EDITORIA: - There are 1352 guitar pickers in Nashville. That was the figure touted by John Sebastian of the Lovin’ Spoonful back in 1966.  Many men and women have tried to make it in the music business in music cities in the USA.  Some have made it to global success, like Taylor Swift, and many others have had to find something else to do. Some have managed to make a living from music. 

Scott Lindsey is one of those 1352 guitar pickers. He recently co-wrote a song with mega movie star Kevin Costner, and that’s pretty good for anyone in Nashville at any level of the industry. 

Lindsey left Beaver Dan, Kentucky, to attend college in Nashville, where he majored in music and graduated from Middle Tennessee State in 1994. He loved music and loved the town and decided to stay to make it in the music business. That was about 30 years ago, and he’s still playing music. After 30 years, not everyone can say that. There are thousands of homeless people living in Nashville, and a few of them are musicians.

Lindsey was introduced to music by his father, Mike Lindsey, who played many of the Honkytonk venues in Nashville. “My dad heavily influenced me, and I was around Bill Monroe a lot as a kid,” said Lindsey. “Monroe used to hang out at a café in Beaver Dam. One of his relatives owned it, and I would see him there often.” “I would go in there, and he would put some change on the table and say, “I want to buy that boy a bottle of pop.”  “The community of Rosine, Monroe’s home, was only about five miles from my house, and so I grew up around bluegrass music.”

Lindsey plays the guitar, banjo, and mandolin and spent much of his young adult years playing with numerous bands, including the popular Nashvillians. 

Lindsey’s biggest break came in 2009 when he recorded a song on the Slugfest label out of Philadelphia titled “You only call me when you’re drunk.” The song went to number 38 on the country’s top 40 and stayed there for ten weeks. That song opened a lot of doors for me,” exclaimed Lindsey, who said that he became a road warrior for many years, traveling everywhere singing. 

In most recent years, Lindsey has co-written a song with Kevin Costner for the popular television series Yellowstone. The song titled “Won’t Stop Loving You,” was released in September 2020, has been sung on the show, and is also part of the album “Tales From Yellowstone,” which has been very popular. “I do receive royalty checks from that song,” said Lindsey. “I have been pleasantly surprised.” 

Lindsey has some pointers for those who might be planning to move to Nashville to pursue their dreams: “Don’t give up your day job. It’s a tough life.” Lindsey, who earned a degree in music, has taught school for a few years and has substitute taught to make ends meet at different times in his career. 

Lindsey has made his home since 2009 with his wife and three children near Bowling Green, Kentucky, which is not very far north of the city.  I felt like Nashville had become more like Los Angeles. Between 80 to 100 people move to Nashville every day. The metro area of Nashville now has a population of over 2 million people and is growing. 

Lindsey advises new singers to build their social network. “Today, if you are going even to get an appointment with a record label, you will need a minimum of 60,000 followers on your social media platform, and that’s just to get an interview.” Lindsey further pointed out, “It really doesn’t have that much to do with talent this day and time. There are many great singers and musicians who can’t get a record deal. If they have 100,000 people following them on TikTok or Instagram, they will have a better shot of getting an appointment to talk to somebody.”

Lindsey further observed that independent artists aren’t going to be heard on the radio. The only people you hear on the radio are those who are signed by the big corporate labels. The labels and stations are all owned by major corporate conglomerates, and they control who you hear on the radio. 

After many years of hard work, Lindsey has seen some nice success in his career, but he is still working hard every day to achieve that next hit song and once again secure that record label that might help propel him to the next level.   

You can find out more about Scott Lindsey on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.  Look for one of his shows coming soon to a town nearby. 

Glenn Mollette is the author of 13 books, hundreds of nationally syndicated columns, and dozens of recorded songs. Learn more at GlennMollette.com.