Blaine songwriter creates ode to America

ZOE FRALEY

E-Mail

Text Size:

tool goes here

Sometimes in the world of country music, you've got to leave Nashville to do your best work.

Blaine resident and songwriter Rod Stone, 52, has spent 20 years crafting his song "USA Today," which has been picked up by country singer Lee Greenwood, who's song "God Bless the U.S.A." is an American staple. Together they hope to create the nation's next patriotic anthem.

Stone talks to The Bellingham Herald about trying to make it back to Nashville.

| COURTESY PHOTO - NOT FOR SALE

Question: How long have you been a songwriter?

Answer: I guess I was about 13 when I started, so it's been about 40 years. I got inspired by James Taylor and all of them when they were coming out with their hits.

Q: Tell me about your song, "USA Today."

A: It was after (the) Black Tuesday (stock market crash) in 1987 when I started to work on the song. I just wanted to write something that was patriotic and about loving your country. 'USA Today' had just started publishing, so I thought this would be a great way to tie into that. Everybody was complaining so much about the economy, and ironically that's what's happening now. I wrote the framework of the song and sat on it for four or five years. It's been a work in progress for about 20 years. Now the timing seems right.

Q: How did Lee Greenwood get involved with the song?

A: I approached Lee with the song and went on his Web site and suggested it. His manager sent it to him and he wrote back and said he loved the song and he'd love to do it. I changed it to go along more with what we're going through now in the country. It seems like the big pressing issue today is gas and how much it costs for people to get to work.

We did a lot of back and forth figuring out lyrics, and then he recorded it a few weeks ago. It just debuted on a Southern radio show, and he sang the song Saturday, Aug. 23, on the Grand Ole Opry. He's been doing the song in concert for the past couple months, and he said he's gotten a great response. We're really stoked about this, and it'll open up the doors that have been pretty tightly locked over the years.

Q: What's the spirit behind the song?

A: Philosophically, the thing I love about the song and Lee loves about the song is that it crosses political boundaries and hits at the heart of who we are as the country: that we are one nation under God, and we have liberties that other people can only dream of and they're willing to die for. And we were as well when this country was formed.