Acclaimed Nashville based music producer, singer-songwriter and podcast host Tony Mantor is once again putting his music and production skills into action by doing good and making a difference in people's lives. In 2023, Mantor launched what has quickly become a popular podcast series on autism called Why Not Me The World, which has topped Apple Podcasts' Mental Health charts worldwide. Mantor recently assembled a veteran group of iconic Nashville session musicians that included David Pomeroy (Sting, Alison Kraus, Elton John), T. Wild (Garth Brooks, Brenda Lee, Patty Loveless) and William Ellis (Dave Matthews Band, Train, Counting Crows), to record a new song project featuring autistic teen singer Katie Griswold. Griswold is the Junior Miss of Georgia 2021 pageant winner, and more recently, the 2024 winner of Miss Emanuel County's Teen pageant in her hometown of Swainsboro.
Griswold gleamed with excitement and anticipation while she recorded "Make A Difference", a song written by Shawna Rodrigues, which pretty much sums up what Mantor and Griswold hope the song will do. Mantor says he plans to release the song as a single through his private record label Plateau Music on Wednesday, April 3, to commemorate the start of National Autism Acceptance Month. Griswold will also be the guest on Why Not Me The World podcast episode #39, releasing the same day as Katie's new song on April 3.
"When I interviewed Katie Griswold for my podcast, I saw a young girl who has a natural talent and wants to help others," said Mantor. "I wanted to help her realize her ambition to help others, so I brought her here to Nashville to record a song which I felt was the right song with the right message."
Mantor's Why Not Me The World podcast has featured a worldly group of celebrities and professionals from the music and entertainment industry, Autism thought leaders and others from the Autistic community. In less than a year, the podcast has risen to the top of various mental health podcast charts worldwide, including Apple Podcast Top 10 rankings in the U.S., Great Britain, and Canada. According to Listen Notes, a leading podcast search engine, rates Why Not Me The World among the top 0.5% worldwide.
"The guests who've been on Why Not Me The World have formed a strong community that informs and helps others," Mantor said. "I am beyond humbled to help play a role in sharing their stories, perspectives and contributions to benefit those who are living with this commonly misunderstood condition."
New episodes and new guests are streaming now in 2024 and can be streamed or downloaded on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, iHeart Media, Google Podcasts, or at TonyMantor.com.
