Whitefish Songwriter Festival features hit songwriters and rising stars

The Whitefish Songwriter Festival is converging on the streets of downtown Whitefish with six hit songwriters and 20 rising stars for three days and nights. Shows kick off Thursday, Sept. 14, and run through Saturday, Sept. 16.

The festival includes 40 shows in eight restaurants, bars and local businesses.

“Music lovers and fans will bask in the chance to kick back and enjoy songwriting at its best,” says festival producer Cari Klepper. “Whitefish locals are no strangers to great music and the excitement around the festival is over-the-top this year.”

The festival gives the opportunity to hear the inspirations behind the hit songs from the original artists who created the songs, festival organizers say.

Hitmaker and board member James Dean Hicks said the festival brings America’s greatest songwriters to Whitefish.

“These are the true original artists of music who have written the background music of all our lives,” he said. “They will tell the touching and often humorous stories behind their hits.”

Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame inductees, Gretchen Peters, and Even Stevens along with a powerhouse group of hit songwriters, James Dean Hicks, Chuck Cannon, Erin Enderlin, and Rob Crosby will perform their songs and tell the stories behind those songs creating a unique songwriter experience. Collectively, these songwriters have charted more than 50 No. 1 hits and hundreds of Billboard’s Top Ten Hits for performing artists like Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Wynonna Judd, Miley Cyrus, Eddie Rabbitt, Dr. Hook, Kenny Chesney, Reba McIntyre, Alison Krauss, Oak Ridge Boys, Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, The Neville Brothers, Patty Loveless, George Strait, Bryan Adams, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Conway Twitty, Trisha Yearwood, Randy Travis, Shania Twain, Alan Jackson, Luke Bryan, George Jones, Toby Keith and many more.

Grechen Peters’ song “Independence Day,” recorded by Martina McBride, won a CMA Song of the Year award in 1995. She has been nominated for two Grammys (“Independence Day/Martina McBride, “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am”/Patty Loveless), a Golden Globe (“Here I Am”/Bryan Adams), and numerous other awards. Even Stevens has written over 900 songs with Eddie Rabbitt and has 21 No. 1 hits and hundreds of other hits, including “When You’re in Love with the Beautiful Woman,” performed by Dr. Hook; “I Love a Rainy Night,” “Drivin’ My Life Away” and “Step By Step” became pop-crossover smashes in 1980-81. “Suspicions,” co-written by the trio with Randy McCormick, was BMI’s 1980 Country Song of the Year.

“All of these hit songwriters will blow the crowd away with their intriguing stories and incredible talent,” says Klepper. “This is our third festival in Whitefish, and I am confident tickets will sell out.”

In addition to the hit songwriter line-up, 20 rising star songwriters from Montana, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Wyoming, Texas, Missouri, British Columbia, and Alberta will also join the festival. These original artists will perform in the bars, cafes, restaurants, and theaters of downtown Whitefish including the newly opened 101 Central, Great Northern Bar & Grill, Blackstar, Craggy Range, Fleur Bake Shop, The Remington and the O’Shaughnessy Cultural Center.

“Each day we will have multiple shows happening at once,” says Klepper. “With two to three rising star artists performing together to create a unique show, the streets of downtown Whitefish will be exploding with talent.”

The Whitefish Songwriter Festival is a production of the Rocky Mountain Songwriter Festivals, a nonprofit with the mission to support music education in the local community. Since 2016, RMSF has given more than $100,000 to local music education in the Whitefish, Red Lodge and Cody, Wyoming, communities. This festival is presented by Slow Burn Records and is sponsored by local businesses and patrons.

Tickets and more information are available at www.whitefishsongwriterfestival.org. Follow the festival on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Whitefish-Songwriter-Festival-109966693739303 or contact Executive Producer Cari Klepper at cari@chinookevents.com