I'm an Emmy Award winning Songwriter and ACM Song Of The Year Nominee. I've won 16 ASCAP Awards and written with some of the biggest artists in the world, in Country, Pop & Rock. My songs have been at the top of Billboard's #1 singles chart as a Songwriter and as Producer and they've appeared in TV series' more than 500 times.
I moved to Nashville to be a professional songwriter. I was a rock-kid-drummer from Memphis so, it was a pretty ambitious move, to say the least! Long story short, I signed a publishing deal with one of the majors in my 3rd year in Nash and the 1st song I turned in got cut and became a Top15 hit...... I was delivering pizza the first time I heard it on the radio. It was raining btw. I was suddenly learning the music business on a very fast fly
I've written 100%-ers that get cut and even go #1, but I think people look to me for a special lyric most of the time. A&R & Producers have called me, when they just need something different. I look at every write as a new process depending on what the artist/co-writer is used to or needs. I can write to a very specific target or I can improvise in the moment and go stream of consciousness. Either way, a song that's simply good, is never what I'm trying to write.
I like writing in the studio so I can access whatever vibe & sound the artist hears in their head at that moment. We can start building a track or just grab a guitar or sit at the piano. Basically I have no rules about how to write, I just follow the artist. Zoom, is the way to go for remote writes.
A song is just words & melody. At that point is can still be any genre...
I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.
Credits
AllMusic verified credits for Trey Bruce- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Trace Adkins
- Reba McEntire
- Black Stone Cherry
- Lauren Jenkins
- Lauren Jenkins
- Lauren Jenkins
- Lauren Jenkins
- Duff McKagan
- Diamond Rio
- Lauren Jenkins
- Aaron Pritchett
- The Washboard Union
- The Washboard Union
- Randy Travis
- Nashville Cast
- Nashville Cast
- George Canyon
- About a Mile
- Alabama
- Alabama
- Trace Adkins
- Lucy Hale
- Dave Koz
- Trace Adkins
- Alabama
- Chris LeDoux
- ZZ Top
- Chila Lynn
- George Canyon
- Black Stone Cherry
- Black Stone Cherry
- Mindy McCready
- Mindy McCready
- Mindy McCready
- Mindy McCready
- Mindy McCready
- The McClymonts
- Allie Gillis
- One More Girl
- Gloriana
- Gloriana
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Jessie Farrell
- Trace Adkins
- Randy Travis
- Doug Stone
- Duff McKagan
- Duff McKagan's Loaded
- Will Hoge
- Randy Travis
- Crystal Shawanda
- Brittini Black
- Jo Dee Messina
- LeAnn Rimes
- Trisha Yearwood
- Cliff Richard
- Cliff Richard
- Cliff Richard
- Cliff Richard
- Amy-Jayne McCabe
- Neal McCoy
- George Canyon
- Carrie Underwood
- Lester
- Steven Whitson
- Chris Gray
- Danni Leigh
- Russell Walker
- The McClymonts
- Trace Adkins
- Shane Yellowbird
- Lisa Dames
- Shelby Lynne
- Neal McCoy
- Carrie Underwood
- Cliff Richard
- Cliff Richard
- Cliff Richard
- Cliff Richard
- Cliff Richard
- Cliff Richard
- LeAnn Rimes
- Lorrie Morgan
- Aubrey Collins
- Aubrey Collins
- Aubrey Collins
- Aubrey Collins
- Aubrey Collins
- Aubrey Collins
- SHeDAISY
- Randy Travis
- Reina
- Clay Walker
- Mark Wills
- Trace Adkins
- Trace Adkins
- Trace Adkins
- Trace Adkins
- Trace Adkins
- Dusty Drake
- Trace Adkins
- Randy Travis
- Chris LeDoux
- Chris LeDoux
- Aaron Pritchett
- Rebecca Lynn Howard
- Rebecca Lynn Howard
- Rebecca Lynn Howard
- SHeDAISY
- Marie Sisters
- Samantha King
- Ed Bruce
- Randy Travis
- J. Michael Harter
- Trace Adkins
- Trace Adkins
- Trace Adkins
- Trisha Yearwood
- Randy Travis
- Randy Travis
- Diamond Rio
- Jeff Carson
- Billy Hoffman
- Daryle Singletary
- Rebecca Lynn Howard
- Neal McCoy
- Robin Lee
- Robin Lee
- Shelby Lynne
- Lorrie Morgan
- Chris LeDoux
- Lee Roy Parnell
- Julie Reeves
- Trace Adkins
- Lorrie Morgan
- Lila McCann
- Randy Travis
- Jo Dee Messina
- Gary Allan
- Possum Dixon
- Possum Dixon
- Chris LeDoux
- Chris LeDoux
- Randy Travis
- Trace Adkins
- Buffalo Club
- Burnin' Daylight
- Diamond Rio
- Doug Stone
- Daryle Singletary
- Deana Carter
- Trace Adkins
- Michelle Wright
- Randy Travis
- Suzy Bogguss
- Suzy Bogguss
- Buffalo Club
- Mark Wills
- Glen Burtnik
- Reba McEntire
- Doug Stone
- Faith Hill
- Jeff Carson
- Mark Collie
- Marty Stuart
- Lee Roy Parnell
- Lee Roy Parnell
- Perfect Stranger
- Larry Stewart
- Faith Hill
- Randy Travis
- Steve Wariner
- Trisha Yearwood
- Randy Travis
- John Michael Montgomery
- Neal McCoy
- The Fratz
- Shelby Lynne
- The Cat and Owl
- Kirsty Lee Akers
- Sara Storer
- The Darlins
- JJ
- Audra McLaughlin
- Suzy Bogguss
- Suzy Bogguss
- Dianna Corcoran
- The McClymonts
- King's Bullet
