Nashville Pros

Matt Rollings ’86 was a jazz piano player living in Phoenix with New York dreams when he played on a demo session for a then-unknown artist named Lyle Lovett. Months later, while attending Berklee, Rollings got a call from Nashville. That unknown artist had scored himself a record deal and flew Rollings to Music City to play on his record.

That fortuitous phone call led to a 20-year stretch for Rollings as one of the most sought-after piano players in Nashville. He extended his repertoire to include songwriting and producing as well. His writing credits include the top-10 hit “Letting Go” by Suzie Vargas, and he has produced recordings for some of the biggest names in the business, including the eponymous debut album by Keith Urban and the multiplatinum-selling Misguided Roses by Edwin McCain.

Rollings was at home in Nashville, but he began to notice a slow and steady pull—a growing desire for a change of scenery. “It was really wanderlust that attracted me to Los Angeles,” he recalls. “I felt like things were getting a bit stale in Nashville, and I needed to break out and experience a different community and lifestyle.” Almost 20 years to the day that he arrived in Nashville, Rollings and his wife headed west to Los Angeles.

Culturally, L.A. was an easy transition. Rollings relished the diversity he found among the people and the music scene. He fit in seamlessly and focused on his goal of composing and arranging, options that were in scant supply in Nashville at the time. The traffic however, was not as smooth an adjustment. “So much of your life in L.A. is spent either in traffic, or finding routes to avoid traffic,” he says. Still, Rollings’s career didn’t skip a beat. His composing efforts led to work on a number of theater projects and he hit the road playing keys for the likes of Mark Knopfler and other big-name artists.

Then came another pull for Rollings: the pull of family. He and his wife had a son and Rollings began to notice that the city’s spread-out, impersonal atmosphere was impeding his ability to be the best father he could be. Meanwhile, he was observing from a distance the changes taking place in Music City. “It felt like the things I loved about L.A. were coming to Nashville,” he says. After nearly 10 years away from “home,” Rollings and his family returned this year. They bought a house and began renovating to include a recording studio in the backyard to enable Rollings to spend more time with his family. He is noticeably energized when talking about what he sees in Nashville now. “It’s exciting to see the underground, working artist bubble up and become viable in this town. I feel like I’m coming back with a lot to offer.”

Rollings is coming home, but in a way he’s also starting over. He’s getting back to making records, but his first priority is being a dad. “We moved back to create a life for each other,” Rollings says of the family’s decision. “The rest of it will take care of itself.” Judging from his track record, there is no doubt it will.

David Petrelli is a songwriter and performer living in Nashville, TN.