Every hit song has two lives. The first begins quietly in a Nashville writing room, where an idea is chased across a yellow legal pad, a guitar, or the corner of a coffee‑stained notebook. The second begins when the rest of us hear it on the radio, at a concert, or woven into the soundtrack of our own lives.
The Blue Ridge School Education Foundation’s 20th Annual Nashville Songwriters’ Round offers something increasingly rare: a chance to experience that first life. Returning Saturday, August 22, to the Keller Pavilion at the Boys & Girls Club of the Plateau in Cashiers, the evening takes audiences behind the hit, where the stories are every bit as memorable as the songs themselves.
The format has remained remarkably unchanged over two decades. A handful of Nashville’s most accomplished writers gather in a loose circle, guitars in hand, taking turns performing the songs they’ve written. But the music is only half the attraction. The real show happens between the songs.
One writer recalls the lyric that almost never made the final cut. Another laughs about the title everyone in the room initially dismissed. A longtime collaborator jumps in with a different version of the story, drawing laughter before the guitars come back into play. The audience isn’t simply hearing familiar hits – they’re discovering the wonderfully unpredictable journey those songs traveled before anyone outside Nashville knew they existed.
“It’s always on the fly,” says Ali Moody, vice president of the Blue Ridge School Education Foundation and coordinator of the event. “That’s what makes it so unique and entertaining every year.” These writers have spent decades crossing paths in Nashville writing rooms, and their easy camaraderie transforms the evening into something that feels less like a performance than being welcomed into an ongoing conversation among old friends.
This year’s circle reunites annual favorite Rivers Rutherford with Tim James, Kelley Lovelace and Dave Turnbull. Together, they’ve written songs recorded by Brooks & Dunn, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs and many others.
Perhaps Rivers’ son, Rhys, will wander into the circle. Nothing is tightly scripted, and that’s exactly why no two Songwriters’ Rounds are ever alike. The best moments aren’t planned. They simply happen.
Dinner begins at 6:00 P.M. with a buffet from The Local, along with a silent auction and cash bar, followed by the performance at 7:30 P.M. Every dollar raised benefits Blue Ridge School and Early College students, helping provide classroom resources, educational travel opportunities, and scholarships beyond what public funding alone can provide. Sponsorship opportunities – including Harmony and Spotlight levels – remain available for businesses and individuals wishing to support the event.
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