It was over 30 years ago that Chet Atkins first invited me to his office on Music Row. Being a photojournalist, I quizzed him about where the good stories were. That’s when the idea for my photo essay “Nashville’s Songwriters and Musicians” began. So with Chet’s help, I started meeting and photographing these talented songwriters and musicians in environments that inspired their creativity.

Chet made the first phone call, and the chain reaction began: one songwriter introduced me to another, and their connection carried me to the next. These relationships became the building blocks of my photo essay. Over the next three decades, I documented these talented songwriters and musicians behind the scenes creating their musical art in the great city of Nashville. This special status allowed me to truly get to know, understand and dive deeper into the hearts of my subjects, often photographing them throughout their careers.

In the midst of the glitz and glamour of Nashville, folks tend to forget that it’s all about the song. Songwriters are the origin point for the music we hear on our radios, phones and sound systems. No one has ever captured these talented folks quite this way: “fly on the wall” documentary portraitures.

It was years later, honestly, before I began to understand the scope and impact of this project. As time has passed, the collection has grown into something unique and powerful. The stories these images tell are a fascinating part of America’s rich tradition of songwriters. This project documents and preserves the rise of songwriters and musicians in Music City, U.S.A.