Winners

2006 Great Lakes Songwritng Contest Header Graphic

Congratulations to the Winners
of
The Sixth Annual
Great Lakes Songwriting Contest

Grand Prize Winner

"From His Window"
- by Johnsmith - Trempealeau, Wisconsin

John's music and presentation have been compared to David Wilcox and James Taylor. While he writes most of his music, he has also collaborated with great writers such as Pierce Pettis, Tom Kimmel, and Buddy Mondlock. For the past twenty-plus years Johnsmith has been sharing his music with audiences all across the United States and abroad. He has become a favorite at festivals, coffee houses, colleges, and house concerts alike. In addition to being a Kerrville New Folk Winner, Johnsmith has released six solo CDs to rave reviews from trade publications such as Dirty Linen, Performing Songwriter, and Sing Out! magazines. John also leads small groups to Ireland, taking in gorgeous scenery by day and sharing music nightly in local pubs with the Irish. And he teaches an annual five day workshop at theEsalen Institute in Northern California.

His song, "Kickin' This Stone," was also included in the "Director's Cuts" section of this year's contest. (See below on this webpage.)

Learn more about John at www.JohnsmithMusic.com

First Place Winner

"Switch Hit Resistor "

by Woodward - Northville, Michigan

"No Place for a Lullabye "

by Julianne - Port Huron, Michigan

Woodward has jolted the Detroit music scene with a powerful mix of vintage guitar tones, hook-heavy synth lines, and creative four-part harmonies that have fans across the globe charmed by their smart songwriting and powerful drive. The band’s continued mission to expose their fresh sound to more and more music lovers has kept them busy. With the release of their new EP, Switch Hit Resistor, as well as their debut music video, set to air at Christmas 2009, Woodward is out showcasing their electrifying live shows across the country with a national tour. With a reverence for musical styles and cult-classical artistic themes that have defined a generation, the band reminds its audience of where rock has been, while quite seriously challenging where it might go. As one reviewer put it, “ Woodward stands for the type of rock n’ roll that has been missing from the popular scene since Grunge exploded out of Seattle almost twenty years ago.”

Woodward also received an honorable mention for "Love Heart."

More at www.WoodwardTheBand.com

Growing up on a large cattle farm and riding her horses in the rural thumb area of Michigan, Julianne was raised on country music. Her winning song is featured on her first solo CD, It Ain’t Over, and is the subject of a video directed by Stephen Clark from WXYZ-TV in Detroit. “Whiskey on my Breath” was a winner in last year’s Great Lakes Songwriting Contest. Nominated three years running as Outstanding Country Vocalist for the Detroit Music Awards, Julianne’s songwriting has been recognized with a 2009 DMA nomination for Outstanding Country Songwriter as well. Julianne has opened for John Michael Montgomery at the DTE Music Theatre in Detroit, Victoria Banks at the famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, as well as Whitney Duncan, Phil Vassar, and the McClymonts. During her five years as the lead singer of the Detroit country group REDHILL, Julianne helped the group garner numerous Detroit Music Award nominations, including the group winning the 2007 DMA for Outstanding Country Recording. She has shared the concert stage with over 50 national artists including Willie Nelson, Trisha Yearwood, Gretchen Wilson, Charlie Daniels, Clay Walker, Kelly Pickler, Eric Church, Rodney Akens, Joe Diffie, and Billy Ray Cyrus. For more information, go to www.JulianneMusic.net

Second Place Winner

"Benny Brown "

by Terry Penney

- Lewisporte, Newfoundland, Canada

"Bring Down the Rain "

by Michael Slack

- Palo Alto, California

Growing up, his tastes were always a little different - he was more interested in Audie Murphy than Eddie Murphy and was drawn to his parents' old records of Buddy Holly, Elvis, and the “American Graffiti” soundtrack. Singer/songwriter Terry Penney is an engaging storyteller with a social conscience, an insightful perspective and a nostalgic yearning for days gone by. He writes with such vivid imagery that his songs have been likened to 3-minute movies. His stories 'put you there' and give a voice to those who cannot tell their stories. The winning song, "Benny Brown," is a true story about WWI veteran Bertram Brown who left "cattle field for battlefield to go fight for the crown" and died at the battle of the Somme. This song is from his fourth critically acclaimed independent album, Town That Time Forgot, which recently garnered the coveted MusicNL SOCAN Songwriter of the Year award for 2009. Learn more at http://www.myspace.com/terrypenney

Michael Slack writes songs for virtually every genre - country, Broadway, holiday, children’s, comic, jazz. You-name-it, he-writes-it, because he loves it all. An educator as well as writer and performer, he and his ensemble present cabaret throughout the country showcasing the rich panorama of American music from 1900 to today. Like his songs, Michael sings the gamut of the great pop composers from yesterday’s Tin Pan Alley to today’s Broadway. He says his winning song “gets at the root of why we folks can't get along with each other.”

