Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Barb Morrison. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Barb thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

i’m in my third decade of being a producer right now and i’m still learning new things every single day. a lotta people think you can take a master class or watch some youtube tutorials and just ‘become’ a producer. ive even seen offers that make me roll my eyes like ‘become a music producer in just 30 days !’ what those short cuts dont instill in you is the ability to have EXPERIENCE. the ONLY way to become any decent kind of a producer is to have the war stories under your belt. when you can chalk up some of the challenges along the way to wins and some of them to losses you know youve earned the right to do this. there is NO speeding up that process at all.
technical ability is only a fraction of it. musical know how is really only a part of it as well.

i know ive done my job correctly when ive helped the artist find their true voice, their true message, their authentic story. communication and listening are probably the most important parts of this job. i think the biggest thing that stands in the way of most producers is not having the ability to let yourself be ‘right sized’. when i say that i mean on one end of the spectrum you know the craft, you know what will make an excellent song that will be received by the most ears & hearts possible and then on the other end of the spectrum you have the humility to allow the song to navigate whats best for the artist, whats best for the session. making music is such a magical experience. we’re assembling vibrations. its an intangible process. so anything less than honoring the spiritual aspect of that would just be a waste of time.

Barb, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

i got into this career by producing music for myself as a teen first and foremost. the next step was producing all my friends bands. a lotta them could only pay me lunch money when i was first starting out but i was just thrilled to really be doing it.

my first big break was composing the score for a movie called “the safety of objects” starring glenn close. i really love working with film score because i get to incorporate all the different types of music i’m into. the next big break was when i worked with the band ‘blondie’ and received my first gold record. me and debbie harry hit it off and she asked me to produce and co write her next solo record. everything took off from there and now i have this career where i get to wake up every morning (well afternoon really) and be super psyched about the day ahead. im always so grateful when artists trust me with their music. i know its a very sensitive thing so holding their vision in my hands is definitely an honor.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

my mission is to help an artist find their truth. there is so much music that is just ‘phoned in’ and i do believe the listener can feel that. we all know when a song has depth and passion to it. we all know that because we feel it in our souls. my goal is to get the artist out of their comfort zone and get them to the real message. we all have our own unique journey while at the same time we can tap into compassion and empathy for each other. fusing those two things together is what drives me.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

i think the biggest lesson i had to unlearn was about how to craft a perfect song. you see these robots with their publishing deals pumping out factory made music over and over. i have too much faith in humanity to believe that people will be fulfilled by that music. for a while i thought i really wanted to be one of those craftspeople.

when the pandemic hit i think it made all of us take a real look inside at what matters most. for me, i started to uncover why i ever made music in the first place. it wasnt to create a perfect hook or a clever bridge in a song. it was to HEAL. music has saved my life ever since i can remember. i know it has saved MANY of our lives. its way too important to do it by a recipe or a prompt. so i had to unlearn the rules about making pop music. i LOVE a great pop song but i love a REAL piece of honest art that HAPPENS to be a pop song even MORE.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.barbmorrisonmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barb__morrison/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/barbmorrison
• Other: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barb_Morrison

Image Credits
photo credits : jaime karpovich josh miller