Greetings, and welcome to my website. My name is Jamie McElman, and I'm a songwriter. With these words I launched my original website on October 1, 2006. Well, some years have passed and some more songs have been written, and I’m excited to welcome you to my newly reimaged website, Mountain Rise Music. This labor of love remains a work in progress, with additional pages and content to be added as the need arises.

I like words. Initially an adolescent poet describing my love of nature and my awkward feelings about girls, I've been playing guitar and writing songs since 1976. My songs are good. In recent years I’ve rediscovered my love for performing, yet my true strength and focus lies in songwriting.

Writing songs is my way of understanding the world around me. In We Go On I wrote that everyone needs “a means of expression to keep the wild dogs at bay”. Over the years my muses have inspired me to write about the human condition, relationships - mine and others - and occasionally politics. In recent years I find I’m writing evermore about life’s journey: it’s endless and ever changing. Now, when I look back at my earlier lyrics, it seems I often have. For me, the music is the carrier of the message, and I’ll often deliberate for days over a single lyric. Then I pray that someone listens.

Inspiration lies everywhere: a simple phrase uttered by a friend or the sound of a guitar have sparked the creative process. I’m grateful to the universe for this gift, and my resulting sanity.

Look around and enjoy yourself. Please let me know what you think.

All good things.

Jamie, January 8, 2024