- Party Tyme Karaoke
- Party Tyme Karaoke
- Party Tyme Karaoke
- Party Tyme Karaoke
- Party Tyme Karaoke
- Party Tyme Karaoke
- Party Tyme Karaoke
- Party Tyme Karaoke
- Party Tyme Karaoke
- Party Tyme Karaoke
- Party Tyme Karaoke
- Party Tyme Karaoke
- The Washboard Union
- The Washboard Union
- Nu-Blu
- The McClymonts
- Sara Storer
- Sara Storer
- Livy Jeanne
- Me'schell Rigsby
- Camille Harrison
154 Reviews - 30 Repeat Clients
Endorse Trey Bruce- check_circleVerified
Trey knows how to take a decent song and make it a great song. His ear and ability to pull phrases out of the clouds and attach them to a song hook is second to none. Learned so much from him.
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I received very detailed analysis from Trey. He gave me a few options depending on what my plans were with the song. He confirmed some of suspicions of what the song needed and opened my eyes to a new treatment. His recommendations on the production were helpful too and I learned a lot from it. Will use again.
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Trey's a pro, It's no wonder he has all those hits. Trey provided a great melody, great lyrics super easy to work with and delivers a quality song quickly . Thanks so much Trey.
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Trey was a pleasure to work with. I had never written a song before, but he made the process easy and fun. I came in with rough draft lyrics and a very simple melody, and he helped shape that into a song in 3 hours.
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Trey is very professional and talented.
We have been working together for years and will continue to do so.
Every lyric writing session is an enriching experience and the results are always great. - check_circleVerified
Trey was great to work with!
He really help me to improve the lyrics and the melody of my song. As someone who is new to songwriting and the music industry, I really learn a lot from him. I would recommend him to anyone who needs help with songwriting. - check_circleVerified
Such a great experience, I strongly recommend to anyone who wants to grow musically. We connect in Zoom and it works very well, it’s literally like having a session in the same room with a kickass pro that is Trey!
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Really enjoyed working with Trey, he had great ideas and knows a lot about songwriting. Would definitely recommend
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Trey was so helpful and such a professional. This was my first time writing a song and he taught me a lot. He was very positive, kind, and he is so talented. I look forward to working with Trey again.
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Trey is so knowledgeable and talented! Upon our introductory meet, I immediately felt like it was a good match for my project. His personable vibe made our songwriting writing session such a great experience. I look forward to working with Trey in the future!
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Trey was awesome. He gave encouraging, and specific feedback that really helped take the song to the next level. Really appreciate his detailed and thoughtful approach. Highly recommend him!
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I picked Trey to do a "Soundcheck" on a song in its final stages and Trey provided an honest and thorough review and made several suggestions for instrumental additions to an already solid song. I accepted his suggestions and then asked Trey to record the additions for my song. Trey came through in a big way and his additions were the "Nashville Icing" needed to finish off my song. I would highly recommend Trey to help with any part of your songwriting and/or production process. Thanks again!
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I asked Trey to give me his professional opinion on a song I recently completed. He was very thorough in his feedback - providing suggestions on how to arrange the song in a better way, why it might work better to do it that way, and his insights based on years of working in the business. I am glad I asked him to review my song. It was much better as a result. Highly recommend Trey if you are looking to improve your craft.
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Thank you Trey for your honest and very thorough feedback! Even though you liked the song as is, you still suggested many ways the song could be enhanced. I would highly recommend handing your song over to Trey for a review at any stage in the songwriting process for helpful tips and suggestions. You won’t be disappointed! Thanks again!
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Excellent as always!
