Just mention Steve Wariner's name and immediately timeless hits such as "All Roads Lead to You," "Holes In the Floor of Heaven" and "Longneck Bottle," his duet with Garth Brooks, come to mind.
Wariner's songs have been cut by Clint Black ("Nothin' But the Taillights), Keith Urban ("Where the Blacktop Ends"), Conway Twitty, Kenny Rogers, Alabama, Statler Brothers and Don Williams. And he's not done yet.
With a career easing up on 40 years, Wariner has written so many songs that he's filled 20 studio albums, the latest being "All Over the Map." The name reflects the swing, rockabilly, jazz and more genres heard on its 12 tracks.
Wariner will play Songbirds on Friday night, April 20. He's well aware his audience will have a mix of fans who want to hear his early classics, those who are coming to hear "All Over the Map," a third group who come just to hear him play guitar and others who want to hear his songwriting. Making a set list that leaves everyone satisfied is "a balancing act," he describes.
Since his Songbirds set will be a solo acoustic show, he says that gives him the flexibility to "stretch out and do a little jazz. Reaching out and doing something new is really appealing to an artist, but the audience is there to hear their favorites. They come to hear 'Kansas City Lights.' And I love doing those," he says.
Wariner says anything can trigger a song idea, and it's not unusual for these inspirations to catch him by surprise
"I was watching a movie last night and a couple of lines came by. I got my phone and jotted them down that's borrowing, not stealing," he jokes. "I wouldn't plagiarize.
"I've actually been in a restaurant - and you can't help but hear the table beside you - and I've heard somebody say something I thought would be a great title and I write it down on a napkin. The trick today is to come up with something that's never been used. That's what great songwriters do. That's why Bill Anderson is still prevalent today; he's had hits from Jim Reeves to Brad Paisley."
As eager as Wariner's fans are to hear him, he's just as excited to play in Songbirds.
"That place is so cool."
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.