James T. Slater, the Music Row songwriter behind some of country radio's most emotionally charged hits, steps onto the Ford Theater stage at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Saturday for a 45-minute set that blends performance with storytelling. The Songwriter Session runs from noon to 12:45 pm and is included with general museum admission, though attendees need to reserve a separate program ticket ahead of time.
The event takes place inside the museum's facility at 222 Rep. John Lewis Way South in downtown Nashville. According to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, its weekly Songwriter Session series features songwriters sharing stories and answering audience questions.
From Zurich Stages to Nashville's Writing Rooms
Slater's path to Music Row wound through several continents before he ever set foot on 16th Avenue. Born in Durham, North Carolina, and raised in the Panama Canal Zone, he is a bilingual, piano-playing singer-songwriter of British-Bolivian and American descent who graduated from the University of Miami School of Music, according to the Bluebird Cafe. Slater spent six years living and working in Zurich, Switzerland, the venue's biography notes.
Slater is signed to Song Garden/State One. His songs have been recorded by some of the format's biggest names over more than two decades.
A Catalog Built on Family Ballads and Hard Truths
One of Slater's best-known songs is Martina McBride's “In My Daughter's Eyes,” a ballad that earned him both a BMI Country Award and a BMI Pop Award in 2006, as reported by KeysNews.com. The track also picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, crossing over between country and mainstream pop listeners.
But Slater's catalog also runs toward heavier terrain. He co-wrote Jamey Johnson's “High Cost of Living,” which earned a Grammy nomination for Country Song of the Year. Johnson said the song was inspired by a chance encounter with someone on a fishing boat, according to Country Standard Time.
Luke Combs has also recorded songs by Slater.
Radio Hits and Olympic Reach
Slater's songwriting has also found a home with Keith Urban, who recorded “God Whispered Your Name” alongside co-writers Shy Carter, Micah Carter, and Chris August. Urban released the track as his first release of 2020 and performed it on *The Late Show with Stephen Colbert*, according to Taste of Country, which noted Urban publicly praised the song for reflecting his own redemption journey.
Slater also wrote Rascal Flatts' title track “Unstoppable,” which was used during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, per James T. Slater Music.
Trusted by Hall of Fame Legends
Slater's catalog extends beyond radio singles into album cuts recorded by artists already enshrined in the very institution hosting Saturday's performance. His songs have been recorded by Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire and Kenny Chesney, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
That range, from family ballads to songs recorded by some of country's most enduring stars, spans Slater's catalog. For fans who want to hear the stories behind the songs directly from the person who wrote them, the Ford Theater set offers a rare, close-up seat.
