Songwriter Tony Arata—who wrote Garth Brooks's hit "The Dance," along with songs recorded by Patty Loveless, Lee Roy Parnell, and many others—sings, shares the stories behind his songs, and answers audience questions during a Songwriter Session at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Arata opens the April 8, 2017, program with a performance of "Night By Night," a song he included on his own 2005 album "Such is Life." That pick from his discography leads into a mix of compositions made popular by other well-known country artists.

Among the songs Arata picks to play and illuminate: "Here I Am," recorded by Patty Loveless for her "When Fallen Angels Fly" album; "Sing You Back to Me," from Trisha Yearwood's "Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love"; and "Love Every Time," which appears on Suzy Bogguss's self-titled album.

Arata also performs and talks about "The Dance," a #1 for Garth Brooks in 1990, and a song that both Arata and Brooks have credited with catapulting their careers.

“The Dance,” Arata remembers, was the second song he wrote after moving to Nashville. He performed it at Nashville club Douglas Corner, and Brooks responded immediately. "He said, 'Pal, if I ever get a record deal, man I'm doin' that song,'" Arata recalls. Three years later, Brooks signed to Capitol Records, and called Arata to make good on the promise to record "The Dance."

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