Steve Dorff is quite critical of his own singing ability.
“After you hear me sing a couple of my hits, you’ll know why I never tried being a performer,” Dorff said with a laugh.
Dorff will be appearing live in concert at the Hastings Performing Arts Center on Saturday at 7 p.m., but what he considers to be mediocre vocals are just a small sliver of what will make this night so special.
Dorff’s massive resume of accomplishments is for his work as a songwriter and composer, and the list of artists for whom he has written is nothing less than astounding. Just a few on the laundry list of names include Barbara Streisand, The Carpenters, Cher, Dolly Parton, Dusty Springfield, George Strait, Kenny Rogers, Smokey Robinson, Whitney Houston and Willie Nelson.
He’s composed music for both television and movies, garnering him five Emmy Award nominations and three Grammy Award nominations. He’s also a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee.
Dorff, who resides in Nashville, embraces his role as the man behind the curtain, writing songs for some of the most recognizable artists of a generation – even if the throngs of fans don’t know who he is.
“Just as long as the royalty checks clear, I don’t care,” Dorff joked.
“I’ve never had any aspirations to be Kenny Rogers or the out-front artist,” Dorff explained. “That was just not my thing – my passion was writing the songs and hoping that amazing voices would record them.”
Some of his songs were bona fide hits, including “I Cross My Heart” and “The Man In Love With You” by George Strait and “Through The Years” by Kenny Rogers.
For his performance in Hastings, Dorff will be sitting at a piano telling stories behind some of these hit songs.
“I talk about the behind-the-scenes stories about how the songs get to the artists and how they became a hit,” Dorff said.
“No one has any idea about how these songs that they know and that they’ve heard on the radio, the journey that it takes for a song written in a small dark studio to all of a sudden go to being on the radio,” he added.
Dorff also chronicled those journeys in his book, titled “I Wrote That One, Too….,” which will be available for purchase at his appearance at HPAC. The book is also available online.
Tickets for “An Evening With Steve Dorff” can still be purchased online at hastings.ludus.com.