GRAND PRIZE WINNERS
1. True As Love by James Tristan Redding, Craig Hendricks, Nashville, TN
2. Zipcode by Charles Edmund Carter, Terrell, TX
3. We Need More Santas by Mack Reynolds, Nick Deutsch, Northfield, IL
HM. Forevermore by Wayne Gathright, Austin, TX
 |
| James Tristan Redding and co-writer Craig Hendricks |
James Tristan Redding is a British-American songwriter, author, narrator, and multi-instrumentalist. James has written over a thousand songs, released 12 studio albums, served as a session musician on drums, bass, guitar, and keys for groups in the USA and Europe, and had his songs recorded by Sarah Harralson, Dan Whitehouse, Eli Alger, David Easterling, and Emma Gale, among others.
DSA recently had a chance to interview the Grand Prize winners.
DSA
1. How and when did you become a songwriter?
Craig: I became a songwriter while in high school. I really had no name for it back then, I just wrote. Instead of just poetry, I would develop melodies with the lyrics. I became more focused and intentional years later, and entered a large regional song contest, where I became a finalist.
James: At age 11, I stumbled on a guitar at a neighbor's house. At the time I had nothing else going for me, so it quickly became my main focus in life. Songwriting created the topography in this new landscape, it was like tying knots in the rope I was holding.
DSA
2. Are there any songwriters that influenced your writing? Do you do any co-writing?
Craig: There are quite a few songwriters who have influenced my writing. Steve Wariner's beautiful story songs, and Alan Jacksons honest country I related to personally, Peanutt Montgomery and Jerry Foster also have given me advice and talked about their song writing craft and have certainly affected my writing. I definitely cowrite. It's a great way to move beyond whatever limits a single writer has. It combines the collective experiences, styles, and points of view to hopefully paint a new or deeper picture in a song.
James: I imagine I've been influenced by everything I've ever heard, from songwriters to silence to animals to traffic jams. My first musical influence was Jimi Hendrix who, like me, hated his singing voice. Like him, I sang anyway, because I needed to make music. I've written between 200-300 songs with other writers, and a little over a thousand songs by myself.
DSA
3. What is your writing process, i.e. do you start with a melody or something else? Do you write lyrics?
Craig: I write lyrics and I also compose melodies and music. My lyrics and melody often come at the same time, that is most often how it arrives for me. While I often plan co-writes, I try to keep my process as organic as possible. It is always my intention to “create” a story or idea that promotes interest or connection with listeners.
James: I heard an interview with Willie Nelson, one of the greatest writers I have ever heard. He said no two songs are alike, and they cannot be created the same way. I am forever in need of taking that wisdom more to heart.
DSA
4. How did your DSA song contest winner “True As Love” come about and why do you think it is such a good song?
How did the co-write process work?
Craig: I was attending an event hosted and provided by James Tristan Redding where a group of writers attempts to write 24 songs in 24 consecutive hours at a retreat of sorts. James is a good friend and great writer, so I really wanted a chance to sit down with him, and we did. After tossing around an idea or two, this song materialized. I think this is an excellent song because of its simple specificity and engaging points. The melody is also very pretty and draws the ear. It's detailed, but very simple.
James: We were at a crazy, kamikazee event called The Nashville 24, where songwriters from around the world try to write 24 songs in 24 hours. I had also committed to writing at least one song every day -- I ended up writing 390 songs that year. Some magic happens when I get out of the way, and we were exhausted by the time we sat down to write True As Love. If I hadn't been so tired, I could easily have ruined it.
DSA
5. What advice do you always give to people who want to be songwriters or improve their songwriting?
Craig: Write, write, write. Read and expand vocabulary and point of view, but write honestly. Surround yourself with the best writers you can and listen, learn. Do not lock yourself into one way of thinking. If you get a great hook, write it from different angles, not one and done. And write, write, write!
James: Volume, volume, volume. Start more songs. Finish more songs. Write for other people. Write by yourself. Write with other people. Write to prompts. Write with a timer. Perform every song for as many people as possible. Record everything, even if it's only on cassette or voice memo or whatever else you have handy. Challenge yourself as much and as often as possible, both musically and in any other way you can. There's no finish line, for ourselves or our songs. Each song is done when we stop writing it, but each songwriter is only done when they lower the casket.
1st Runner UP
Runner-up Charles Carter is a songwriter and a comedy writer who has always enjoyed telling stories and cracking jokes. He graduated from LSU with a bachelor’s degree in Forestry. He served in the US Air Force 307th Red Horse Civil Engineering Squadron. He is a multiple song contest winner and has written over 100 songs.
