Cillea Houghton

1 month ago | americansongwriter.com | Cillea Houghton

Amanda Sudano and Abner Ramirez, the husband and wife duo JOHNNYSWIM, have an undeniable connection, with music at the root of it. “The music is a symptom of us supposed to be together,” Ramirez tells American Songwriter. “It happens to be a vocabulary we both share, an output from our souls that helps us connect to each other.” Long before they came together as a duo, both Sudano and Ramirez had been steeped in music since childhood.

Jan 27, 2025 | dreamsabroad.com | Cillea Houghton

Growing up in her native Coral Springs, Florida, Dreams Abroad CEO and Founder Leesa Truesdell was raised with a different kind of bedtime story. In place of classics like Peter Rabbit were stories from her beloved grandmother, Micaela Colón (affectionately known as “Tata”), who was a proud native of Puerto Rico.

Jan 23, 2025 | americansongwriter.com | Cillea Houghton

While Nashville has long been known as Music City, that deep passion for music can be felt across the entire state of Tennessee. At the core of this musical legacy are the songwriters for whom Tennessee passed a state statute in 2019 to spotlight these oft-unsung heroes with an annual celebration of music’s past, present, and future. The tradition continues with Tennessee Songwriters Week, which takes place during the last week of February.

Jan 7, 2025 | americansongwriter.com | Cillea Houghton

For singer, songwriter, and longtime member of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band, Mac McAnally, life is a symphony. “I hear music in everything,” he shares with American Songwriter. “I hear melody in nature. It’s always sounded like music to me.” Born in the same doctor’s office as Tammy Wynette near Red Bay, Alabama, McAnally recalls the prophecy his grandmother bestowed upon him moments after his birth.

Jan 7, 2025 | flipboard.com | Cillea Houghton

It might only be Week One, but I think I’ve already played one of 2025’s best gamesI love it when a video game makes me say ‘wow’ out loud. It’s even better when it can happen often - and such was the case in an one-hour hands-on …