Wide Open Spaces… The Journey Of A Hit Song Written by Cari Klepper Photo by Amanda Wilson Photography
Susan Gibson’s story & The Whitefish Songwriter Festival
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Susan Gibson didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to write a hit song - quite the contrary. During Christmas 1992, she was on her first visit home to Amarillo from forestry school at the University of Montana. She’d had a taste of independence by living so far from home. “The first time I found myself back under my parents' roof, it felt like that big old house I grew up in had gotten so much smaller.” So, instead of walking out the door and telling her mom that “she was an adult, and that it was none of her mom’s business as to why she was out until all hours of the night,” Susan sat down in her mom’s kitchen with a notebook and jotted down her thoughts for a song. After she made it back to her dorm room in Missoula, Montana she received a care package from her mom that included the notebook she had mistakenly forgotten at home. Inspired by her mom’s gesture and the thoughts of leaving home, she finished the song. Fast forward six years! Susan is back in Amarillo crooning as the lead singer in a country band, The Groobees. They just recorded an album entitled Wayside which included her homegrown song.
The album was produced by Lloyd Maines, who just happened to be the father of Natalie Maines the new lead singer of the then Dixie Chicks (they changed their name for political reasons in 2020 to simply The Chicks). Lloyd related to the song and felt the sentiment of his own daughter leaving home, and he shared the song with Natalie.
The Groobees
If you’re looking for a career that allows you to impact American culture, touch the hearts and souls of hundreds of millions of people across the globe, and you still want to walk down the street and not be stalked by paparazzi and adoring fans – you may want to consider songwriting. For most songwriters, their songs are far more famous than they are. The bulk of hit songs are not solely written by the performing artist. Many are composed by songwriters who never see the spotlight. But, do not for a second think songwriting is an easy profession. If you want to create a musical masterpiece that will hit No.1 on the Billboard charts, you’re going to need to have incredible talent, unshakable resilience, and all the stars aligned. Or at least that’s how it seems when you hear top hitmakers tell their remarkable stories.
A short time later, The Groobees were performing in a Lubbock bar when in came three beautiful women - it was Natalie's bachelorette party! The three requested Wide Open Spaces by sending a cocktail napkin up to the stage. At the break, The Chicks came up to the band and said that they were