Daily Inspiration: Meet Jon Udell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Udell.

Hi Jon, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in a conventional middle-class household. My sister sang in the shower, and I watched baseball. I became studious, and my sister was interested in music. Growing up surrounded by music, my older sister sang soprano opera and gave singing lessons, my cousin, Peter Udell, won a Tony as a lyricist for Purlie and wrote lyrics for The Carpenters, Brian Hyland, and others. Some of my biggest musical influences have been from the Beatles, Kris Kristofferson, Joan Baez, and Burt Bacharach.

The producers I have worked with include renowned American multi-platinum producer Dito Godwin; John Keller, who produced Udell’s “A Place to Find You”; David Majzlin, the late Brian Taylor, and vocalist Billy Valentine. Dito Godwin has described me “as a true songwriter and champion of lyrics.”

I recently released my newest single “Moorea” on The Orchard music distribution under Johnny and The Udells. Click the link here to listen https://linktr.ee/JohnnyandtheUdells and watch the lyric video on YouTube.

“Moorea” is about tranquility and endless paradise on a South Sea Pacific Island. You can listen to the song on all platforms, including Spotify.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I was starting out and trying to get my music heard, I wound up obtaining a music attorney who charged by the hour, and his advice was, don’t pay a song plugger to plug your songs. I think I probably paid the music attorney $500 for that gem. I think that would be funny in the way of watching someone else slip on a banana peel. I learned: don’t pay a music attorney or a song plugger. Don’t pay a song plugger. I did, and he never attained any results for me and considered his value based on his efforts and not results. I was with him on and off for a few years. He supposedly did rep songs to really reputable singers, and all they did was keep me on hold, and meanwhile, I had to keep paying the song plugger.

It has been my experience that success in the music business has often been determined by who you know and not, as they say, what you know.

And lastly, learn the structure of a pop song. It isn’t just writing melody. If your song doesn’t have an acceptable pop song structure, anyone familiar with the music business will know it.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am writing a song for an actress who is pitching a reality show to various outlets including cable television and streaming. I am currently working with another actress with respect to a film that is currently in post-production. I have also just written a song in collaboration with Dito Godwin for potential use in a prequel to a famous 1990’s movie.

I also just collaborated with a cinematographer on a “Moorea” lyric video which should be available on various media platforms, including YouTube.

What does success mean to you?
I would define success as writing the perfect song. In this regard, success can be elusive. I had a dream in which I asked Paul McCartney to listen to and evaluate a song I wrote. He said the song was all right and then played a new song that he wrote. His song was the most beautiful song I had heard. However, when I awakened, I no longer remembered what the song was. If I had, I probably would have achieved success. I would also define success as when someone listens to my songs and likes them.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathanudell
• Other: ffm.to/johnnyandtheudells, https://linktr.ee/JohnnyandtheUdells