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Cool dude to work with, grew up listening to some of his songs. Now I had to opportunity to have him write a song of mine? Cool right? I really appreciate your work. Sorry you were sick man. I know that sucks. Hope you are feeling better. Again, thank you so much and god bless. I’ll be in touch
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I really enjoy working with Trey. This is the 7th time I've worked with Trey and every single time I've worked with him I've had an outstanding experience.
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Trey gave me some valuable and encouraging feedback on my song. He had clearly put some thought into his comments and gave me some useful suggestions as to how the song could be improved. His response was prompt and clear, and I would have no hesitation in contacting him again.
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Excellent review - both big picture & small details.
Insightful comments that will help me get better as Songwriter & Arranger.
By my experiences, it’s very difficult to get Fair, Thoughtful, Honest “constructive criticism” - so i value the Feedback Trey provided.
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Trey gave very specific feedback on potential changes that could be made to the song/recording. I appreciate that he anticipated where the song might potentially land with various audiences, radio versus sync placement, alt country versus indie rock, et. al. Good ideas on additional instrumentation and mixing. Overall... pardon my french... Trey est trés bien!
Interview with Trey Bruce
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Left to my own devices, in my studio with no artist to work for, I'm still a rock kid/singer-songwriter. Otherwise, I've trained myself over the years to not have a style when I'm writing or producing an artist. They are the ones making a record and I want to capture their style and then drop a signature on it when it's the right thing to do.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: who: David Bowie. why: ...david bowie. His melodies that are still playing and being repurposed all the time. His vision. I could go on...and on but so much of his artistry is hard to put in words.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Not always, but many times when I'm cutting an artist that plays an instrument well, and it's part of the engine that their voice responds to, I like to have them lay the first instrument with a beat that keeps time but, stays out of the way, so their hands create the groove and not the beat leading the hands. A guitar player's right arm (or left) is connected to the heart, the rhythm of the body and if that gets on tape in a native way, the voice and vocal are completely at home. They have a better chance of always knowing where they are no matter how many things add-on from there.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: It varies widely because all artists aren't alike, even within a particular genre. There's nothing usual about my music days anymore because the styles and genres have all melted and run-in together with less definitive border lines.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Listening to the artist and keeping them as far out on the edge as they'd like to be, without letting them fall.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Lots of experience.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: As always my work process is dictated by the artist of the week or month etc. Some artist just prefer to work simple, with me on piano or acoustic guitar. As we develop the song, I'll put down a rhythm guitar part, quick & simple so it doesn't interrupt the writing. I keep another track open to catch the melodies and lines as they come, even as first versions. If it's radio pop, I may be building and cutting up loops as we brainstorm the direction and desired outcome. This process is not so dependent on the lyric as a entity that can stand on it's own without production. In this case every line is focused as a possible hook, repeat, catchy cadence using vowels and consonants to be the meat of the lyric. Those are 2 of several common processes at the moment.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: My studio set up is simple, it changes every week depending on the type of project I'm working on. I can cut everything live, or nothing live. For about 50% of the country projects, I cut the rhythm section live. As a drummer originally I have that covered. I have an amp iso booth for real amps and guitars etc. For the other half of country records and all pop records, I do it all in the box. I have ProTools, Studio One and Digital Performer, all the software and plugs, libraries etc needed for the wide range of projects that fall under pop and alternative descriptions. For recording vocals and acoustic instruments I have hardware mic chains in front of my DAW: API Mic Pres > API EQs > Distressor Compressors and it to the box from there. I use an array of Neumann, Shure, AKG and AT mics.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: As a songwriter, I'm not specific to a particular genre so my inspirations come from various directions. I'm inspired by Rick Rubin's wide selection of artists' he's produced if just for the vision of variety. I'm inspired by some artists for staying-the-course no matter what, and for others by re-inventing themselves on almost every record.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: The most common work I do with clients is help them understand the difference in writing just another song that's ok at best or, doesn't matter at worst...from writing a really good, possibly great song, that matters.
I was the Songwriter, Producer in this production
- shethearcher, I Can't Let Go
- Pat Buchanan, She's Got Soul
- shethearcher, Hate U Less
- Michael Price, Kissin' In Bars
- Songwriter - LyricAverage price - $250 per song
- Songwriter - MusicAverage price - $250 per song
- ProducerContact for pricing
I can write a song with you or for you. I can do one revision, above that, $50 per. I'll deliver the song as a guitar/voc or piano/voc sung by me. For a pro demo singer, add $200
- ProTools
- DigitalPerformer
- Studio One
- All the plugs & Sound libraries
- Hardware includes API Mic Pres
- API EQs
- API 8200 Summing Mixer
- PreSonus
- Empirical Labs Distressors
- MOTU 828x
- Mics: AKG
- Audio-Technica
- Shure etc
10% discount on first service