Steve Haggard Interview

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The following Steve Haggard interview was conducted by Vince Montgomery,
and appeared in the Winter 1998/99 issue of the Renegade Newsletter.

         You got back from Denmark three days ago, you finished up a production project
         for another artist yesterday afternoon, you did a gig here in town last night, you
         leave for a tour of Germany in two days, you're busy writing songs for your fifth
         CD. How do you find the time to do everything ?

          Steve: Good question ! (Laughs.) Seriously, though, I like keeping busy. And also, being
          involved in a lot of different things makes life more interesting. With playing live, writing,
          recording, producing other acts, working on a lot of overseas stuff, helping to run the record
          label and publishing company, I don't get bored, like I might if I did one thing all the time.

          You mentioned that you help to run the record and publishing companies. I find it
          interesting that a creative guy like yourself -- a very talented singer/songwriter/
          musician -- also knows all about the business side of the music business.

           Steve: Well, I just set out to play music, to sing, to write songs. I never intended to get into
           the business part of it... I always say I learned the business part strictly out of self-defense.
           I think that for any artist or musician, the more you know about how the business works,
           the more you can control your own destiny.

Your company, Wild Oats Records, has been very successful, especially for an indie
label. Why do you think that you've done so well in such a tough industry ?

            Steve: A lot of it has just been hard work and persistence, and taking the time to learn
            how the business really works. I think too many independent artists and labels just never
            really learn the ins-and-outs of the business, They wind up wasting money, making bad
            decisions and getting taken advantage of by some of the shady operators in the business....

            Your current CD, Make Your Move, has done very well. I know that Ed Morris,
            the country music critic for Billboard and the Nashville Scene, called it one of the
            the year's best country CDs.

            Steve: Yeah, that was really helpful, because he's one of the most-respected & well-known
            music journalists. We've also been fortunate in getting Make Your Move licensed both in
            Europe and South America, so we've got foreign labels doing all the manufacturing and
            promotion and distribution.

Steve: Yeah, it's been around five times every year. I've been doing it since 1991. It's great.
I guess I've played in around a dozen countries over there.

You've also been producing other artists, and helping them to get their careers going.
Tell me a little about that.

             Steve: I really like producing. I like going into the studio and helping to bring out the best
             in an artist. And not only musically... I work with them to come up with a good career
             gameplan, to help them actually get their music heard.

Steve: I'll be recording it here in Nashville in the fall.* Like my last couple of CDs,
it'll probably be nine originals and two outside songs. Country, blues, all the usual stuff.

* This interview took place in summer 1998. Steve Haggard began his new CD,
Mysterious Ways, in February. It's scheduled for June 1999 release.