Takin’ a Walk (iHeartPodcasts)

Episode: The Healing Power and Soul of Songwriter Sandy Knox—Music Saved Me

Date: December 3, 2025
Host: Buzz Knight
Guest: Sandy Knox

Episode Overview

This episode of "Music Saved Me" on Takin’ a Walk digs deep into the extraordinary life and career of Grammy-nominated songwriter Sandy Knox. Known for penning hits for icons like Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, and Dionne Warwick, Sandy shares how music served not only as her creative outlet but as a sanctuary and source of healing. With heartfelt candor, she recalls formative moments, creative collaborations, and how songwriting helped her through adversity. The episode also spotlights her latest innovative project—a hybrid audiobook musical—reinforcing her ongoing impact on the music industry.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Early Musical Influences & Discovery of Songwriting

• Family’s Musical Environment (05:09)

  • Sandy was raised in a home rich with an eclectic mix of music, which led her to naturally gravitate towards lyrics and melody from a young age.
  • Quote: "Music was very prevalent in our home and I just gravitated toward it. It was just something that was always there in my ear. I memorized lyrics, I knew songs." —Sandy Knox (05:09)

• Dr. Seuss as Inspiration (05:45)

  • Early fascination with meter and rhyme thanks to Dr. Seuss books, which shaped her understanding of lyrical flow.
  • Quote: "One of the first inspirations probably for me for meter and rhyme were Dr. Seuss books." —Sandy Knox (05:47)

• Turning Point: Choir Audition (06:29–09:10)

  • An initial attempt to join the marching band led her to a choir audition, where a teacher discovered her vocal talent.
  • Emotional story about Mrs. Hinkle, her choir teacher, recognizing her ability and calling Sandy’s mother, changing Sandy's trajectory from drumline to singing and songwriting.
  • Memorable Moment: Sandy tears up while recalling this formative experience.

• First Song and Parental Support (07:57)

  • Wrote her first song at 11: “Oh, Since We Broke Up Chuck” a.k.a. “Upchuck.”
  • Her parents’ reaction: “Wow, that’s actually pretty clever for an 11-year-old.”
  • Parental encouragement led Sandy to pursue songwriting seriously.

Channeling Life’s Challenges into Songwriting

• Personal Experience as Creative Fuel (10:07)
  • She often wrote directly from personal experiences—heartbreaks were particularly productive.
  • Quote: "My publisher loved it when I broke up with a boyfriend." —Sandy Knox (10:07)
  • Though her most famous hit, "Does He Love You?", was inspired not by personal infidelity but by different circumstances.

Highlights of Her Songwriting Career

• Collaboration with Neil Diamond (11:15–12:15)

  • Song: "Like You Do" for the "Tennessee Moon" album.
  • Story: Neil Diamond invited her to the studio to try the song as a duet for Barbra Streisand, an unforgettable moment for Sandy.
  • Quote: "Let me tell you, ... looking out and seeing Neil Diamond sitting front row and center—wow." —Sandy Knox (11:15)

• Hearing Her Songs on the Radio (12:41)

  • The powerful validation of hearing her work performed by legends and broadcast to the world.
  • Memorable Moment: Listening to Reba’s and Dionne Warwick’s cuts of her songs for the first time on the same day.
  • Quote: "It's a huge deal ... I sat on the floor of my apartment ... listening to both of these songs with these iconic artists singing them. That was a big, big day." —Sandy Knox (12:41)

Music as Emotional and Mental Health Sanctuary

• The Healing Power of Songwriting (13:47–15:48)

  • Listeners have admitted her songs changed their lives (e.g., spurred one woman to end a damaging affair after hearing “Does He Love You”).
  • Growing up, channeling her mischief and energy into music prevented negative behaviors.
  • Family declined to medicate her for hyperactivity, redirecting her energy toward creativity.

• Quote: "We will not tap down her imagination or her creativity." —Sandy’s mother (16:03)

• Finding “Healthier Friends” Through Music and Theater (16:58)

  • The arts provided direction, community, and a sense of belonging during rocky adolescent years.
  • Quote: "I really started channeling my energy toward music and writing songs and being in shows at school ... that ended up being what I took in college." —Sandy Knox (16:58)

Advice for Up-and-Coming Songwriters; the Changing Industry

• Resilience and Research (17:48)

  • Emphasizes the importance of believing in oneself, knowing the songwriting tradition, and accepting setbacks as part of the process.
  • Quote: "You have to believe in yourself ... study the history of songwriters in their lives and learn who went before you." (17:48)
  • Advocates understanding music’s history and reading about legendary songwriters’ stumbles and triumphs to stay motivated.
  • Recalls arriving in Nashville with $1,500 in 1983, not knowing anyone, but driven by passion.

