What does it mean to be in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame?
BB: To be recognized by one’s peers is the ultimate honor and I appreciate it now more than ever. I was inducted in 1981, when I was just 40 years old, so it was a bit of a shock—I wasn’t expecting it. But as time has gone by it means more and more.Q: How did you get started writing songs? BB: I started fooling with songs in my teens. I would send them to Nashville, and they would come back unopened. I felt pretty certain that I could make a living as a piano player, so I went ahead and moved to Nashville. I wasn’t sure I was good enough to be a songwriter. My first job was playing piano for Marty Robbins, and after he recorded a couple of songs that I wrote, I thought, “Hey, I am a songwriter.” So I quit the road with Marty and went to Sony, ATV Publishing, which back then was called Tree Publishing. I have pretty much been there ever since.Q: Where does the inspiration for your songs come from? BB: Inspiration for songs comes from life and having lived it: my life as well as the live