Writers are kings again at Tall Oaks Music

Donna Ulisse spent 25 years on Music Row in Nashville, where, she says, writers were kings. 

Now Donna’s in a position to make other writers feel that same sense of importance with her newly formed publishing company, Tall Oaks Music. 

“When I signed with Turnberry Records, owner Keith Barnacastle told me to dream as big as I wanted to dream,” she says. “I mentioned to him that there was no publishing company under his umbrella, which is something I had always dreamed of doing. He told me to go for it.” 

But for a year after that conversation, Donna dragged her feet. “I didn’t know what the anglewas,” she says. Finally, it dawned on her that Doyle Lawson was the missing link – the angle she had been looking for. “We have worked together for so long that we see music the same,” she says. “I’d pitch him 20 to 30 songs, and he’d pick out the ones he liked, and he’d tell me why. He had a way of making all the difference.” 

Donna called Doyle to share her idea. Her first words, when Doyle answered the phone, were “Don’t say no!” She told him what she had in mind. After thinking about it, he called her back and said he’d partner with her in the new publishing company. 

“I phoned Keith and said, ‘What if I can get you a big name?’” she recounts. “I told him it was Doyle Lawson, and Keith was delighted! He’s a big fan of Doyle’s.” 

Nurturing songs and songwriters

Donna and Doyle have now joined forces with Keith to form Tall Oaks Music, building it around songwriters. “We have signed some amazing writers,” Donna says, and she’s right: the roster includes Kevin Denney (known for "That's Just Jessie," a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot Country chart); Darren Nicholson (formerly with Balsam Range); Tom Botkin (who penned Dailey & Vincent's "On the Other Side"); Jack Shannon (writer of Jim Hurst’s recent hit “Same Old Moon”); Dawn Kenney (co-writer of “Something About A Train,” covered by Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike); and Ali Shumate (known for Every Bit Of Me, her 2019 album of original material). 

“We also have Paul Williams on our roster,” Donna says, adding that the 90-year-old IBMA Hall of Fame member has been writing together with Doyle recently. “It’s an exciting group, with both traditional and edgier writers. We also have a few country writers. We are branching out, just like the branches on a tall oak tree.” 

Excited about working with Doyle, Donna says he only knows how to approach music one way. “He sets the bar out of sight, then goes for it,” she explains. The two will share responsibilities at their new company. “My wheelhouse is editing, so I’ll handle that. We call Doyle ‘the song doctor,’ because that’s what he does best. He will also do more song pitching because he knows so many people.” Donna hopes one day to hire an in-house song plugger who can pitch Tall Oak material to musicians, record labels, and other industry professionals. “Our goal is to be a high-functioning publishing house,” she says. 

Through Tall Oaks, Donna and Doyle will mainly act as song nurturers, guiding the writers as they go. “We will also nurture the writers [themselves], and make sure they get the credit they deserve.” The company has already received numerous inquiries from interested songwriters, she adds. “But we are cautious not to overburden our roster. We have a few new writers, and we want to give them all the attention they need.” 

A lot of that nurturing will take place at The Little House, the cottage next to Donna’s home in Lebanon, Tennessee. “The Little House will be the songwriting headquarters for Tall Oaks Music,” she says, adding that the place was designed to be a nurturing place for songwriters. “I teach songwriting there with Jerry Salley and my husband, Rick Stanley.” 

The new endeavor is an exciting one for Doyle, who often travels to The Little House from his home in Bristol, Tennessee, for songwriting sessions. “I am more than a little excited about being a part of Tall Oaks Music, working alongside Donna Ulisse and the songwriters who have agreed to write for us,” he says. “Our mission is to be the place where writers know that we will be working hard to get their songs heard and recorded, and an artist who may be looking for a particular kind of song can reach out to us.”

Donna reports that working with Tall Oaks evokes memories of when she first started in the music business. “I started coming to Nashville when I was 14 or 15,” she marvels. “Now I’m excited to be in the room with these young, on-fire writers! This makes it new for me again.”

Full disclosure: Keith Barnacastle is also the publisher of this magazine.

Visit Tall Oaks Music online at https://www.talloaksmusic.com.