Wallie Lawrence

From Silence, a Song
by Elizabeth Miller for SouthbrookSongwriters.com

Although songwriters who regularly attend Southbrook Songwriters Nights would agree that their colleague, Wallie Lawrence, has a flair for verse, they probably are unaware that this gift arose out of a very difficult situation.

"I had surgery in 1990," says the former surgeon. "It was pretty intensive. I lost the use of my voice, the use of my right hand, and was on complete voice rest for about six weeks."

It was during his convalescence that he discovered a hidden talent.

"When you’re on complete voice rest, you miss communicating with people," Wallie explains, "and a lot of ideas build up in your head. I was able to communicate a little bit, and found I had a flair for verse."

It was the beginning of an artistic journey. "Once that door of creativity was open, stuff just started to come out," he says of his gift of expression. "I worked to put it into rhyme."

Wallie’s verse grew from poetry to songs in a short time.

"You realize that writing poetry and writing songs are not the same thing," he says. "So then you have to take that road less—or more, in our case—traveled."

During his convalescence, Wallie tried to exercise his fingers by tinkering with a toy piano. When he found the tiny instrument to be too small, he began using a keyboard, graduating to using a midi hookup to bring his music onscreen.

"I learned to make adjustments, play it back, and change the sound," he says of the music making process. "It became a really fun thing."

Trying to come up with something different remains a challenge. "Often, songwriters follow a mold or pattern," Wallie laments, "and soon, everything sounds the same. It may have to do with rhythm, syncopation, length of verse or phrase, chords or chord progression.  Even subject matter can get one stuck in a rut."

He counts on his commitment to the Songwriters Workshop at Southbrook to keep him going, wryly noting the songwriter’s innate need for "fellowship with a group that ‘suffers’ like you do." 

Wallie says he’s probably written well over a hundred songs, often getting his ideas from history: "There’s a lot of stuff in the Bible that gives you inspiration for songs. That’s where I got the idea for my first musical, ‘Winterset.’"

His current project is another musical, "Wide River," set in the Civil War, but told from a neglected viewpoint. "This piece is primarily from the vantage point of the slaves," Wallie explains. "You have songs about the North or South, but not from these people."

He also gets a lot of ideas—where else?—in the shower. "I think the seclusion of the ‘cell’ contributes," he muses, "as well as the fact that that space has a resonance for certain pitches or harmonics! Sometimes I’ve tossed on a towel and gone over to the keyboard to record it so I don’t lose that idea."

A few years ago, Wallie joined the Clark State University Chorale as a creative outlet, and as a possible venue for his compositions. Last December they sang his first song, "It’s Snowing Again," and they plan to perform two more of his creations during the school year.

He especially enjoys hearing his music performed before a "non-songwriter" audience and observing their response.

"Just to have your work performed is satisfying," says Wallie. "I don't attempt to write for the top 10 or even the top 40. I have specific categories that I write for: church, Christmas, college, a ‘musical’ that I might be playing with in my mind. If one of these songs makes it to the top, fine. Along the way, however, perhaps I can give pleasure to some others."

His colleagues at SouthBrook most definitely agree that he has reached --and continues to attain--that goal.