The Great Lakes Songwriting Contest was formed to honor songwriters in the eight states bordering the Great Lakes  and in Ontario.  Don’t miss this chance to see the 2007 Grand Prize and First  Place winners perform in this showcase.

This year’s performers include Grand Prize Winner Billy King, along with First Place Winner Jordan Keller and Second and Third Place Winner Roger McNaughton.

Billy King was born into a musical family who operate an organic farm near Brooklyn, Michigan. He and his younger brother, Kenny, made a cassette of Elvis cover tunes when Billy was 11, and called it The King Brothers Sing the King. This led to numerous gigs, including the WCBN Bash, the Ann Arbor Art Fairs, and opening for Jonathan Richman at The Ark. He and his brother went on to record four more cassettes of original songs. When Kenny’s voice changed, he went on to pursue other interests, and Billy released his first solo recording, Part of the World. One reviewer described it as “Lindsay Buckingham on a good day.” His second solo recording was You Know Me, and he recently released his third, called Overdue. In addition to his Grand Prize song, “I Don’t Write Love Songs,” he is a finalist for “Can’t Stop The Learning.” He now performs both solo and with his band, the Idylls, throughout southern Michigan.

As soon as he could stretch to reach the sustain pedal, singer/songwriter Jordan Keller plunked out songs on weathered, out of tune upright. Born and raised in a one-stoplight town in a quiet, rural corner of southwestern Michigan, Keller found inspiration in the calm rivers and lakes, the gold-glazed farms, and the wide-blooming skies of his home state. Seeking to share this love of life and nature with whoever was willing to listen, Keller sought to answer the great question, "If you play your own songs in the woods, does anyone hear them?" A self-taught musician, Keller's talents on guitar, piano and banjo are coupled with a Swiss Army knife collection of instruments including harmonica, glockenspiel, accordion, violin, and the occasional wine glass filled with water. Keller fashions his songs in the genres of folk and alt-country, but is always experimenting with other elements that test their conventions. Every melody and texture in his music is carefully thought out to allow the soul of the song to be felt. Since 2006, Keller has been immersed in writing songs for an LP he plans to debut in the autumn/winter of 2008.

Having spent 35 years writing music for commercial broadcast, Roger MacNaughton of Ada, Michigan, turned his full-time attention to the emerging possibilities for independent music last year. Three full-length CDs resulted. His second place winner, “Samba for a Rainy Afternoon,” comes from the jazz-flavored CD Crosstown. Third Place winner “Charlevoix Keepsake,” for piano and cello, comes from the popular/new age-style Winter Canvas CD. According to MacNaughton, “I embrace the age of the indie! Through the Internet and opportunities like the Great Lakes Songwriting Contest, more music is accessible to more people than even before. Spend some time trying the music of these ‘ Great Lakes’ artists. I’m sure you’ll find something great to put in your iPod!”