MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Grammy-nominated songwriter Sandy Knox brought her blend of humor, honesty, and hard-won wisdom to Middle Tennessee State University on Tuesday, Sept. 30, when she participated in a Q&A session in her namesake Sandy Knox Lyric Lounge in the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment Songwriting Center.

Dean Beverly Keel led the session to a packed room spilling into the hallway of aspiring songwriters. Students listened as Knox shared stories from her celebrated career and offered advice on navigating the songwriting business.

Best known for her hits recorded by Reba McEntire, including “Does He Love You” and “She Thinks His Name Was John,” Knox has built a decades-long career in Nashville.

She is also the founder of Wrinkled Records and recently released a groundbreaking new project: an audiobook musical titled “Weighting: My Life If It Were a Musical.” The semi-autobiographical production, 20 years in the making, weaves her personal journey with original songs.

“I announced to my parents at 11 years old that I was going to be a songwriter,” Knox told students. “From then on, I studied songs. I wanted to know why writers chose one word over another. That curiosity has never left me.”

The Texas native moved to Nashville as a young adult, taking her first job as a receptionist at MCA Records before signing her first publishing deal. She spoke candidly about her setbacks and turning points — from working as a receptionist at a pet food company between publishing contracts to securing a long-running deal with Bluewater Music.

Asked how she knows when a song is finished, Knox replied simply, “You just know when you know.”

She emphasized that editing is constant, even outside the writing room.

“If I’m working on a song, I’m thinking about it all the time — while I’m driving, washing dishes, the song is always on my mind. The longer you write, the more instinctive the editing becomes.”

Students peppered Knox with questions about self-doubt, collaboration and writing across genres.

She encouraged them to approach every co-write with humor and trust.

“It’s like a marriage,” she said. “You have to love your co-writer and be comfortable enough to share your life experiences. Sometimes the best hooks come out of just talking.”

Knox also spoke about the challenges of writing “She Thinks His Name Was John,” one of the first major country songs to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

“It was a tough subject to talk about at the time, and the song had a tough ending. I never thought it would go as far as it did,” she said, noting how grateful she was that the song helped open conversations at a difficult time.

Throughout the discussion, Knox urged students to study the craft deeply — not just by writing, but by reading and learning from those who came before.

She cited Johnny Mercer, Roger Miller and Rupert Holmes among her influences and praised the importance of turning personal experiences into universal themes that could relate to a broad audience.

When asked when she knew she had made it, Knox grew emotional.

“Letting my parents see that the words pouring out of my heart were recorded and my words meant something to people, that’s success to me,” she said.

Knox closed by encouraging students to embrace their own stories and not shy away from vulnerability. Her project, “Weighting: My Life If It Were a Musical” — the first-ever audiobook musical — stands as proof of that philosophy.

“My advice to future songwriters is to write what you know,” Knox said. “Study the writers who came before you, follow your dreams, and don’t be afraid to try things that are new and different.”

— Stacey Tadlock (Stacey.Tadlock@mtsu.edu)