Hell has officially frozen over and I’m dodging flying pigs. I can’t believe we’re finally playing a Sarah Buxton song on Froggy 97! It’s about time. 

Sarah (born on 7/3/80) grew up in Lawrence, Kansas, living a carefree and, in her words, “clueless” youth. She told GAC: “It never occurred to me that the songs on the radio that I was obsessed with were actually WRITTEN by someone...a songwriter, a human being.” 

Sarah was bad at sports, but quick to catch on to piano when her Momma bought her lessons. She loved singing and did so publicly for the first time at age twelve, when she joined a children’s choir. In high school, she got brave enough to sing solo, performing Patty Loveless’s “Blame it on Your Heart” in her high school talent show.  

Sarah wrote her first song in her senior year, having discovered the music of Stevie Nicks. Intrigued by the concept of a female writing her own songs about her own life, Sarah began to compose what she describes as poetry “full of angst and confusion.” She actually got to meet Stevie shortly after graduation. The encounter with her hero only added fuel to her burning desire to leave Kansas and chase her dreams.

She enrolled at Belmont College in Nashville, where she and her boyfriend started a Southern Rock band called Stoik Oak. They toured the Southeast for three years. The band eventually broke up due to “creative differences,” but Sarah and the boyfriend stayed together, marrying when she was 22. It was during their so-called honeymoon  (basically, a month spent cruising around in a 16-passenger van with their two dogs) that Sarah had an epiphany. She didn’t love this guy as much as she’d thought she did, and he sorta had a tendency to treat her like crap. I highly recommend that you read the full story in Sarah’s own words on GAC’s website. (The link is provided below.) She has a knack for finding humor in the worst of situations.

After the divorce, Sarah moved into a tiny apartment overlooking the Nashville skyline, wallowing in self-pity. After six months went by, her buddy John Rich stopped in to see if she was doing okay. Over dinner, he gave her a pep talk and tried to convince her that she should shoot for the stars. Still, Sarah was uncertain. Her raspy, girly voice didn’t fit in with what she heard from other top female country acts. John told her that her uniqueness was the very thing that would get her noticed.

Not quite convinced, Sarah nevertheless asked her publisher to set up some songwriting appointments with Music Row tunesmiths. It turned out to be one of the best moves she ever made. Not only did her newfound friends and co-writers accept her funny voice, they churned out a lot of great material.

In 2006, Keith Urban cut one of Sarah’s songs, “Stupid Boy,” for his Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing album. It became a Top 10 hit. Sarah herself first cracked the Top 40 herself with her poignant ballad, “Innocence,” which got to #31. I begged and pleaded our PD to add that one, but I could not persuade him. The follow-up, a chirpy tune called “That Kind of Day” went to #26, and “Space” reached #38. She released an EP, Almost My Record, in 2007.

A new studio album, on Lyric Street Records, is scheduled for sometime in 2010. You can enjoy the first single and video, “Outside My Window,” today.

www.myspace.com/sarahbuxton

www.facebook.com/sarahbuxtonmusic

http://www.gactv.com/gac/ar_az_sarah_buxton

twitter.com/SARAHBUXTON 

Take it Easy, 

Cricket 

Listen to “The Morning Splash” with me & James Pond, weekday mornings on Froggy 97! (97.5 FM). We also stream live at www.froggy97.com.