(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Oct. 26, 2011) - - - Grammy Award-winning Nashville songwriter Wood Newton will lead a Master Songwriter's Seminar at Columbia State Community College Thursday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.. The seminar will be in room 122 of the Waymon L. Hickman Building on the Columbia campus. The seminar is free and open to the public.

Newton, a graduate of the University of Arkansas, moved to Nashville in the mid 70s and quickly carved out his place in the Nashville music industry as an artist and songwriter. Upon arriving in Nashville from Arkansas in 1976, Newton partnered with Mississippi songwriter Dan Tyler and wrote two huge hits within his first three years of moving to Music City. The songs, Bobbie Sue, recorded by The Oak Ridge Boys and Twenty Years Ago, recorded by Kenny Rogers, sky-rocketed Newton to songwriting success. Both songs received awards from BMI as million-performance songs.

As a songwriter, Newton has had more than 50 of his songs recorded by major artists, including Razzy Bailey's Midnight Hauler; Steve Wariner's What I Didn't Do; and David Ball's Riding With Private Malone" Other artists who have recorded Newton's songs include Willie Nelson, T. G. Shepard, Ann Murray, B.J. Thomas, Rita Coolidge, Conway Twitty, Lynn Anderson, Charlie Pride, Eddy Arnold, Juice Newton, Tracy Byrd and Marty Robbins.

In the late 1970s, Newton was signed by Elektra Asylum Records and recorded an album that yielded two hit singles, Last Exit for Love, and Lock, Stock and Barrel. The recording won him recognition with radio and loyal fans across the country. In 1993, Newton released his second album, Just for the Love of It, on his own label.

As a producer, Newton teamed up with country music artist David Ball and recorded a successful CD, titled Amigo, which yielded the smash single Riding with Private Malone. This song also received an award for more than a million performances. In addition to his numerous number-one and Top-10 songs, Newton won a Grammy as the producer of the folk CD, Beautiful Dreamer - the Songs of Stephen Foster.

Newton serves on the board of directors of Nashville Songwriters Association International. He has been an outspoken advocate for copyright protection laws, and in recent years, has visited Washington D.C. to meet with members of Congress on behalf of songwriters and authors.

After the seminar, Newton will portray Confederate soldier Sam R. Watkins in the world premiere performance of a reader's theater musical play, The Soldier's Song, he co-wrote with Daniel L. Johnson, associate professor at Columbia State.." The musical play, which is a tribute to the songs of the Civil War and the soldiers who sang them, will be at 6:30 p.m. in the Cherry Theatre located in the Waymon L. Hickman building on the main campus. The show is free and open to the public.

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