One of the University of Miami’s own is behind a hit song that topped the Billboard’s country charts. Ben Goldsmith, a co-writer of the song “Homemade” by singer Jake Owen, is an alumnus of the Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music, and he is one of the earliest to go through the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program.
“This is my first hit song, and I’m super grateful for this recognition,” said Goldsmith. “In country music we heavily rely on the radio as a main driver of hits, and this song took 42 weeks to reach number one, so it’s been a really long journey.”
Goldsmith, who co-wrote the song with three other people, said it was a pleasure working with Owen and the team.
“It was so fun going through the process with them. It takes a true artist to hear your song and believe in it and make it their own, and it was an honor to work with Jake,” he said.
Goldsmith credits the Frost School of Music for helping him get to where he is today.
“I’ve always loved music, and I knew that I wanted to do something with music. But I didn’t really know how you have a career doing it. When I found out about the Hornsby program, I thought to myself ‘wow that’s right up my alley,’ ” he recalled. “I’m grateful that Bruce Hornsby donated funds to start this program, because it was exactly what I wanted to do,” he added.
“All of us became super close, because we helped build the program,’’ Goldsmith noted. “It gave me the opportunity to meet with talented peers who were trying to do the same stuff that I was trying to do. We were all growing and learning together,” he explained.
Goldsmith believes that the program taught him highly beneficial skills that he still uses on a daily basis in his career.
“We were taught how to create tracks and demos, which is something I do every day. I think it would have taken me longer to get my feet wet in Nashville if I didn’t have this background in music,’’ he added.
Reynaldo Sanchez, director of the Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program and associate dean of strategic initiatives and innovation, is proud of Goldsmith but not surprised by his success.
“Ben was always so hard working. He was relentless in his pursuit of trying to get better at what he did. I think we’re just scratching the surface and we’re really proud of him here at Frost,” Sanchez said.
Goldsmith has stayed connected with Sanchez and will never forget the valuable lessons he learned from him.
“One of my favorite classes I took with Rey was lyric writing. It was a cool way for me to study songs, because I learned that there are so many ways to write a song and so many points of views,’’ Goldsmith pointed out. “I think that was one major thing I remember and still use in my career today.”
Goldsmith recounts traveling to Nashville every summer during his time at the U to intern at a publishing company and recording studio, which eventually helped him to land his first job in the industry.
“My first opportunity was to integrate data and read excel sheets. Obviously, I went to music school, and I wanted to play music, but it was a foot in the door. I ended up working there for four years, and I eventually got promoted and worked my way up,” said Goldsmith.
He believes hard work helped pave a path for success for him. He advises those at Frost who are interested in entering the music industry to do the same.
“I think when you work hard, it’s a great equalizer for many things. You also grow exponentially, because you’re constantly working at your craft. When you work hard you also seem to find luck sometimes,” Goldsmith said.
The U Creates is a platform dedicated to showcasing the arts and humanities at the University of Miami. For more information, visit arts.miami.edu
