I spent the money my mama gave me for singing lessons on medical school, so give me a break as I try to answer the age old question that has eluded songwriters:

"If I write a song in the forest and a tree falls on me... when the rescue team comes with chainsaws will my song get cut?" Bart Mitchell, 2007

It only took Bart Mitchell 23 years to get his medical degree but its taken 32 years to develop his self taught guitar and songwriting skills to the point where he's sharing his music. You're more likely to encounter him in an E.R. or at a songwriters meeting than you will on the stage now, having been the rhythym guitarist in those "never heard of 'em" long forgotten bands: Euphony, and LD 50, in the late 70's and 80's.

 Bart started out as a navy brat but mostly grew up in the Shoals area near Fame Studios and was influenced by "The Swampers" and all the artists who were attracted to the "Muscle Shoals Sound" in the 70's. Though still "vocally challenged" his guitar skills have improved considerably since he played the guitar lead to "Proud Mary" behind his back and over his head during the senior play at Deshler High School in 1977. His top career aspirations back then were to be a rock star, to play 1st base for the Braves, play guard for the Celtics, to put Bill Dance out of his fishing show job and to be a doctor. Fulfilling his 5th choice in career goals isn't all that bad. Bart still hasn't given up completely on becoming "a rock star in a hair band" but he seems to have found his musical niche sharing his unique and subtle eclectic brand of humor and enlightening views of life as a songwriter. As Bart says " Being a songwriter is close enough." No he doesn't have any cuts yet but he doesn't have to ..... "to eat" like many of his starving songwriter friends ... "I'm just compelled to write songs. I also want to prove that MySpace can be used to get a cut. I guess I inherited some genes from my great grandfather Professor Walter C. Mitchell who wrote a capella Christian music." Bart claims to have finished many of his songs that started in yesteryear playing tracks on dueling mono cassette tape players but attributes the digital age to his growing catalog of about 40 songs. He is currently studying and refining his songwriting skills at Songu.com.

Most of his songs "fit the country mold, but listen long enough and you'll find blues, metal, classic rock, Christian, reggae and even hip-hop influences" in his work. Bart's long term goals include writing a musical play, retiring from medicine to a staff songwriter position, starting a free medical clinic for uninsured song writers and to get into music production but mostly he says he wants to write "a song so good" that his "daughter Megan actually wants to sing it (she charges me right now... smart business woman I think she is)." Bart has just recently started demoing his songs in the studio with the songs he has posted here such as the Buffettesque "Hammocks and Rum" and the "Beatlish" tribute "Hey Ringo". If you're feeling sentimental check out the military christmas ballad "No Star on the Tree" which has received an Honorable Mention in the Country Division of the VH-1 Song of the Year contest. Bart still enjoys mixing and recording his own songs on his Boss 1200 and/or Boss BR-900 digital recording studios. He always travels with his guitar and recorder with his Locum Tenems ER positions and you might catch him at an ER or airport near you in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi or Florida. Bart Thanks all of his friends and fans for their "patience putting up with my crappy vocals and mixes." over the past few years

Bart uses Google documents for much of his collaborating as he keeps very odd work hours with his busy ER travel schedule. If you want to try cross country collaboration with him, Bart wants you to feel free to contact him here and he'll set up a google document and swap ideas and mp3's before sitting down to a writing session to wrap a song up.

By the way that thing on his shoulder in the photo is a "Mississipi Toad" which is the title of his new demo which he claims is a "Hank Jr. meets A.C.D.C." rock ballad modern fairy tale. Also just out of the studio is "When Lipstick Meets Whiskey" the rockin' other side of the story to Cary Underwood's "Before He Cheats". If you want classic country then the ballad "No Better Way of Livin'" is for you. Whatever you want to call Bart Mitchell's music is okay with him but you'll have to call it entertaining. .