Richie Kotzen is set to release his new song "Grammy" to iTunes today, and he's still marveling over the way inspiration strikes.

"Songs come at the most unexpected times," Kotzen tells Ultimate Classic Rock. "My girlfriend Julia had a gig in Big Bear, and that night I went to bed early. Suddenly, at 1:30AM, I woke up and had the concept for this tune."

You can listen to the song above.

An all-nighter ensued for Kotzen, who's been a member of the all-star Winery Dogs since 2012. He emerged with a direct, from-the-heart song that he felt required a similarly unvarnished musical approach.

"I stayed up till about 8AM and recorded the tune, and struggled through editing and posting a lyric video to go with it," Kotzen says. "It’s a very simple recording – guitar voice and a drum beat, but one of the things that makes it sound interesting to me is the fact that it is completely dry. There are no delays, reverbs or effects so when you listen to it, it sounds like I’m right in the room with you. I think the fact that the tune is so naked on a production level fits well with the personal nature of the lyrics."

"Grammy" would potentially become part of Kotzen's 21 solo album, following Cannibals in 2015. "I’ve been writing and recording a lot lately, so I would predict sometime next year releasing a new solo CD," he says. "We shall see."

A former opening act for the Rolling Stones, Kotzen has also been a member of Poison (he wrote a pair of Top 20 singles for the 1993 album Native Tongue) and Mr. Big (2000's Get Over It and 2001's Actual Size). He also appeared on Gene Simmons' 2004 solo album Asshole.

The Winery Dogs, who released their second album in 2015, also include Billy Sheehan (who's played with David Lee Roth and Mr. Big) and Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Transatlantic).

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