2nd Runner UP
Mack founded and played keyboard for The T-Byrdz, one of Chicago's busier cover bands ("everything from Chuck Berry to Katy Perry") during the 2010s. He wrote occasional quirky songs for the birthdays of friends and family for many years, but committed to writing country music to cope with COVID Cabin Fever during the pandemic. His songs have been honored by the Dallas Songwriters Association, the Songwriters Association of Washington, D.C. and the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). He has studied with Old Town School of Folk Music, NSAI and Steve Seskin.
You can hear Mack's music (MackSongs) on Spotify, Apple Music and various streaming services, as well as SoundCloud.com/macksongs. You can follow him on Instagram (Mack.Songs) and Facebook.
Honorable Mention
Wayne Gathright is a native Texan from Victoria who settled in Austin after college to run a software company and recording studio. He’s performed and written songs in multi-genres and garnered awards from Austin Songwriters, becoming ‘Songwriter of the Year’ in 2019, and he had several ‘Publisher Picks’ in the Texas Songwriter’s Symposiums
He won 2nd place Grand Prize in the 2023 Dallas Songwriters Song Contest. He was a winners in 2024 in Americana, Christian, Country, Pop/Rock and Singer Songwriter categories. This year he’s semifinalist in the Christian, Americana, Country, Pop and Love Songs categories. Here is DSA’s 2023 and 2024 Vern Daily Songwriter of the Year Award and he won 2024 Songbird Song of The Year Award for Anything But This.
Here is the list of the category winners:
Link to Judges Comments: https://dsasongcontest.blogspot.com/p/comments-by-2025-dsa-song-contest-grand.html
CATEGORY WINNERS
YOUNG SONGWRITERS CONTEST
1. Back When We Were Young by Lexi Lee Gamble, Dallas, TX
2. Like Me by Lexi Lee Gamble, Dallas, TX
AMERICANA
1. HOW DO YOU KNOW? By Debra Gussin, Marty Dodson, Los Angeles, CA
2. Thirty Cats by Bob Juch, Oro Valley, AZ
3. The Last Songwriter by Brant Miller, Antioch, TN
HM. True As Love by James Tristan Redding, Craig Hendricks, Nashville, TN
CHRISTIAN/INSPIRATIONAL
1. Rain on Me by Jim Vierra, Manteca, CA
2. Higher by Matthew Stemme, Clayton, NC
3. Spirit of Sound Mind by Katie Smith, Plano, TX
COUNTRY
1. Out Of The Blue by Wanderlust, Glendale, WI
2. The Last Snow In Nashville by Louis Cate, Alexandria, VA
3. Forevermore by Wayne Gathright, Austin, TX
INSTRUMENTAL
1. CHESAPEAKE AUTUMN DAY by Andrew Wolf, Washington, DC
2. Stardust by Twilight by Kendall Yancey, The Colony, TX
3. Escape by Robin Carr, Los Angeles, CA
LOVE SONGS/ EASY LISTENING
1. Then I Found You by Paul Petruccelli, Portland, OR
2. That Man You Imagine by Wayne Gathright, Austin, TX
3. Underneath the Stars by Bob Juch, Oro Valley, AZ
3 You’re A Halo By Debra Gussin, Dale Effren, Los Angeles, CA
NOVELTY/CHILDREN
1. We Need More Santas by Mack Reynolds, Nick Deutsch, Eli Alger. Northfield, IL
2. Zipcode by Charles Edmund Carter, Terrell, TX
3. That Christmas by Mack Reynolds, Northfield, IL
3. Floating On a Ball by Wayne Gathright, Austin, TX
POP/ROCK
1. My Beautiful Calliope by Philip Ipsan, Pompano Beach, FL
2. Remember by Luke Jones, Howrah, TAS, Australia
3. I’ll Never be a Falling Star by Steve Ledford, Garland, TX
SINGER SONGWRITER
1. ONE SMALL STEP by Bobby McCormick, Westchester, PA
2. True As Love by James Tristan Redding, Craig Hendricks, Nashville, TN
3. Cool Jazz by Kendall Yancey, The Colony, TX
HM Come to My Senses by Will Townsley, David Banning, Arlington, TX
Certificates posted on this page: https://dsasongcontest.blogspot.com/p/dsa-2025-song-contest-certificates.html
DSA SONG CONTEST 2025 Awards Program was virtual on Zoom where the winners were announced on Jan 17 - Semifinalists
performed and our judges appeared to give the awards. View the program
on Facebook in the rough. (You can hear all the crew getting started in
the beginning so stay with us to get to the program. https://www.facebook.com/barbara.mcmillen/videos/743101492203012 We plan to edit this for Youtube.
