ON THE COVER
Former art teacher keeps busy writing , performing songs
Songwriter Steve Westbrook never sits down with the goal of writing a song .
Instead , he says the songs come to him in a way that is tough to explain .
“ To me , it ’ s like a gift from God when a song comes ,” he said . “ Sometimes while I practice , some phrases or words will come to me . I may not write the full song then , or even know what I have is a song . But then later I may play a bit more and more lines will come . Eventually , it will develop into a song . It can happen over two or three days and other times , it may take me years to complete . It ’ s a process and I have learned not to rush it . It really does feel like a gift from God and that can ’ t be rushed .”
Despite his belief that his songs are a divine gift , most of his songs do not necessarily fit into a gospel or spiritual category . He tends to write about life experiences and truths – and most of his songs are influenced by his own life .
Westbrook , who describes his style as a mix of folk rock and Americana , started playing guitar in his early 20s , performing at private cookouts and bars . But when he shifted from being a carpenter to teaching art at Meridian High School , he decided to stop playing at bars .
“ They didn ’ t really like for you to do that kind of thing if you were teaching ,” said Westbrook , who taught for about 17 years and retired in 2014 . “ At least , that was how I felt about it .”
After years away , Westbrook had to overcome some stage fright when
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20 • TIMELESS MERIDIAN