Odie Blackmon

Odie Blackmon is a Grammy nominated songwriter whose compositions have sold more than 20 million albums. Among those songs are the Country Music Association’s 2005 Single of the Year “I May Hate Myself In The Morning” recorded by Lee Ann Womack, “She’ll Leave You With A Smile” which marked George Strait’s fiftieth No. 1 hit, and “Nothing On But the Radio” cut by Gary Allan which also topped the charts at No. 1. Billboard magazine named Blackmon “#1 Hot Country Songwriter” in 2005; he has also received three ASCAP performance awards and three NSAI achievement awards.

Heralded by the New York Times as “one of Nashville’s most respected musicians” as well as a “pioneer,” and described as a “great craftsman” by American Songwriter magazine, Blackmon has dedicated his life to the study of his craft and sharing the knowledge of his journey.

Blackmon released the first songwriting instructional DVD of its kind called The Craft of Writing Hit Songs that Bart Herbison, the Executive Director of NSAI, called a “must have.” He most recently authored his first book titled, Music Theory and The Nashville Number System (for Songwriters and Performers).

Blackmon served as “Artist in Residence” for the America Scores program in St. Louis, Missouri working with inner city school children. He served three years as songwriting faculty for the ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp for people with Williams Syndrome and is he is also a Leadership Music Alumni. Blackmon is also a Lecturer of Music at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music.