Second Place Winner

"Tennessee Winds "

by Roger Kaye

- Glens Falls, New York

"Gifts are Made for Giving"

by Dennis G. Donoho

- Ann Arbor, Michigan

Roger is a 56-year-old, self-employed inventor living in the Lake George area of northern New York state. Though he’s played guitar since the age of 8, he didn’t take up songwriting until 5 years ago. With only 17 songs written, he says “My body of work isn't extensive, but I try to make each song unique and special in some way, while keeping them commercial. … At 56, I am becoming more aware of each second and how I spend them is important. I want my listeners to feel that they are richer for having spent the time to listen. I know they'll never get that time back.” He is a signed writer with the Nashville music company Sharp Objects, in Nashville, and has been receiving worldwide airplay for many of his tunes. In April 2009, his song "Don't fall in love without me" was #16 in Austria and #14 in Sweden. Two of Roger’s songs, “Embers, Smoke and Fire” and “Restless Leg Syndrome” received honorable mentions in this year’s contest. More at myspace.com/rogerkayesmusic

If you recognize this artist, but not in the realm of music, you are right. He is a dentist at Washtenaw Dental Associates. This Ann Arbor-based singer/songwriter/dentist recently started writing songs again and performing as his schedule allows, after a twenty year hiatus. He originally wrote "Gifts Are Made For Giving," for his daughter's wedding. It was truly an expression of his love for her. He recently returned from a recording session in Nashville where he is currently working on his first album, Family Ties, which will include the winning song. Dennis has performed at The Ark in Ann Arbor, the Commodore in Nashville ,and regularly at Pine View Church in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Please visit myspace.com/denndono.

Third Place Winner

"Let It Burn"

by Bruce Holmes - Chicago, Illinois

"Country Music Spoken Here"

by Martin Gibson - Camden, Maine

Bruce Holmes has spent most of his life teaching. He’s taught everything from Aikido to the Feldenkrais Method to folk dancing to juggling to chess. He’s the author of Anvil of the Heart, a science fiction novel that made the Locus recommended reading list for 1984. His first CD, Life’s An Intelligence Test, has been adopted for airplay by over 200 radio stations. (Radio Teutoburger Wald in Germany called it “a masterpiece of acoustic music.”) Half the songs from the CD have been honored in some way, including a 2nd Place and 3rd Place in the 2006 Great Lakes Songwriting Contest. In 2007 he was selected as one of five Finalists in the Texas Songwriters’ Serenade. In 2008 he won the annual Talent Show at the Coffee House in Milwaukee. Regarding his second CD, The Old King's Reel, Freddy Celis of Rootstime commented, “Bruce has delivered a beautiful CD with great songs and beautiful music. He has a wonderful voice and plays several instruments.” Both CDs made the folk charts. Learn more at www.BruceHolmes.com

Martin Gibson has been writing and performing music as long as he can remember. He was rescued from a near pointless childhood filled with Lawrence Welk accordion and color glo organ music by his grandfather, who gave him his first guitar. He has since written over 100 solo pieces for acoustic and electric guitar, in pretty much every style but Goth metal and easy listening. He’s also written a musical, and was a finalist in the John Lennon, Nashville Songwriters Association International, and Kerrville New Folk contests. That encouragement had the inevitable effect of prompting more writing, more songs, a novella, a novel, and a screenplay. He’s performed over 1,000 concerts and guitar and songwriting workshops throughout the United States, and has opened for Buckwheat Zydeco, Bela Fleck, Leo Kottke, and Jake Shimabukuro. Gibson has recorded two CDs, with two more in the works. His CD, "Guitarville," featured eleven original multi-style guitar solos, each played on a different vintage/unique instrument. “I've always subscribed to the belief that music and songwriting picks you, and then it is your responsibility not to abuse the gift by thinking that it is any more or less than what it is." He says he still considers his wastebasket his most trusted co- writer. His website is www.martin-gibson.net

Third Place Winner

"If This Ain't Love
(It's Sure Got Lonely Beat) "

by Karl Williams - Tuckhannock, Pennsylvania

"Utah"

