When songwriter Marianne Allison came in for her segment on 'Live From Monk's Office,' she and I sat and talked for over an hour about everything from doughnuts to Jason Isbell.

We both appreciate good songwriting, singing on stage or talking on the radio with gum in our mouths, and of course, the aforementioned doughnuts! We sat and talked about music for the most part but had sometime to talk about songwriting and how, for Marianne, music and writing are her "comfort zone". Music is her zen garden and the place where she finds her inner peace.

Such a sweet spirit, Marianne's story started when she was a licensed CPA in her hometown of Ocean Springs, MS. When not working she liked to play her baby grand and write songs. That is until the day Hurricane Katrina hit the coast and buried her beloved piano under water. In the days following as her community came together to pick up the pieces and realizing her baby grand was beyond repair, Marianne made the decision to sell her CPA business and head to Nashville.

Since that day, she's gone on to record three records, won Grand Prize in the folk division of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and also won the 2007 Lennon Award, won the 100% Music Songwriting Competition for a song she wrote on her second album, had her song 'Blink Of An Eye' featured in the CW network’s show Life Unexpected for two seasons, among many other accolades!

I'm so glad that I got the opportunity to sit with her, one on one and hear some of what she's most passionate about and now I give that honor to you.

 

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