One-third country, one-third Bluegrass and one-third gospel. In the past five to 10 years, as country music has changed, I have probably written 50 percent bluegrass, 30 percent gospel, and 20 percent country. According to SESAC (my PRO), I may well be the most successful songwriter to have earned equal recognition from all three genres of music. Butler: Which genre do you enjoy writing the most? And, which have you had the greatest success? Salley: As far as what I enjoy writing the most, I would have to say gospel of any kind – Southern gospel, Bluegrass gospel or Country gospel. If you are measuring success in dollars/income, it appears from all calculations that country music has provided me with the most Butler: Who are your favorites in each category – income. Again, I have been told that I may be the only songwriter, musician and singer? songwriter in Nashville to have had equal success and Salley: My favorite songwriter is Tom T. Hall. Musician all three genres. … that’s a really hard question. Earl Scruggs and Glen Campbell would be tied at the top of my list. I have Butler: What is your favorite song that you wrote? a lot of favorite singers. In the Bluegrass genre, Mac Salley: That is a very difficult question to answer, beWiseman was always one of my favorites. Gene Watcause they are all like your children – and you can’t like son, Mel Street and Merle Haggard are my very favorite one child more than the other. But I will say that “His country singers. (While I was) growing up, Jim Hamill Strength Is Perfect,” (2 Corinthians 12:9) is definitely and Eldridge Fox were two of my favorite gospel singone of my favorite songs I have ever been a part of. ers. Lauren Talley and Sonya Isaacs are two of my very favorite gospel female singers. Butler: What is your favorite song to sing of those Butler: You write country, Bluegrass and gospel music. What is the percentage of your catalog in each of those three categories? Salley: In my overall career, it’s been a very even split.
that you wrote? Salley: I love to sing “The Broken Ones.”
