Imperial Valley News

San Antonio, Texas - You never know when a particular song will become a hit says award-winning songwriter Mitch Stephen. “You know, you can spend years writing what you think of as good songs about serious relationships,” he said recently. “Then you write a funny song about a gringo and it takes off.”

That funny song was David Lee Garza y Los Musicales’ tune “Who’s that Gringo?” To everyone’s surprise, the song went on to capture the Crossover Song of the year award at the 2005 Tejano Music Awards.

No small accomplishment. That song beat out some heavy-hitters including “My Woman, My Lover, My Friend,” by Grupo Mazz; “Amor, Familia Y Respeto,” by K1; “Quemar,” Maz Ambicion; and “Taking on the Wind,” by Stefani Montiel.

Beyond stunned by winning the award, Stephen was astonished that the fans in the sold-out arena sang along to his lyrics.

“It’s an excitement, a feeling you never forget,” he said. “To hear all these people singing along…to know that what you wrote, brought some joy to people is hard to describe.”

For Stephen, achieving such heady recognition was sweeter than candy. Ask any struggling or veteran songwriter, after years in the trenches few forget their first successes.

“I was higher than a kite that night,” Stephen said. “My feet didn’t touch the ground for at least two weeks.”

Like most writers, Stephen wrote about what was familiar, getting inspiration from personal experiences and emotional upheavals.

“Writing songs has always been like a catharsis for me, a way to express myself, my feelings, my points of view,” said Stephen. “It was a way to inspire or move me, and hopefully, a way to move others.”

Stephen began writing tunes when he was in the 7th grade. One day he visited a music store at Wonderland, now Crossroads, Mall and listens to an artists  playing over the store speakers. That man was Dan Fogelberg, and the song was “To the Morning.”

“I didn’t have much money but I bought every album title he had in the store. I went home and played them for hours. I decided that day that if I could move someone – anyone – with my words like he was moving me with his…then that is what I’d like to do. I have never stopped trying.”

Stephen and his co-writer Billy O’Rourke has also written songs for the country girl group Lantana, including "Country As A City Girl Can Be" and “I'll Forgive You."
In 1989, Stephen produced his first CD, “Some Fires Never Die,” available only at www.MitchStephen.com, where fans can listen to the music.

He also produced a CD with 19 songs to accompany his first book. “My Life & 1000 Houses.” He teamed up with singer K. Hughes and O’Rourke to handle vocal duties. Most of the songs are sung by K. Hughes and were produced by Jarrad Green in Myrtle Beach, in his one bedroom apartment using pro tools. The cuts with O'Rourke were produced by Bill Green at San Antonio’s BGM studios.
Stephen’s determination to find success in songwriting, also helped him find success in another field - real estate.

In his new riveting new book, “My Life & 1000 Houses,” Stephen looks back on all the trials and tribulations in his life that eventually led to his success in real estate.

After devouring hundreds of books and real estate seminars, Stephen said goodbye to credit card debt by sacrificing short term gratification. But he went back to his credit cards, but this time with an intelligent plan to get a foothold as a rehabber of single family homes. Eventually he expanded to commercial properties, manufactured homes, raw land and lots.

On his way to buying more than 1,000 houses, Stephen found the formula for success by staying focused on the ultimate goal – not money but financial freedom. His book, “My Life & 1000 Houses,” covers the basics of real estate investing but reaches beyond monetary success. As the subtitle "Failing Forward to Financial Freedom" suggests, the juice here is the story of how he overcame adversity, self-doubt, rejection and failure and was able to turn lemons into lemonade.

Stephen’s ultimate message? “Life is about the journey. There is no neutral,” he said. “Enjoy the ride. Love with all your heart. Improve every chance you get. Forgive yourself and others when they fall short…and never ever stop trying.”

Ramiro Burr covers the Latin music scene at www.ramiroburr.com. Burr is also the author of "The Billboard Guide to Tejano and Regional Mexican Music," on Billboard Books.