Steve W. Mauldin - Producer/Arranger Biography

If talent is the essential element for a producer/arranger to remain successful in the commercial music market, then Steve W. Mauldin is extraordinarily qualified.  Over twenty-five years of recording experience has polished his compositional style making Steve one of the most versatile producer/arrangers working in Nashville today, enabling him to work with top artists in Pop, Country, and Gospel music, as well as live shows, multi-media events, film and jingles.

”My career is a continual study of styles and their detailed elements so I can reproduce a style on command with authenticity.  When it’s Rock-N-Roll, I have to forget everything else and become Rock-N-Roll, yet if the style calls for a classical, symphonic treatment I have to draw from my formal musical training and forget everything else.”

Steve began his formal musical training early, while growing up in Greenville, South Carolina, taking piano lessons from his mother, Joan, and touring with the Mauldin Family Singers.  His natural ear was developed early as Steve was singing harmonies with his parents from age seven.  At age eleven, he began playing bass with the group and soon was included on album projects produced by his father’s record label, Melody Records.  Steve was taught to sing and play bass by his father, Horace L. Mauldin, a well-known songwriter who has had many songs recorded and successfully charted.  Later Steve’s younger brother, Russell, would join the group to complete The Mauldin Family Singers. 

In 1972, Steve entered Furman University where he earned a classical degree in Music Theory, also that same year Mark Five Recording Studios placed him on their staff as a regular studio musician.  Steve does not mark his professional career with the forty albums he played on prior to 1972 but considers his official entry into professional music to be June 14, 1972 when he played a country session with the best of Mark Five’s staff musicians and was added to the staff roster getting a “payroll” check instead of the “green” check.

While attending Furman Steve balanced a full college load, a recording career, the Mauldin Family’s travels, a performance schedule with the Furman Singers, and the Furman Jazz Ensemble which played concerts with well know Jazz artists Dizzy Gillespie, and Stan Kenton.

After graduation Steve immediately put his Theory degree into practice arranging for rhythm, vocals and full orchestra.  Legendary gospel songwriter Mosie Lister was one of the first to give Steve a chance to pursue his craft, asking him to arrange the tracks and orchestra for Mosie’s choral parts.  A lifetime friendship grew that would last through dozens of projects.

In 1981, Steve made the difficult decision to leave his close-knit family and move to Nashville Tennessee, putting his nine years of professional recording experience to a higher test.  Within weeks of his arrival Steve was offered a job as bass player for world renowned guitarist Chet Atkins.  (Steve replaced Steve Wairner when Wairner left to pursue a solo career.)  It did not take long for Mauldin to start getting regular calls for work in Nashville.  Among those who called were Pat Boone, The Cathedrals, Phil Driscoll, Lulu Roman, Tanya Tucker, Ray Price, Truth, The Drifters, The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, Rusty Goodman, The Gaither Vocal Band, and Willie Nelson.

”I out grew Greenville.  I knew I needed to live in a recording center where I could learn from others who were doing the same thing I was doing. I also knew I had better take any chances I was going to take while I was single so that if I had to starve, at least I would only be starving myself.”

In 1983, Steve would marry Deborah Hudson. Deborah was the office manager for the Metro Council, a part of Nashville’s metropolitan government, when she and Steve met at Broadmoor Church of God, where Steve served two terms as music director.  Deborah served as choir member and a featured soloist.  In 1985 their home was blessed with a son, Eric, and four years later, in 1989, with a daughter, Lisa.

”As a free-lance musician I have some years that are better than others.  One year shortly after Deborah and I were married work stopped for everybody in Nashville and I really looked hard at what I was doing for a living.  After much soul searching I came to a conclusion that I shared with my wife.  I’m five-feet-nine inches tall, I have light brown hair, green eyes, and I write music for a living. I can’t change any of those elements. I have been blessed, (or cursed depending on which day we’re talking,) with a God given talent and my assignment in life is to make music that lifts the human spirit. I’ve never seen a movie,a television show, a newscast, a sports event, or a church service without music.  Since somebody has to write music for those events, it might as well be me.”

