by GSC Reporter, Daniel Reifsnyder
Dan Reifsnyder: You have been hosting writer’s nights for a long time! Is this your 30th year doing this?
Debi Champion: This is my 32nd or 33rd year of hosting writer’s nights!
DR: How did you start doing that?
DC: I went out and played my first writer’s night, and the manager of the club offered me a night to do it. First, he had me sub for somebody, then he offered me another night during the week. That was at a place called Bogie’s on West End. Jack Scott, who is also a writer’s night host, was the manager of the club at that time. He was the one that got me to start doing it! I was there about a year and a half…we outgrew the room! Mark Borns was the owner of the club and moved me over to the Broken Spoke Cafe where he was also the owner. So, Jack Scott, Dale Beurie and I started hosting the writer’s nights there. Lee Rascone joined us about a year and a half later. I was at the Broken Spoke for about 7.5 years.
DR: And then you moved to the Commodore?
DC: No, while I was at the Broken Spoke, I was also working at Davis Kidd, a bookstore, on Friday nights for about 5 years. Then I was at the Hall of Fame for a year and a half. After that, I took off for about 8 months looking for a room. I just substitute taught for that time and got away from it for a little bit. Then I found the Commodore. I called the manager there every week for about 8 months. He said, “We’ve tried writer’s nights before, but it doesn’t work.” Finally, he got tired of me bothering him and said “Alright, we’ll try it if you’ll leave me alone!” So, we tried it, and it worked! It was built in one night and went up to 4 nights.
DR: I know I’ve played there, and many others have played there thanks to you. So that is wonderful. People usually come to Nashville with a dream…. what brought you here originally?
DC: Songwriting is what brought me here! I worked in the Ft. Lauderdale area, I lived there. I got tired of doing the lounge thing…we were kind of big fish in that sea, but I wanted something more. But coming here was like starting all over…not knowing anybody and I realized I wasn’t as good as I thought I was.
DR: What do you do outside of hosting rounds?
DC: Well, I have 3 grandkids – 4, 5 and 9! And for fun, I like to kayak…and during the spring and summer I like to garden, and I love baseball!
DR: Do you have a favorite story from hosting rounds?
DC: No, there’s been so many over the years…so many songwriters come through there. I book 20-25 people a night 4 nights a week, and I’ve been doing it for over 30 years! I’ve been at the Commodore for 21 years! There’s so many special moments, watching the writers grow. You see some come to town starting out…some make it, some don’t. But it’s so neat to watch their journey and be a part of that.
DR: What have been some of your biggest successes?
DC: Seeing the journey of writers – where they start, where they end up. That, and my family. I love my family.
DR: That’s a huge success for sure. How have the rounds changed since you started?
DC: Well, there’s a lot of writers! The style of music has changed a lot over the years. The business end of it has changed a lot too. It used to be you’d just write, hang out go somewhere and pitch the song. Now it’s more controlled. It’s a smaller circle of people that are doing things now. Harder to get into doors.
DR: I know that very well. I used to go back and forth to Nashville in the 90s. You used to be able to pick up a phone book, call a publisher, and walk into their office with a song. You can’t do that now.
DC: Yeah, those days are kind of gone. We’ve lost a lot of good venues – that whole scene has changed. A lot of our landmarks have changed too.
DR: Yeah, it feels so much more like a city now.
DC: Everything changes, that’s part of life! But we lost some of the good stuff too. That comes with the change I reckon.
DR: What tips and tools do you most often provide to newcomers?
DC: When a new writer comes in, I right away try to introduce them to some of the writers that are playing that night. I always try to have a featured writer every night with major cuts – that gives writers a chance to meet and hear them. It allows them to learn the do’s and don’ts firsthand. I remember my first writer’s night when I went in to play and not knowing anybody. I just sat there all night not talking to anybody! I want writers to not feel that awkwardness. I want them to feel comfortable. Right off the bat, I try to tell them to keep the songs to about 3 minutes – things publishers are going to tell them. Always tune BEFORE you get on the stage. Always do your best, even if you’ve got a room full of empty chairs. You never know, there might be one person there that can do something for you. Enjoy the journey. Enjoy the day. Enjoy what you’re doing. Don’t cop an attitude, try to learn from every situation. Networking opens your mind to other ideas. There are a lot of advantages to playing writer’s nights. It allows you to see how your songs go over as well as fine-tune your songs. It’s a good way to pick up demo work and be heard. We also have people in the business come in all the time, so you never know who’s going to hear you.
DR: What keeps you going?
DC: I’ve been blessed. I’ve got my family. I love what I do. I never really made it as a writer…I get a few royalties. But I hear such great songwriters, I love that. I try to make the most of every moment and do whatever I can to help. It does my heart good when I see somebody struggle and work hard and make it. There’s one writer who just got his first deal. I’ve watched him through college, and now he’s a professor at MTSU and got a publishing deal! I just love watching people finally achieve their dreams. Some of their dreams turn out different than what they thought they would be – they end up moving back or falling in love. You never know where the journey takes them.
DR: You should write a book! You’ve seen a lot! Do you have any thoughts before we go?
DC: Come play sometime! We’d love to hear you. And I do want to mention Sheree Spoltore…she has a heart of gold. Everything she does with the songwriters, working with them. We met as songwriters and wrote a couple of songs together. We’ve been friends all these years. She’s just very special.
DR: She is the best. A tireless advocate for songwriters!
DC: During Covid, she would donate money to songwriters. We’d pick somebody that would get a membership to GSC…she is very helpful to a lot of people.
DR: She is absolutely one of the best friends a songwriter can have in Nashville.
DC: She is!
DR: Well, thank you for talking with us today!
DC: You’re welcome!
Dan Reifsnyder: Tell us a little bit about yourself!
If you were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to know songwriter JOHN CIRILLO then I know that you too are having difficulty finding the right words to adequately celebrate and honor John’s life, his legacy, and his contribution to our industry and our local songwriting community. His impact is immeasurable.
“Bobby Kropp, my partner in life and love, and I got on this crazy musical journey in Nashville in 2015, and a great piece of advice we got was to write with unsigned young artists. How did our story with rising Sony Provident artist Ben Fuller begin? In 2019, we got a call from our dear friend, Sandy Ramos, saying she had written a song with Ben Fuller, a new writer in town, and asked us to record the demo so she could pitch it. We were so impressed with Ben during that short recording session that we asked if he’d like to come on as a co-writer and write the melody on some song lyrics we had just written. That song was called “Catcher In The Rye.” Ben agreed, and we formed a powerful bond that day. Bobby and I truly believe that God brought Ben to us.
GSC Member Patrick Dodge from New York had an amazing 2021 year via GSC events such as our GSC FOCUS Retreats working with GSC artists and our exclusive POP Event Publishers! Here is his story in his own words.
I first sought out Sheree Spoltore and joined GSC back in 2015 after several years of frustration and desperation from having my songs repeatedly rejected. In my first meetings, I brought Sheree 30 songs and asked her to listen to them, identify my strengths and weaknesses, and chart me a path to become a better songwriter. Since then, it’s been a long and winding road.
John Hemingway recently renewed his GSC membership for a 9th year in a row! John first joined GSC in June of 2013 making him a “Founding GSC Member.” Our members are never “just another number” and really matter! We want to thank John for his loyal and faithful membership, and for including GSC in his songwriting career. 
Dan Reifsnyder: How did you get started in music?
