Paul Kennerley Opens the Vault: “Demos 1979-2005”

If you’re a fan of the songwriting process, you’re in for a treat. Prolific British songwriter and longtime Nashville resident Paul Kennerley has released a remarkable double album, Paul Kennerley Demos 1979–2005 — a 30-song collection of the original homemade demos that would go on to become hits for some of country music’s biggest legends. (Listen HERE)

Dedicated to Emmylou Harris—Kennerley’s former wife and creative partner, with whom he shares a 45-year friendship—the project offers a fascinating glimpse into the bones of the songs before they became classics. These are the raw sketches that evolved into recordings by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings (his first Nashville cut), The Judds, Marty Stuart, Glen Campbell, Ray Charles, and more. Several of these songs went on to become No. 1 hits, collectively earning more than 16 million plays and solidifying Kennerley’s place as one of country music’s great craftsmen.

A BMI Songwriter of the Year (1989) with 22 BMI awards to his name, Kennerley describes these demos as “rough and ragged—like an artist’s sketch.” But the charm lies in their authenticity. Listening through, you can hear the spark of what would later light up radio—like the groove that became Marty Stuart’s “Hillbilly Rock,” the acoustic drive behind The Judds’ hits, or the heartfelt storytelling that shaped Patty Loveless’s “The Blue Side of Town.”

The collection even traces the origins of Emmylou Harris’s “Born to Run,” Kennerley’s first single and a song that recently found new life when Miranda Lambert sang it back to him word-for-word in his living room.

Kennerley’s influence remains alive today—Ringo Starr recently performed “Time on My Hands” (co-written with Kennerley, Daniel Tashian, and T-Bone Burnett) at both the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry, a fitting nod to the songwriter who’s called Nashville home since the early ’80s.

With liner notes full of gratitude and a dedication to Harris, Paul Kennerley Demos 1979–2005 isn’t just a collection of songs—it’s a window into decades of Nashville history, told through the honest, soulful sketches of a master storyteller.

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