Sharon Vaughn

Sharon Vaughn, Hero to Songwriters

Currently living in Sweden and managed by London-based Annette Obohm, Sharon Vaughn is a songwriter who truly knows no boundaries. An American who owes some of her early fame to the hit "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys," Vaughn was just nominated for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and is striking gold writing for international pop stars.

You've been nominated for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In a career in which you have already achieved so much, what does the nomination mean to you?
Yes, this is my second nomination and it would mean the world for me to be inducted... Someday. I started my adult professional life in Nashville, which I still believe is the heart of the songwriting world. I learned the craft of writing there by osmosis. Nashville was the beginning of what has turned out to a very interesting journey.

One of your best-known songs, "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys," is a landmark in country music history, having been recorded by both Waylon and Willie and having been used in The Electric Horseman, an iconic movie of its time. What inspired the song? And what are your feelings about the song in the context of your overall career?
Truth is, my heroes HAVE always been cowboys... Roy Rogers being the first love of my life. I was raised on a "ranch" of sorts in Florida and was a little cowgirl. What inspired the song, actually was a dream I had about a guy in a flophouse, muddy cowboy boots on the floor, sleeping on a bare mattress, watching a single light bulb swing from the ceiling... wishing he hadn't "blown it". Don't even have a CLUE as the origin of that dream! HEROES is a story, if I am good at anything in this business, it is telling a story that is believable and that one might be the best... so far!

Nothing about your career seems predictable. You have moved often and are now working on a musical. To what do you owe your adventurous creative spirit?
Well, speaking of unpredictable... I am now living in Stockholm, Sweden! Lock, stock and Border Collie! I (THANKFULLY) have had so much success in the Pop/international market during the last twelve months, that I decided to make the jump and be where all the great Pop tracks are being written, instead of relying on the internet and frequent-flier miles. The people here are so welcoming and I view it as just another ring on the tree... not as "nervy" as some people think.

Your manager is in London and you collaborate with writer/producers all over the world. How important has the world market been to your success?
Anette Obohm has inspired and made this world market success into a reality. The folks at KOBALT, even though at first they thought I had lost my mind, have been very supportive, as well. It is my main focus at this point... except for the Broadway Musicals I am currently working on with Rupert Holmes and Melissa Manchester.(Back to the internet and frequent-flier miles!)

What continues to inspire you the most about songwriting?
I was out walking early one morning last week in a strange, new neighborhood in Stockholm and I said aloud to myself... "What were you thinking?" My answer came back, "How much I LOVE what I do". I never, ever tire of the human adventure. I don't understand "dry spells", never had one. I am much too curious about this life and there is so much to learn and do and talk about. That's what songs are, aren't they? Just another way to talk to each other.

For more info on Sharon Vaughn, contact Annette Obohm at anette@boommusic.co.uk