• Motherly Wisdom for Perseverance (19:57)

  • Quote: "If you give up, you have a 100% chance of not making it. If you keep trying, at least you got a 50% chance." —Sandy’s mother (19:57)

• On Education and Changing Times (20:48)

  • Notes that music industry education has become more accessible, unlike during her early career.
  • Lifelong devotion to learning—via books about songwriters and the music business.

Behind-the-Scenes Stories

• Nashville Relocation Challenges (21:51–23:46)
  • Moved to Nashville, 1983, completely alone, and faced obstacles like a phone strike making networking difficult.
  • Chasing down publishers, leaving cassettes without contact info, led to a story where a publisher specifically sought her out after tracking her address down.
  • Memorable Moment: Realizing she had made an impression, even as an industry newcomer.

The Groundbreaking Hybrid Audiobook Musical: “Waiting”

• Origins and Concept (24:45–26:40)

  • Inspired by a real-life health retreat post-breakup, originally intended as a stage musical, reimagined as an “audiobook musical” or “Boozical” during COVID.
  • Features 28 chapters and 21 original songs; the upcoming soundtrack drops July 11 on all platforms.

• Quote: "We will all meet the love of our lives, reside in a perfect fairy tale existence and achieve complete and total world peace just as soon as we lose £20." —Sandy Knox, reading from “Waiting” (24:39)

• Availability: Wide release across audiobook platforms; single “There Could Never Be Enough of You” and full soundtrack accessible wherever music is streamed.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Story | |-----------|---------|-------------| | 05:09 | Sandy Knox | "Music was very prevalent in our home and I just gravitated toward it. ...I knew songs." | | 05:47 | Sandy Knox | "One of the first inspirations probably for me for meter and rhyme were Dr. Seuss books." | | 07:57 | Sandy Knox | "The first song that I wrote was called Oh, Since We Broke Up Chuck. And I called it Upchuck." | | 10:07 | Sandy Knox | "My publisher loved it when I broke up with a boyfriend." | | 11:15 | Sandy Knox | "Looking out and seeing Neil Diamond sitting front row and center—wow." | | 12:41 | Sandy Knox | "I sat on the floor of my apartment with the cassettes... That was a big, big day." | | 14:11 | Sandy Knox | "I've had a lot of people tell me that certain songs affected them greatly." | | 16:03 | Sandy’s mother (via Sandy) | "We will not tap down her imagination or her creativity." | | 17:48 | Sandy Knox | "You have to believe in yourself... study the history of songwriters..." | | 19:57 | Sandy’s mother (via Sandy) | "If you give up, you have a 100% chance of not making it..." | | 24:39 | Sandy Knox | "We will all meet the love of our lives...just as soon as we lose £20." | | 24:45 | Sandy Knox | "It is a audiobook slash musical, so I call it a Boozical." |

Important Segment Timestamps

• Sandy’s family and first musical inspirations: 05:09–06:29
• Life-changing choir moment & first song: 06:29–09:10
• Channeling heartbreak into songwriting (“publisher loved it”): 10:07–11:03
• Neil Diamond collaboration story: 11:15–12:15
• First time hearing songs on the radio: 12:41–13:47
• Music as healing (affecting listeners, her own path): 13:47–16:58
• Advice for aspiring songwriters: 17:48–20:10
• Moving to Nashville & publisher cassette story: 21:51–23:54
• “Boozical” audiobook musical “Waiting”: 24:39–26:40

Tone and Style

Sandy’s storytelling is warm, genuine, self-effacing, and often humorous—with deep emotion when recalling pivotal life moments. The host matches Sandy’s enthusiasm and openness, guiding the conversation toward both “nuts and bolts” songwriting wisdom and vulnerable, human stories of transformation through music.

Summary Takeaway

Sandy Knox’s journey is a testament to music’s power not just as entertainment, but as a lifeline, a source of connection, catharsis, and resilience. Through her advice, anecdotes, and groundbreaking new project, listeners are reminded both of music’s past—and ongoing—capacity to heal and inspire. Aspiring songwriters and longtime fans alike will find encouragement in her honesty: keep going, learn from those who came before, and above all, stay true to your creative voice.