We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eddie Cunningham a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Eddie , appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Hello, Everyone and thanks to Canvas Rebel for reaching out to me for my story Dan Goodman I appreciate you and it’s always good to get the word out as much as you can especially in the field of music, where word of mouth is a key part of brand building and to help promote music and performances while letting a fan base know more about you updating them with cool new projects in the works and also making new friends and fans.

I have just finished a song with Bob Monroe that I’m very blown away by it’s called “Wishes Road”.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a singer songwriter, performer and producer. I’m in Tennessee working on my music, performing and writing a lot and not just in town but, I zoom write on the computer and I actually like that a lot. I’d love to a share new song with you called Wishes Road.

Here is an excellent article written by Carole Roth.

WISHES ROAD “If a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark.” St. John of the Cross
Ask anyone who has journeyed through a dark night of the soul – be it a life threatening illness, the crushing loss of a loved one, a shocking act of violence or an unforeseen extreme material loss – and you will hear it described as anything from devastating to transformational depending on the outcome, the presence of meaningful support and the life lessons learned along the way.

Such a journey can also be the inspiration for a deeply moving and beautiful song. WISHES ROAD, with lyrics by Eddie Leroy Cunningham, music, vocals and video by Bob Monroe and produced by Ronny Jones, was inspired by the journey of singer/songwriter Justin Bowman.

Raised on a farm in Middle Tennessee, Bowman fell ill in 2003 and was diagnosed with kidney failure. Dialysis kept him alive until he received the exceedingly rare gift of a perfectly matched kidney transplant. Deeply immersed in music and spirituality, Bowman dreamed of only one thing if he could survive his illness – a fully equipped home studio where he could write and record his songs. He was determined that pouring out his emotions in music would be his avenue of healing.
While he was being kept alive on dialysis, his mother submitted an application in his name to The Make-a-Wish Foundation. At age 18, he was selected to receive his wish and was given everything he needed to create his own home studio. Now 36 years old and an established Middle Tennessee singer/songwriter and musician, Bowman says, “Music is the blessing that saved my life and kept me going. I find no greater joy than creating something new that I can stand up on stage and share with the world. I don’t know if I would be alive today without the magic of music and its power of healing and perseverance.”

One night when he was performing at Hank’s Honky Tonk in Murfreesboro, Bowman met the prolific and highly awarded singer/songwriter and recording artist Eddie Leroy Cunningham. After they finished their sets, they sat together and talked. Cunningham was so moved by Bowman’s story that he went home and wrote the deeply emotional lyrics to WISHES ROAD.

Cunningham sent the lyrics to his new writing partner, the compellingly gifted Bob Monroe. Monroe wrote the music, sang the vocals and together with producer Ronny Jones created a video of their song WISHES ROAD that artfully expresses the powerful themes of faith, endurance and survival with moving visual imagery and a transcript of the lyrics.

Both highly accomplished singer/songwriters and recording artists, Cunningham and Monroe are well on their way to becoming deeply attuned collaborators, co-writing 15 songs in the past year including LIVING IN THE DAYS OF THE LAST HONKY TONK, CLOSE TO MIDNIGHT with Mark Harris, SOMEBODY LIKE YOU and I THINK HER TWANG IS SEXY.

“It’s fun writing with Bob,” says Cunningham, who has written with many great country and Americana artists. “I send him words and he does beautiful music. He did a fabulous job vocally interpreting the lyrics and wrote the music with matching passion. The video is beautiful and visually healing as well. When we shared it with Justin, it moved him to tears. This story really needs to be a movie.”

Cunningham’s remarkable talent has long kept him on a winning path. After winning The Jim Beam Country Band Search at The Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville and being named “The Best Unsigned Country Artist in America,” he won “Best Gospel” at The Independent Music Awards for JESUS IS MORE THAN A NAME, one of two songs he had featured on THE LAST WHIPPOORWILL, the three time Grammy nominated GRAM PARSONS NOTEBOOK tribute album that topped Americana charts both nationally and internationally. A Los Angeles and San Diego native now based full time in Nashville, he was awarded “Songwriter of the Year” and “Male Vocalist of the Year” by The C.C.M.A. (The California Country Music Association).

A long and diverse list of respected artists have recorded Cunningham’s songs including Ben E. King, Moe Bandy, Chris Darrow, John Ford Coley, Dale Watson, Aireene Espiritu with The Bum Steers, Mark Insley, Todd Fritsch, Paul Marshall, Boy Howdy, Big House, Pete Martinez, Cowboys & Indians, Deborah Hightower, Aly’an, Judy Toy, Hexx Henderson, Buddy Jewel and Jenny Slate. He has also written with such great talents as Dennis Knutson, Steve Bogard, Kim Fowley, Chris Farren, Jeffrey Steele, Chris Darrow, Wendy Waldman, Desmond Child, A.L. “Doodle” Owens, Kostas and, more recently, Bob Monroe.

Monroe grew up on Long Island, New York and was strongly influenced by his Louisiana born father’s love of country music. He started playing and writing at the age of five and wanted to be an entertainer as far back as he can remember. His father had a country band called Tex Davis and The Rhythm Rangers and at age eleven he would get on stage and sing and play with them. Old Hank Williams tunes, Buck Owens and Merle Haggard were the songs he loved.