by Ralston - Grand Rapids, Michigan

Karl Williams spent most of the 1970s working with kids with intellectual disabilities. Early in the 1980s he started writing and performing original material. Critic Ken Tucker, now of Entertainment Weekly and public radio’s Fresh Air, called his songs “first-rate compositions … (sung) in a warm, sexy, wry tone … that has felt the influence of everyone from Hank Snow to John Sebastian." Then in the late 1990s, Williams brought his music and his work from the 1970s together when he produced and recorded a group of songs with members of the national group Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE). The resulting CD found a place on the Grammy ballot in 1998. ASCAP has given Karl several awards for his work with self-advocacy, the civil rights movement of people with intellectual disabilities. In 2000, radio stations around the world picked up Karl’s “To the New Century,” a hard-edged anthem featuring toasts in 17 languages. The story of the song’s travels appeared in Bruce Pollack’s book “Working Musicians.” Karl Williams' songs have aired on NBC and FOX TV, as well as being used in videos and on websites; his stories, poems, and reviews have been published in magazines and books and online; and his plays and stories have been presented on stage. Karl’s winning song, co-written with Robert C. Welsh, was recorded in Nashville by Jack Harris at Lost Highway Studio, with Doc Randolf (vocals), Robin Ruddy (pedal steel); and Joe Spivey (fiddle). Learn more at www.karlwilliams.com.

Ralston Bowles’s father played the fiddle, guitar and banjo in the Appalachia hills before he moved to Gary, Indiana, to work the steel mills. Ralston's first professional job was at the age of 16 when he was asked to make up one of his story songs for a neighborhood party. After graduation he found himself playing in clubs and coffeehouses throughout the Midwest, making up songs about the people and places he visited. His songs have been performed and recorded by Caroline Aiken, Peter Mulvey, Amy Speace, Betty Soo and Rachael Davis. He has received awards from American Songwriter Magazine, NSAI/CMT, Unisong and the International Song Competition, among many others. As a Kerrville New Folk finalist, he even found himself opening for such artists as Shawn Colvin, T-Bone Burnett and Arlo Guthrie. His first recording, Carwreck Conversations, was produced with Marvin Etzoni and earned him triple Jammy Awards locally and recognition as best musician in West Michigan by Grand Rapids magazine. It also led him to his first commercial release through Judy Collins’ Wildflower Records. He has become a bi-annual favorite at Boston's Club Passim. Learn more at www.ralstonbowles.com

Directors' Cuts

Here are the contest director's top 20, in consultation with his team. Several of these got high marks from the judges, but just missed the winners' category by a few points.

...... Listed alphabetically by songwriter's last name or group name.(n(In alphabetical order
by songwriter's last name or group name) alphabetical order

C. Daniel Boling – “Katie’s Garden” – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Allister Bradley – “If Ever I Cried” – Kitchener, Ontario, Canada - link

Matthew Grimm & the Red Smear – “Cry” – Iowa City, Iowa

Pete Hawkes – “In the Labyrinth of Lady Laura” – Melbourne, Australia -link

John Jeffrey Hodges – “Learn for Yourself” – Grosse Pointe, Michigan - link

Johnsmith – “Kickin’ This Stone” – Trempealeau, Wisconsin - link

Kaydi Johnson – “Eddie” – Andes, New York - link

Vicky Jones – “Favourite Mistake”– Stanford-Le-Hope, Essex, England - link

Vicky Jones – “Save You”– Stanford-Le-Hope, Essex, England - link

July For Kings – “Float Away” – Cincinnati, Ohio

Robyn Landis – “ Lowlands” – Vashon, Washington - link

Marla Lewis – “We All Laugh in the Same Language” – Wantagh, New York

Brett Mitchell – “Born Too Late” – Midland, Michigan - link

The Northern Skies – “ Mission Accomplished” – Comstock Park, Michigan

REDHILL – “Tellin’ All Your Lies Goodbye” – Livonia, Michigan

Lanny Sherwin – “This is Not a Guitar” – Santa Barbara, California

Bruce Smith – “Snow Shovel Boogie Blues” – Boyne Falls, Michigan

David Strahan – “Beholden” – St. Paul, Minnesota - link

The Sweet Remains – “Moving in Slow Motion” – Burlington, Vermont

Michal Urbaniak – “Manhattan Man” – New York City

Honorable Mentions

(Listed alphabetically by songwriter's last name or group name.()

- A B C -

Glen Alan – “Sun’s Up” – Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Band Called Catch – “For the Sake of it” – Chicago, Illinois - link

Karen Benedetto – “What Do I Do Now (Without You)?” – New York City

Laura Bird – “Water’s Edge” – Orangeville, Ontario, Canada - link

Ruth & Max Bloomquist – “Bathe Me in the Water” – Muskegon, Michigan

Broken Chains – “In the Shadow of the Cross” – Zeeland, Michigan

Brooke Campbell – “Stretched Toward You” – Whiteville, North Carolina - link

Cellbound – “Fallen Angels of Sui Caedere” – North Royalton, Ohio

Sarah Crews – “Lifeline” – Harpenden, Heresford, England

Mark Croft – “The Edge of the City” – Madison, Wisconsin

- D E F -

The deVillebillies – “Truck Drivin’ Woman” – Poynette, Wisconsin

Matthew de Zoete – “Pictures on the Wall” – Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Dead Scene Radio – “Don’t You Know” – Kalamazoo, Michigan - link

