LOCAL SONGWRITERS TO PERFORM IN METROPOLIS SHOW

METROPOLIS, Ill. -- Songwriter's nights are a staple of the music scene in Nashville, where every cosmetologist has a dream and a song up her sleeve. Even the city's professional songwriters are out there displaying their wares at places like the Bluebird Cafe.

Metropolis' Dairy Bar and Grill will sponsor its second Songwriter's Night beginning at 7:30 tonight. The evening will offer a mix of local songwriters along with three professionals from Nashville, including Cape Girardeau County native John Ramey.

Ramey is the co-writer of Ty Herndon's current hit "A Man Holding On," and also co-wrote Rick Trevino's "Mary's Just a Plain Jane" and Doug Supernaw's "Daddy Made the Dollars."

Also on hand will be the songwriting team of Mike Geiger and Woody Mullens, who wrote "Adalida" (George Strait), "The City Put the Country Back in Me" (Neal McCoy), "Darlene" (T. Graham Brown) and "This Missin' You Heart of Mine" (Sawyer Brown.)

The local songwriters will include Doug Boyd of Paducah, Ky., Rich Fabec of Vienna, Ill., Jonathan Hickey of Marion, Ill., and Dan Walker of Murray, Ky. All four auditioned for the opportunity to appear.

Emcee Brad Belt says the night is an opportunity for local songwriters to judge an audience's response to their work and also to see how it stacks up against the pros without going all the way to Nashville.

"This is a real logical first step for a songwriter to do this prior to moving down to Nashville," Belt said.

The response both from the audience at the first Songwriter's Night -- about 75 people attended -- and from the songwriter's has been spirited, said Belt, who is the regional coordinator for the Nashville Songwriters Association International.

"We've had a lot of local inquiries ... Most people are pretty far along with their writing and performance. We have had to turn very few people away."

Belt said Nashville songwriters also have been eager to come up to Metropolis, which is only a two-hour drive.

The Dairy Bar and Grill is housed in an old dairy building on Metropolis Street near the Ohio River in Metropolis. The business is leased to Bob and Cheryl Poole and Bill Winters. All three are musicians who present a variety of different musical formats during the week. Wednesday is open mike night.

There is a cover charge for Songwriter's Night.

Most participants in the Songwriter's Night so far have played country music, but Belt says all genres of music are welcome. "At the first show a fellow did Christian music. Another guy did songs with a Chicago blues edge."

Songwriters who don't sing can have someone perform their work on stage and will be spotlighted right alongside.

The bar plans to hold Songwriter's Night on the last Friday of every month. For information about auditioning, phone Belt at (618) 964-1840.