Contributed/Crosby Tyler

When singer-songwriter Crosby Tyler joined ETSU’s Bluegrass, Old-Time and Roots Music Studies program, he never imagined that a classroom scholarship would lead to a professional songwriting credit.

Now, Tyler has made program history as the first ETSU Bluegrass Scholar to co-write a song that has been professionally recorded and released through a record label.

“I won a songwriting scholarship while I was in the bluegrass program here, which was, I think, when I graduated in ’23 or ’24,” Tyler said. “Part of the Rick Lang Scholarship is co-writing a song with Rick. A lot of other scholarship students had written songs with him, but none of them ever got a pro recording — and mine did.”

Lang, a Grammy-nominated bluegrass songwriter and producer, has mentored several ETSU students through his namesake scholarship. Tyler said his collaboration with Lang began simply with a short Zoom session.

“For me, it was another riff,” Tyler said. “But I guess something propelled me to give him that particular riff.”

The two co-wrote the song about two years ago, and Tyler said he nearly forgot about it until he heard from Lang that it had been recorded and demoed for release.

“In songwriting, things don’t happen overnight,” Tyler said. “You could write a song two years ago, and two years later, someone decides to do it. I was just overwhelmed. It was kind of a shock because it came out of nowhere.”

For Tyler, the recognition was both a surprise and a validation of his lifelong passion for songwriting.

“Some of us know that we’ve been given God’s talent,” he said. “It can be coached and guided, but that ability to just come up with this — don’t know where it came from — has been in me since I was 10 years old.”

At 64, Tyler entered ETSU’s bluegrass program as a nontraditional student, surrounded by much younger musicians. He admits it wasn’t easy fitting into a scene centered on instrumental speed and technical ability.

“I’m a songwriter, not a picker,” he said. “Bluegrass, like blues music, is like sports — it’s about how good your chops are. It was really difficult for me at first, but now I kind of understand what they’re all about.”

Tyler said he hopes this success opens the door for more collaborations in the bluegrass world, a genre he’s grown to love.

“The biggest thrill for a songwriter is to get other people to do their songs,” he said. “I really wanted to break into the bluegrass market — that’s kind of where my heart is right now.”

Although Lang has handled most of the communication with the band and label, Tyler said he’s been in touch regarding royalties and is working to bring more industry insight to current ETSU students.

“I’ve proposed that Rick, a member of the band, and maybe someone from the record company come to the Bluegrass Thursday Forum,” Tyler said. “It would answer a lot of questions for students who want to know how this all works.”

As he continues writing, Tyler said he’s chasing more “cuts” — songs that other artists record. He’s also collaborating with ETSU bluegrass faculty member and award-winning musician Tim Stafford, who introduced him to The SteelDrivers’ management team.

“People don’t stick their necks out unless they really believe in your talent,” Tyler said. “That tells me what I need to do. But it’s still about getting to the right people.”

Despite the challenges, Tyler said the milestone has reignited his drive to keep writing songs that might one day find their way to a major artist —or even change a career.

“Songs still drive careers,” he said. “Think of Old Crow Medicine Show with ‘Wagon Wheel.’ One song can keep a career going for life. So, I’m just going to keep at it—and hope for more cuts.”

Author