Garrison Doles – “The Osprey Circles” – Orlando, Florida - link

Barbara Lynn Doran & Murray Daigle – “How Many Times” – Brooklin, Ontario, Canada

Simon Fagan – “Never Really Cried” – Dublin, Ireland - link

Miche Fambro – “My Rose” – Geneseo, New York - link

far beyond frail – “After So Many Lovers” – Kansas City, Missouri - link

David Francey – “The Waking Hour” – Toronto, Ontario, Canada

-G H I -

Mark Wayne Glasmire – “Missing You” – Arlington, Texas

Linda Greseth – “The Song of the Whipporwill” – Alexandria, Minnesota

Tom Hammond – “Another Man” – New York City

Robby Hecht – “Freight Train Lady” – Nashville, Tennessee - link

Emily Hurd – “The Likes of You” – Denver, Colorado

Judy Insley – “Last Watch” – Waterford, Michigan

- J K L -

Jaffa Road – “LYG (Lo Yisa Goy)” – Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

Tucker Jameson– “Cold Winter Night” – Weston, Connecticut - link

Lois Johnston – “Antiques: Sold Here!” – Vestaburg, Michigan

Vicky Jones – “Every Time I Fall Apart” – Stanford-Le-Hope, Essex, England - link

Kara Kaufmann – “Hammock” – Ann Arbor, Michigan

Robyn Kay – “Make me a Song” – Toronto, Ontario, Canada - link

Roger Kaye – “Embers, Smoke and Fire” – Glens Falls, New York - link

Roger Kaye – “Restless Leg Syndrome” – Glens Falls, New York - link

Jim Koz – “On the Run” – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Stephen Adrian Lawrance & Misty Lee Tassone – “Two Steps and Tangos”

– Stouffville, Ontario, Canada

Larry Levin – “Vista” – Woodridge, Illinois

- M N O P -

Alise Marlane – “The Grain of You” – Wakefield, Quebec, Canada

Greg Martin – “Small Town Blues” – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Chuck McCabe – “Partisan Polka” – Los Gatos, California

Beth McDonald – “Longer” – Church Hill, Maryland - link

Kim McMechan – “Calgary” – Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada - link

MINDWALK BLVD – “Crimson Street” – Boston, Massachusetts - link

Misty Lyn & The Big Beautiful – “The Fall” – Ann Arbor, Michigan

Dave Murphy & the Dave Murphy Project – “Chesapeake” – Brooklyn, New York

Tom Neilson – “Annie Dunn” – Greenfield, Massachusetts

Kristel Niemi – “Shining Shores” – Vineland, Ontario, Canada - link

Glenn Pattison – “Walk in My Shoes” – Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Ondrej Pivec – “Turkish Coffee” – New York City

- Q R S –

REDHILL – “Drink You Away” – Livonia, Michigan

Jeffrey Reid – “Too Much for Gas” – Lake Orion, Michigan

Hillary Reynolds – “Where Love Began to Grow” – Appleton, Wisconsin

John Rinn – “Leather Suit of Hatred” – Dearborn Heights, Michigan

Jillian Roland – “Fervent Machines” – Racine, Wisconsin

Leejay Rudenjak – “Where the Ghost Locomotives Go” – New Haven, Connecticut - link

Andrew Salgado – “Same Time, Next Life” – Darien, Illinois

Jan Seides – “Sarah Laughed” – Austin, Texas

Lanny Sherwin – “Stinky Feet” – Santa Barbara, California

Bruce Smith – “They Don’t Make Cars in De-troit Anymore” – Boyne Falls, Michigan

Emilee Smith – “With You in Mind” – Smyrna, New York

Michael Snell – “The Next Time Around” – Whitehall, Michigan - link

Mark Stepakoff – “When Vernon Moved from Tupelo” – Wellesley, Massachusetts

David Strahan – “Picture of Me” – St. Paul, Minnesota

The Sweet Remains – “Moving in Slow Motion” – Burlington, Vermont

Mischa Suemnig & Mighty Fairly – “Live for Love” – Minneapolis, Minnesota - link

- T U V W X Y Z –

Rob Taube & Mary Beth Stone – “Give Him All My Love” – New York City

Steve Wacker – “The Ghost of Beauty’s Perfume” – Seattle, Washington

Reed Waddle – “The Beast Within” – Boston, Massachusetts

The Waystation – “Something About You” – Nyon, Switzerland

Judith Weikle – “The Old Man of Sule Skerry” – Jackson, Wyoming - link

Chris Wolf – “Spotless” – Mooresville, Indiana

Steve Womack – “Talking About Her” – Doncaster, England

Woodward – “Love Heart” – Northville, Michigan

Jeanne Zano – “8 Years of Life”Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania - link

Rachel Zylstra – “Place Time” – New York City - link