As a teen, he developed close friendships with Hank Cochran’s sons Jimmy, J.R. and Danny and Monroe’s summers were spent on a farm in Nashville where Hank Cochran and Jeannie Seely treated him like family. Seely was performing as a duo with Jack Greene and they took J.R. and Bob to Gatlinburg for some Opry shows which left an indelible impression.

Monroe’s family moved to San Diego in 1968 where he continued writing songs and performing in local bands. His talent attracted fine professional relationships with established musicians Rick Elias, Craig Bartock, Ron Pitner, Mike Palazzola and Mark Spriggs. A publishing deal was followed by a record deal and significant airplay.

In 1980, Monroe met Eric Denton and they formed THE MONROES with Jesus “Tony” Ortiz, Jonnie Gilstrap and Rusty Jones. Their destined path led them to be signed to Alfa Records in Los Angeles. Alfa was particularly excited about one of Monroe’s songs, WHAT DO ALL THE PEOPLE KNOW? The song became a hit, landing them on the Billboard charts at 80 with a bullet before moving up the charts. This led to television appearances and all of the success that comes with having a hit record including touring across the country and performing with such well known artists as Rick Springfield, The Motels, Toto and many more.

Monroe has continued to write and produce both rock and country music and in 2019 he introduced THE NEW MONROES with musicians Barry Scott, Ronny Jones, Dave Hart and Bobby Sale. They released an album, THE MONROES 2.0. Committed to continuing to grow his country roots, he recorded several songs signed to Rock the Rock Records.

“I have recently started developing a new songwriting partnership with the very talented Eddie Leroy Cunningham in Nashville along with a publishing company called Bobby Monroe Songs ASCAP. Cunningham’s publishing company is Eddie Cunningham Music BMI. We are very excited for what is to come,” says Monroe.
Both partners in this compelling team have similar philosophies when it comes to writing music. “Rather than compete with current trends in music, I stay true to who I am and what I hear in my heart and soul,” says Monroe. “For me, uniqueness is much more interesting than attempting to predict what the next trend in music will be and consequently filling that gap.”

“My songwriting style is different from the norm because I’m not a cookie cutter cowboy writer,” says Cunningham. “I don’t write what everybody else is writing unless I’m paid to write those kinds of new country songs. If I’m writing for a publisher and they want me to listen to a certain artist and write something for him or her in that style, then I will. Otherwise I don’t want to write what everyone in town is writing. I want to write what they need, something new and fresh, something trend setting.”

“I’ve been in this game a long time and I have my own identity and integrity with my own sound and style. Call me a rebel but I want people to say, ‘I want an Eddie Leroy Cunningham song because it’s different and not like what we already have.’ If an artist wants to work with me or a publisher wants to sign me for that reason, I’m game. I love music and I love songs with a good truthful message. Some may be controversial, some are based on real life situations, some break your heart and some make you want to get up and dance. I want my songs to be epic! Coolness! I just really want to move people.”

No doubt that is exactly what the unique and powerful alchemy of Cunningham and Monroe will continue to do. – Two Poets Music and Media

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Yes I’m always inspired by the creative journey….. It’s what feeds my soul and keeps me doing what I love.

My current songwriting projects are with Zach Neil a hit songwriter with four top 40 singles in Texas and he is living in Nashville and has a touring band that plays all over he’s a great new Country artist with a outstanding voice and can deliver a punch in a powerful ballad and can rock up a Honky Tonk song too. And he is a world class performer.

Mark Harris my Texas connection who also introduced me to Zach Neil. Mark and I have been working on a song a week and doing great demos to pitch to the other artists. Mark has a song climbing the charts with McBride & The Ride called “Marlboros and Avon” Its a show stopper.

Paul Kamanski and I are writing some good cosmic Americana music. Paul is a fantastic writer, wrote many hits for one of my favorite bands, The Beat Farmers. Paul And just finished a beautiful tribute song for DFX2 twin David Farage who recently passed.

Debra Gordon our demo singer sings it so passionately.

My friends in San Diego “Private Domain”, Paul Shaffer and Jack Butler we are writing some amazing tunes for movie projects and I can’t wait to see where this leads and Our song “The world is just another small town” is a great country rockin’ tune and Paul sings the heck out of it and Jack plays a mean bunch of guitars and lap steel. It’s world class for sure.

Lynn Smith, Cynthia Allen Applebaum, Bob Monroe and I wrote a beautiful heart touching ballad called “Prayers for Maui” Bob has produced this song and puts so much passion in it as he sings it and it touches the soul. The proceeds from sales of downloads will go directly to the families effected by the horrible fires in Maui.

I am pleased to have a song I wrote with Paul Marshall called “These Aren’t The Days To Not Be Drinking” in a new movie called “Chapel” with Jeremy Stumpter. Thanks so much to Denise Bradley for making that possible. called “Chapel” with Jeremy Stumpter. Thanks so much to Denise Bradley for making that possible.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Just trying to get it all in before the good lord takes me home…..I am so blessed especially lately i’ve been a writing machine sometimes I write 3 songs a day and I always am writing lyrics everyday …I feel like i’m in a race to write the most perfect universal song that will take the world by surprise.

I have a lot of very successful writer friends and I want what they have. Thank you again to the viewers reading this and for Canvas Rebel for including me here.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://eddieleroycunningham.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eddiecunninghammusicbmi/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/eddiecunningham7
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/badcowboy7
• Other: [email protected]

Image Credits
Tony Brown, Terry McBride, Mark Harris, Marla Cannon Goodman, Zach Neil, lynn Smith, Bob Monroe