Grammy-nominated songwriter and author Sandy Knox knew she would be a songwriter from the age of 11. She fell in love with singing through choir and wrote her first song, “Up Chuck,” with an old guitar in primary school. She fixated on her future and flourished in her craft throughout her songwriting career. 

Knox channeled her admiration for artists like Johnny Mercer, Roger Miller and Rupert Holmes to write platinum hits for legendary artists like Broadway and pop artist Liza Minnelli and country artist Reba McEntire. 

“I was always there to be a songwriter,” Knox said. “Whether I made a living out of it or not, that’s what I was there to do.” 

Knox shared her journey with a panel of songwriting students and Beverly Keel, the dean of the Scott Borchetta College of Media & Entertainment, on Tuesday, Sept. 30, in the new Sandy Knox Lyric Lounge in the Miller Education Center. 

The songwriter agreed to contribute to the Songwriting Center through her Lyric Lounge and advise young artists at the panel after accepting an invitation from her longtime friend Keel. Knox saw the panel as an opportunity to be a resource to aspiring songwriters, something she didn’t have when she was starting her career.

“I’m always interested in supporting young songwriters and people in the music scene, so when Beverly asked me to do it, I said, ‘Of course I’ll do it,’” Knox said. “I didn’t have a class that I could’ve taken, so this is a big deal.”

The afternoon kicked off with donuts and coffee while attendees and MTSU professionals mingled. Keel introduced Knox as a multi-talented “rockstar” who founded “Wrinkled Records,” produced an audiobook musical and more. 

Knox and Keel discussed Knox’s experience in the songwriting industry, followed by an engaging Q&A with students on advice for prospering as a songwriter. 

During the discussion, the two friends mentioned key points, such as Knox’s former connection to Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta and his position as head of promotions at MCA Records, where she worked as a receptionist during her first job in Nashville, Tennessee.  

She and Keel touched on the creation of some of her best singles, including her first hit, which she wrote for Reba McEntire, “Does He Love You.” The pair agreed the song stands the test of time and used it to demonstrate how a song can “stand on its own” and become timeless.

“It’s universal and a lot of people can relate to it,” Knox said with a grin. “[“Does He Love You”] got voted top 100 songs at the Grand Ole Opry as part of the Opry 100 [celebration].”

Though she attributed much of her stardom to Reba McEntire’s single, she also admired the significance of pioneering trends in her career. Knox spoke on writing about the HIV/AIDS crisis in the song “She Thinks His Name Was John” and her recently released audiobook-musical “Weighting: My Life If It Were A Musical.”

Knox and Keel described the project as “a Broadway musical in the form of an audiobook” that spawned after she visited a therapeutic “diet college” or body bootcamp following a bad breakup. While there, she met tons of unique people. After leaving the diet college, she remembered their stories, thought of her own life experiences, and decided to use her theatrical experience to turn them into a live production musical.

Then, COVID-19 struck, and she came up with the idea of the musical becoming an audiobook.

“At that point, I thought, ‘You know what, I can do this. I’m going to write it. I think I’m going to write this as an audiobook that has the songs interwoven through it,’” Knox said. “Come to find out nobody had ever done it before.”

She elaborated on the tricky production of such a unique project, telling students that producers were initially confused about how to approach recording in the studio. She told Keel it really stretched her creativity. 

“Learn about those who went before you, what they struggled with, what they learned and what they had to do,” Knox said.

When asked about guidance on writing songs, Knox told students, “You know when it’s finished,” and to expect to write for various genres. Knox advised students on networking and shared that she established a name for herself by attending writers’ nights and conversing with fellow writers. 

One student’s question drew an emotional response from the songwriter: “What do you define as successful?” 

“There were different levels of success, but the first thing that comes to mind was letting my parents see that all the stuff that I’d been writing and pouring out of my heart, actually [made] other people love and record it,” Knox said.

Today, Knox enjoys speaking on podcasts and serving on various boards, including the Recording Academy, while cultivating another “boosical” about the music industry, with more clarity on the horizon.