Audience members at the Roxy Theater Songwriter Showcase in Shelby may not have recognized his face, but they almost certainly knew his songs.
Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Kostas took the stage at the Roxy Theater this weekend, sharing stories behind some of country music's biggest hits and bringing a celebrated career back to his home state of Montana.
(WATCH: Hall of Fame songwriter Kostas brings stories and songs to Shelby)
Born Kostas Lazarides in Thessaloniki, Greece, Kostas immigrated to the United States as a child and grew up in Billings. Although music became a serious pursuit in the late 1960s, success did not come overnight.
After nearly two decades of modest success, one of his songs eventually landed on the desk of producer Tony Brown, who was searching for material for country singer Patty Loveless.
That song, "Timber, I'm Falling in Love," changed everything.
Released by Loveless in 1989, the song became Kostas' first major cut, first single and first No. 1 hit.
The success launched one of the most influential songwriting careers in country music.
Loveless would later record several more of Kostas' songs, including "The Lonely Side of Love," "On Down the Line" and "Blame It on Your Heart." The latter was named the 1994 BMI Country Song of the Year.
His songwriting credits also include hits like "Ain't That Lonely Yet" and "Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose" by Dwight Yoakam, "Going Out of My Mind" and "Love on the Loose, Heart on the Run" by McBride & The Ride, "Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man" by Travis Tritt and "I Can Love You Better" by the Chicks.
In 1989, the same year his career took off, Kostas was named the Nashville Songwriters Association International's Songwriter of the Year.
His success eventually earned him 11 BMI awards, a CMA Songwriter of the Year honor and induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019.
Despite decades of accolades, Kostas said songwriting has always been about the love of music and connecting with audiences.
"Music is a labor of love," he said in Shelby. "If you're in it, you do it because you love it."
The Songwriter Showcase gives audiences a chance to hear directly from the artists behind familiar songs, creating an intimate experience that festival organizers say is unlike a traditional concert.
For Kostas, the trip also marked his first visit to Shelby despite spending much of his life in Montana.
"It's good to see the land, and it's good to meet the people up here," he said.
This weekend, the songwriter whose words have been sung by some of country music's biggest stars returned to his Montana roots, proving that sometimes the stories behind the songs can be just as meaningful as the hits themselves.
