Originally published in The View from Ellicott City, which can be found online at www.the viewnewspapers.com.

"From Ellicott City to Nashville"
By Bryna Zumer
September 6, 2007

While most dreams of musical fame or singing success get left in high-school bedrooms, Sara Beck took hers to Nashville and turned it into a full-fledged career.

The Ellicott City native began writing music and singing in her family’s band while still at Centennial High School but, after graduating in 1997, struck out on her own for “Music City, U.S.A.,” where she has been living and working ever since.

“I looked at (colleges) in Nashville because I wanted to play music,” said Beck, 27, who enrolled at Vanderbilt University and majored in cognitive psychology. “I said, ‘I’m moving to Nashville because everyone is obsessed with music, so I will be in good company.’ ”

After years of playing gigs and passing out CDs, she was signed by Paramount Pictures’ Famous Music, which features songwriters such as Shakira, Akon and Modest Mouse, as well as those who regularly write for other major contemporary artists. When Viacom (which owns Paramount Pictures) was bought by Sony/ATV in May, Beck joined the ranks of even more acclaimed writers.

“It’s actually a straight-up songwriting deal,” she explained. Now her songs, which she describes as “loosely country,” are being covered by other artists and getting attention in songwriting circles.

Most recently, Beck’s song “Bottlerocket” was chosen by Sony Nashville singer Susan Haynes for her soon-to-be-released debut album, “Crooked Little Heart.” Haynes’ first single, “Drinkin’ In My Sunday Dress,” has reached No. 51 on Billboard magazine’s Hot Country Songs chart.

On her MySpace Web site, Beck proclaims her love for the process of creating music.

“I adore songs, line by line, rhyme by rhyme, note by note. I like playing with words and textures and melody in the same way I like coming up with dinner when there’s no food in the refrigerator,” she wrote. “I am chasing the perfect song.”

That chase started in high school, when Beck formed a rock band called Iapetus with some friends and played at school functions, dances and graduation parties -- “wherever people would let us play,” she said.

“I think when you start playing early on, it seems a lot more glamorous than it really is ... so it kind of gets you hooked,” she said with a laugh. “All of the stuff I was doing in high school was experimenting with music ... I kind of fell in love with that whole process.”

Growing up in a musical family didn’t hurt, either. Her parents, Scott and Vickie Beck, were originally in a North Carolina-based band called Southern Wings and, when their two daughters seemed interested in singing, formed a family band called The Becks.

“(Sara Beck) has an amazing work ethic and, with the vocal talent she was blessed to have ... it seemed pretty obvious to me that together with her love for writing and performing, she would probably evolve into the beautiful, polished songwriter she has become,” Scott Beck said. “We didn’t know she was going to be a professional musician, but we figured whatever she did, she would take it to the top.”

He and his wife now live in Woodstock and still perform in the Baltimore area, while their oldest daughter, Heather, is also a musician and actress at Toby’s Dinner Theatre. The couple also organizes the One World Coffeehouse, held by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center, where Sara Beck returns to play annually.

Her parents’ passion and connection for singing continue to inspire her, she said.

“They have such a pure love for music. They are still such a huge influence for me,” Beck said. “They just play music because they love it.”

The annual return to her hometown for the One World Coffeehouse has also “become kind of a cool tradition because it’s kind of a songwriting show,” she said. “I have always been really influenced by singer/songwriters in general.”

‘A big adventure’

Along with the country influences she got from her parents, Beck said she is inspired by the music of artists like Willie Nelson and Stevie Wonder -- “soulful songs that stand up without a lot of production” -- but also enjoys contemporary singers, such as Rihanna.

“As far as what I write and what I’m drawn to, it’s really personal, really soulful songs,” she said. “When I first started writing, it was all personal stuff. Now I’m writing most every day. It’s my job, so... it kind of opens up the playing field when you are doing it so much.”

Before landing her latest publishing deal, she released two albums of her own, a self-titled debut in 2000 and another CD, “Open Window,” in 2002. Those recordings helped get her noticed, she said, but she remains unsure about future albums.

“I’m still kind of going back and forth with plans for another album. ... I’m not actually getting paid to write records,” Beck said, also she does plan to start writing songs for an album in about six months.

For now, she is sticking with the challenge of daily songwriting, as well as playing gigs with several friends and her husband, Park Chisolm, who plays guitar for a band recently started by actor Kevin Costner. Beck also enjoys playing with an all-women country cover band called the Honky Tonk Angels.

“We have a blast; we just play, like, old salloon songs.”

Although Beck still considers herself both a singer and a songwriter, she hopes to make a bigger impact as a writer. Regardless of what happens in the future, being a professional musician is “the coolest thing ever,” she said.

“It’s a big adventure. It’s wonderful. I think when you’re a kid you want to be a singer, you think it’s instant success. ... In truth, it’s more gradual but it’s even better in some ways because I get really interesting opportunities and I get to meet people I’ve always admired.”