Recent years have brought successful to Steve as he has worked for Michael Omartian, Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stewart, Chely Wright, Martina McBride, and Gary Puckett.  He was called on to orchestrate for Dennis DeYoung, (from Styx,) and his Broadway musical adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  Yamaha music asked Steve to prepare music for their Los Angeles NAMM show Tribute to Michael McDonald featuring Ray Charles, Christopher Cross, Patti Austin, Bozz Scaggs, Steve Winwood and a host of others.  For ten years, (until his death,) Steve served as producer/arranger for legendary pianist Floyd Cramer.

Steve has been featured in several trade magazines and his work has appeared in the Top Singles charts in Billboard, Cashbox, The Singing News, The Gospel Voice, and others.  He has had twenty-eight number one singles in The Singing News charts and remained in the #1 position for a whole year with various artists. Steve has had five nominations for The Dove Award presented by the Gospel Music Association, (GMA.)  Three times he has won the Southern Gospel Music Association’s, (SGMA,) award as Arranger of the Year.  Since 1986 Steve has served on the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, (NARAS,) arranging craft committee to help decide which composer/arrangers will receive the coveted Grammy Award.

Steve was called on to serve as one of Tennessee’s official arrangers for Homecoming í86, a statewide celebration.  He was asked to provide the official version of the song commissioned by the United States Government commemoration the bi-centennial of the United States Constitution.  He has conducted many orchestras including the North Carolina Symphony and the Nashville Symphony.  He served six years as orchestra director at Christ Church and his arrangement of “King Jesus Is His Name” was performed on the Reba McIntire television special, “Christmas Cards.”

Steve has served as musical director for The Golden Voice Awards, an annual event hosted during Nashville’s Fan Fare week.  The Golden Voice Awards is voted on and presented by the artists of the Grand Ole Opry and honors singers and musicians both living and dead for their accomplishments.  Steve’s arrangements accompany Charlie Pride, The Browns, Gene Watson, Bill Anderson, Steve Wairner, The Whites, Mandy Barnett, and many more.

In 2002, Steve co-wrote “United Through it All” with Randall Bayne and Mike Allen.  The song was written after the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center Towers.  Randall was scheduled to meet with a client in the North Tower that fateful morning, but cancelled the meeting at the last minute.  The song evoked such emotion that the United States Army Band renamed their fall tour the “United Through it All” tour.  The song has been performed at the White House on numerous occasions and President George W. Bush personally requested the combined military bands perform the song before he spoke at the Pentagon ceremony on the anniversary of the disaster, which was televised nationally.

Steve has recently formed an alliance with several writers under the title ATG Creative Group.  ATG is actively courting the film industry supplying recorded music for film.  Steve has written underscore orchestra for “Pippy Goes to The City,” a short subject film distributed by Carmike Theaters, and served as copyist for the feature motion picture, Ernest Goes To Jail.  One of his arrangement was included in the film “U-Turn” featuring Sean Penn as well as “The Ice Storm” staring Kevin Kline.  Steve recently finished a Christian children’s television pilot titled Sonshine Crossings, which is being considered by PAX Television and FOX Family Networks. 

In 2004, Steve has written arrangements for the children’s movie, “Hoodwinked: The True Story of Little Red Riding Hood,” a televisions show featuring Irish tenor Andy Cooney, and served as the arranger for CMT’s broadcast of “The 100 Greatest Love Songs,” featuring Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, and many more.

Regardless of the tasks, Steve always exhibits skill, hard work and excessive organization to the job at hand.  Steve’s career has demonstrated unquestionable honesty, integrity and dependability for over thirty years and has placed him in high esteem among Nashville’s finest musicians and industry leaders.  For certain, his work will continue to have influence in the Nashville music community for many years to come. 

”I gain a lot of encouragement looking at other composers and arrangers like Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Handel, Debussy, Nelson Riddle, Henry Mancini, Cam Mullins, Bergan White, and Ron Huff. 

It seems to me that composers never age.  Their best work is usually from the “mature” years. A composer’s life is one continuous collection of sounds and ideas incorporating decades of styles, fads, and experimentations.  Sometimes the combinations fail, but sometimes they work, and we remember what works and avoid repeating what fails. Composers chase a life-long quest to conquered the burning passion with in us to create something dazzling, unlike anything ever heard before. We’re always looking for a new sound, and a new color.  The longer we live, the longer we accumulate the colors and textures from which we paint.  Accepting this premise, I’m encouraged to believe my greatest work is yet to come.”