Ashley Gorley opens up to cmt.com about writing hit songs
By Preshias Harris
However successful you are as a songwriter, your name will always be in parentheses (and probably italics) while the song title and the artist’s name will be in big, bold type.
But seeing his name in parentheses is just fine with Ashley Gorley. He recently became the first and only songwriter in any music genre to write FIFTY No. 1 hits in the history of the Mediabase and Billboard airplay charts.
Ashley spoke with music journalist Alison Bonaguro who interviewed him for cmt.com. What Ashley said about his approach to songwriting and his disdain for celebrity status should serve as an inspiration and an object lesson for all emerging and aspiring songwriters. Read Alison’s full interview with Ashley here at cmt.com.
Ashley has come a long way from his Danville, KY, roots to his record-setting perch on Nashville’s Music Row. But it was no overnight success. Even after snagging a song publishing deal, it was seven years before his name (in parentheses) appeared under the title of a Top 40 song, and longer still before he was credited with a No. 1 – “Don’t Forget to Remember Me” for Carrie Underwood.
Self-imposed work ethic drives success
Unsurprisingly, Ashley’s work ethic plays as big a role in his success as his talent. He tells Alison:
Continue reading “What does it take to write fifty No. 1 hits?”