Except for those who are born into it, nobody knows how to get into the music business. You just figure it out as you go along.West Virginia-reared Dale Dodson started his professional music career as a disc jockey for a small station in Berkeley Springs. But he wanted in on the action so in 1987 he moved to Nashville and got a job performing at Opryland. In his spare time he was playing songs for Music Row veteran Pat Rolfe at ASCAP. Pat got Dale a meeting with SONY/ATV Tree president Donna Hilley, who was so impressed by Dale's knowledge of the Tree song catalog that she suggested that he come on board as a writer on a draw and see if he could meanwhile use his knowledge and ambition to carve out a place for himself on Tree's staff of songpluggers. That was in 1992.He decided to delve into some of the older catalog, where lay the rich gems of writers like Harlan Howard, Hank Cochran, Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and others. "Some of the songs seemed outdated," he recalls, "while others were such major classics first time around that it was hard to do them again." But some of the songs were timeless, and Dale was able to get some impressive cuts on them. Eventually he got into Bill Anderson's old catalog and the results were so good that Bill got excited, re-signed with Tree and has moved into a new phase in his career, writing new songs in a new era -- and hearing them on the radio. Two years after Dale arrived at Tree, in recognition of his efforts, he was put on staff with a salary.Dale has gotten cuts by Tracy Byrd, Mark Chesnutt, George Strait, Wade Hayes, Lee Ann Womack, Sara Evans, Rodney Crowell, Lorrie Morgan, Ty Herndon, Gary Allen -- nearly 90 cuts in all. "Mostly I work with newer writers now," he says, "but every once in a while I go back to the old catalog and bring out a little jewel that has been waiting for attention for many years. You wouldn't believe the great old songs this company has in its catalog."He's been getting cuts as a writer too, with stars like Lee Ann Womack, Chely Wright and Ken Mellons, and he has been moving slowly into the area of production. For those who think you've got to "know somebody" in order to get in, Dale Dodson is living proof that a little knowledge, a little confidence, some guts and an upbeat personality will not only get you through the door, they'll get you right in the middle of the music business.
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