose something else: lightness. In the early 90s, while I was navigating the "Hat Act" craze of Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson, I had a chance airport hang with Carl. It was a masterclass in perspective. In this episode: The "Blue Suede Shoes" t...

They say never meet your heroes — and that may be true more often than not. But a surprise encounter I had with Stevie Wonder left a mark I’ve never forgotten. It didn’t happen in a glamorous setting, and I was just a 21-year-old musician with no claim to fame. Yet this musical icon imparted something that remains a check and a reminder to this day. 🔗 Links & Resources • Follow Lionel on Inst...

Cellist Cara Fox and her recording-engineer husband, Jared, have built something rare in today’s music world—a true one-stop shop for artists who want the sound of a real string section on their records. From their Nashville studio, Fox Den Strings arranges, records, and delivers living, breathing string parts for artists around the globe. Whether it’s pop, country, classical, or folk, Cara and Ja...

One Grammy Song of the Year, ten Tony Award nominations, and over two hundred recorded songs by artists we all know and love. But underneath Songwriter Hall of Fame member Wayne Kirkpatrick’s impressive résumé is a mindset that’s a true masterclass in long-haul creativity. In this episode, Wayne gives us a peek under the hood at the values and habits that have kept his songwriter engine running fo...

Eric Fortaleza moved to Nashville from Sydney Australia. Instead of waiting for his big break, he built a live showcase for songwriters and musicians which has already become legendary. Every Tuesday night at Analog in the Hutton Hotel, rising songwriters take the stage with the world-class Pitch Meeting band bringing their songs to life. It’s Nashville’s first real “songwriter pitch night,” where...

Wayne Kirkpatrick transitioned from writing songs to writing musicals. His first,  Something Rotten , became a Broadway hit nominated for ten Tony Awards, co-written with his brother Karey. Next came  Mrs. Doubtfire , which played on Broadway before transferring to London's West End. Along with his musicals, Wayne has earned a Grammy Song of the Year Award for Eric Clapton and Babyface's...

From a Grammy Song of the Year to ten Tony Award nominations, Wayne Kirkpatrick embodies creativity. A Hall of Fame songwriter with more than two hundred recorded songs — and a hit Broadway composer — Wayne’s résumé is long and deeply impressive. In this episode, we look under the hood at what makes this lifelong creator so consistently inspired and productive. It’s clear that for Wayne, creativit...

Nashville session players set the gold standard in musicianship, and bassist Tim Denbo is no exception. In this episode, Tim unpacks the tools of his trade—from the Nashville Number System to classical notation—and reveals how he brings precision and artistry to every session, whether it's country, pop, or a Hollywood soundtrack. This is a deep dive into Nashville's elite recording world with a wo...

Mo Tedder's co-songwriting sessions are not the norm. Her co-writers are trauma survivors. Mo brings together her professional songwriting and therapy skills to write songs with people healing from trauma. Whether it's a room of two or fifty, she combines the insight of a therapist with the heart of a songwriter to give voice to her co-writers' life experiences. Will the songs win Grammys or top t...

How many cellists can sight-read a Bach suite and invent a pop hook on the spot? Matthew Nelson is that rare musician — classically trained, yet fluent in the Nashville number system. A go-to player for sessions and live work alike, he bridges notation and improvisation with ease. Whether you read dots or numbers, you’ll find deep insight and quiet mastery in this conversation.

Producer, engineer, and artist Michael Estok made the unconventional decision to leave Nashvil for a small town in Ohio, where he rebuilt not only his studio, but his life as a professional creative, as well as father and husband. The results have been impressive and life enriching. The myth "I have to live in a music town to be a serious musician" has never been less true. Michael reveals how com...

Dr. Hector Qirko's life dismantles a persistent myth in music: that if you don't make all your income from music, you're not a real musician. The same could be said for most any creative pursuit. Qirko does not consider himself a musical hobbyist or an amateur. A professional musician since his arrival in the United States decades ago, he has earned the respect of many in the roots, blues, and Ame...

After navigating six record labels and the demanding tour circuit, singer/songwriter/entrepreneur Savannah Conley brings a battle-tested perspective to today's fractured music landscape. Savannah Conley, singer/songwriter/entrepreneur, is reexamining what it means to be an artist in TikTok's bite-sized content economy. Her experience with rigorous touring, being on six record labels, as well as pa...

What if creative success isn’t just about fame or money? What myths keep us from fully embracing our creative potential? Off The Charts explores these questions through conversations with artists, musicians, writers, and other creative voices — as well as reflections from host Lionel Cartwright, a lifelong recording artist, songwriter, composer, and music director. By looking beyond metrics of pop...

Grammy winner and Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Charlie McCoy is one of a small group of musicians that transformed Nashville from the home of the Grand Ole Opry to a global recording hub. His genre transcending discography reads like a Who's Who of American popular music, including epic recordings with Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, George Jones and hundreds more. But Char...

Lolo is Logistics Manager for Post Malone's tour, her husband Dane plays lead guitar for Kane Brown. How do they make 18 years of marriage work with jobs that routinely create distance between them? This episode is full of life hacks, marriage hacks, and insights into how two creative, enterprising people have learned to harmonize their passion for their work and their passion for each other; thei...

Todd Henry became a leading voice for creatives worldwide through bestselling books, a pioneering podcast, and talks to Fortune 500 companies. But first, he had to walk away from his dream of a music career in Nashville. It takes courage to move on from a longstanding passion, to recognize that it might not be the best fit for your unique wiring. But there are usually indicators, as Todd points ou...