Morganton native takes songwriting to Nashville

Morganton native Todd Greene sat in his car in Nashville just a few minutes before an interview, flicking through notes and voice memos in a phone full of song ideas and melodies.

A few months ago, a song he co-wrote, “Mama’s Recipe,” performed by Danny Kensy, started making its rounds on country radio stations, bringing a touch of Morganton to the airwaves.

Greene took the call just a half hour before stepping into a songwriting session with a few other musicians.

He recounted how Kensy called him to let him know that “Mama’s Recipe” would be getting circulation on the radio starting on Mother’s Day, explaining that his first response was to congratulate Kensy.

“I said, ‘Ah, good for you!’ and he goes, ‘Nah, good for us!’” Greene said. “To be honest with you, I’m not looking for praise or anything in this. It’s just who I am and what I do. What I want to do. I want to do it well, and I want it to be real and honest, always.”

Greene was born and raised in Morganton, but didn’t start songwriting until college. He actually didn’t even play an instrument, aside from some piano as a child, until his freshman year, when he came across a girl sitting in front of her dorm, strumming a guitar and singing tunes he’d never heard before.

When he stopped to listen and asked what the songs were, she explained that they were her own. The pair struck up a friendship, and the girl eventually gave him a guitar and taught him four chords.

“I started thinking about writing then,” Greene reminisced. “I wrote some stuff but it was, you know, it wasn’t very good. … Then, late ’80s, I started thinking about it again and I was like, ‘You know what? These cover songs are great and all, but I really feel compelled to write something and do my own thing.’ That’s when it started.”

Greene moved to Nashville in 1991 in pursuit of a musical career before returning to Morganton, where he lived until 2017, teaching music for 18 years.

After reconnecting with contacts in Nashville, he traveled there monthly before finally moving back in 2022.

“The thing I’ve most enjoyed is the constant contact with creative souls and people,” Greene explained. “It’s so neat to see people’s stories. Not one artist is better, or I’ve had more fun with, or anything. Everybody’s got a story and a way to say it, and that’s what’s cool to me.”

Greene said he’s developed a reputation within his network of being the go-to for melodies. He said he’s pretty good with a chorus and verse, too, but often defers to others for bridge progression.

Through it all, Greene explained, the heart of the song is what pulses with each contributing skill set.

“A lot of times, songs we write are still personal to us,” Greene said, explaining how songs get altered as they pass from writers to artists while often retaining their central concept. “The idea of the song will remain somewhat close to the original, but it gets changed a bit. Not too often does a song in its conception stay the same all the way through, once it gets to an artist.”

When he and a handful of other songwriters get together to construct a song, it’s sacrilege not to at least show up with two or three ideas — whether it be lyrics or melodies or an entire chorus, they earn their keep through consistency and originality.

He said one of the biggest problems he’s found at songwriting shows is people across different sets playing the “same songs in the same style in the same rhythm with the same chords. It’s hard to find originality anymore, as well, because we’ve got 100-plus years of modern music.”

“At the same time, people get caught up in sounding like something that’s already out there. We’re looking for the next thing, not what’s right now. Publishers and management and labels are looking for what’s next, not what’s on a radio already.”

As for breaking into the business, his first suggestion was that songwriters should take a class on the craft. Although people can watch videos and read up on tips and tricks, Greene said he made heaps of mistakes on his way up. While he doesn’t necessarily regret them, a little bit of structure may have saved him time.

His last piece of advice for prospective songwriters before getting off the phone was simple. Be you.

“Always listen to your inner voice and your creative spirit when you’re doing stuff. Don’t try to sound like anyone else. Don’t judge yourself to anyone else. Create what’s honest and real to you. Always,” he said before hanging up the call and sliding into a songwriting session, strapped with a few ideas, a couple melodies, and a bucket of originality.