Son of the late novelist/screenwriter William Harrison (“Rollerball”), Sean Harrison was born in Nashville but spent most of his growing years in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Surrounded by a world of creative writing from his father (an instructor at the University of Arkansas), his father’s literary company and the day-to-day of being on a college campus during the late 1960s, Harrison was destined to put pen to paper to tell stories. Through his travels and calling London, Paris, Florence, Venice, Spain, New York City, Dallas and other places home, Harrison gained experience that he wouldn’t have seen should he have stayed in Fayetteville, the city where he ultimately returned.
Those experiences led him to create his own niche in writing, which then transferred to his songwriting that’s known for his “humorous, quirky and self-mocking tunes about the average guy’s stumbles and struggles through American life.” And the experiences he shared with the people he met in Fayetteville all those years ago still influence his writing today, like in his debut single and title track off his upcoming debut EP “Halfway From Nashville” premiering today exclusively with The Country Note.
“One of my father’s writing/teaching colleagues, the late poet Miller Williams (Lucinda’s dad), published a poetry collection titled Halfway From Hoxie, which I read when I was young,” says Harrison. “Miller was born in Hoxie, Arkansas, and he was middle aged when that book came out. I always liked that clever idea and thought about it in context of my own life history. I was born in Nashville, the country music capital. So while this song isn’t about me, per se, it is about a forlorn middle-aged fellow born in Nashville. None of my songs are truly autobiographical, regardless of the second verse in this tune – the story is being told by the character, not the singer.”
Watch an exclusive Behind the Song interview with Sean Harrison as he tells the story behind his first single release and the title song from the album Halfway From Nashville:
As Harrison explains, “Halfway From Nashville” is a “simple, straight ahead, traditional country style song, with key changes reminiscent of some Johnny Cash songs and others from the 60s and 70s. And of course the song’s chorus references Cash, who as you know was also from Arkansas. Fellow songwriters and musicians might notice the uneven count of measures in the verses. That comes from me believing that with a story song it’s best not to let the music waste the narrative’s time – get on with the story – but I also liked that out-of-balance feeling.”
Check out the exclusive premiere of “Halfway From Nashville” below:
Pre-order or pre-save the album Halfway From Nashville here
For more information on Sean Harrison, visit his website at www.seanharrisonsongs.com and follow him on Facebook.
When I met Sean’s Dad, Bill Harrison in Dallas Texas he was 17 (I was 15) and he was playing a steel guitar and singing around Dallas at parties and events. I joined him in that endeavor. Eventually we married, thus Sean and his two siblings. I tell you this by way of saying that Sean has a writer’s DNA and history for country music as well as other types of American music. Bill went on to become a writer of fiction (Roller Ball and 13 other books)and gave up playing guitar and singing but not before Sean imprinted. I can say,without prejudice, that he is a fine writer of both lyrics and music. He has the writer’s DNA for story telling and the love of chords since he was four years old.
I really enjoyed Halfway from Nashville …I know old Bill would be proud Might not tell you but believe me he would be proud…We all know Merlee is …as am I a long time family friend