Bobby Braddock receives Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award
By Preshias Harris
The 6th Annual Nashville Songwriter Awards took over the hallowed stage of the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, September 26, 2023. The glittering event honors and recognizes the extraordinary men and women who are the driving force behind the songs usually associated with the artists who perform them. The Awards show was produced by Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and presented by City National Bank.
Front row L-R: David Israelite (2023 NSAI Advocacy Award recipient), Sonya Isaacs, Steve Bogard (NSAI, Board President), Bobby Braddock (2023 NSAI Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient), Nicolle Galyon, Emily Shackelton, Ashley Gorley (2023 NSAI ‘Songwriter of the Year’ recipient), Megan Moroney, Trannie Anderson (NSAI 2023 ‘Song of the Year’ recipient), Ben Burgess, Jennifer Turnbow (NSAI, Chief Operating Officer).
Back row L-R: Jimmy Yeary, Bart Herbison (NSAI, Executive Director), Ben Johnson, Dallas Wilson (NSAI 2023 ‘Song of the Year’ recipient), Ben Williams, Mark Holman, Hunter Phelps, David Fanning, Paul Jenkins. Photo credit: Jason Davis
Songwriter of the Year Ashley Gorley. Photo: Tori Perry Photography
Kentucky’s own Ashley Gorley seems to be setting an unmatchable level of achievement, receiving the Songwriter of the Year Award for a record seventh time. As of this writing, Ashley has notched up a record-breaking sixty-four Number One hits, a score that has probably increased by the time you read this.
Morgan Wallen was honored with the Songwriter-Artist of the Year and the NSAI Advocacy Award went to David Israelite, President and CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association. Tim McGraw was NSAI President’s Keystone Award recipient.
The Song of the Year Award went to TrannieAnderson, Dallas Wilson and Lainey Wilson for “Heart Like A Truck” recorded by Wilson.
Taylor Swift and Ashley Gorley on the Red Carpet. Photo: Catrina Engelby
Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift and Ashley Gorley were among the recipients at the fifth annual Nashville Songwriter Awards. The gala event was presented by Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) along with City National Bank on September 20 at the Ryman Auditorium.
It was an occasion to shine the spotlight on the
songwriters but many recording artists took the opportunity to show their
appreciation during the evening. These included Sam Hunt, Chris LaCorte, Josh
Osborne, Kelsea Ballerini, Nicolle Galyon, Parmalee, HARDY, Alana Springsteen,
Walker Hayes, Tigirlily, Thomas Rhett, Babyface and more.
The honorees included Garth Brooks (receiving the Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award), Ashley Gorley (Songwriter of the Decade) and Taylor Swift (Songwriter-Artist of the Decade). The Song of the Year Award was presented to Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Josh Jenkins and Matt Jenkins for “Buy Dirt” (recorded by Jordan Davis feat. Luke Bryan).
Read my full report on the Awards at Center Stage Mag here.
“Buy Dirt” – 2022 Song of the Year Pictured L-R: Josh Jenkins, Bart Herbison (Executive Director, NSAI), Jacob Davis, Jordan Davis, Steve Bogard (Board President, NSAI), Matt Jenkins, Lindsay Glover (NSAI).Photo credit: NSAIContinue reading “Nashville Songwriter Awards at a sold-out Ryman”
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 Gorley. Photo credit CMT
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:
The only songwriter in any genre with 50 Airplay No. 1s
by Preshias Harris
Ashley Gorley at the 2020 MusicRow Awards. Photo: Preshias Harris
Hitmaker and songwriting powerhouse Ashley Gorley set a new record August 3 as he notches his 50th No.1 song at Country radio with LOCASH’S Mediabase chart topper, “One Big Country Song.”
Gorley isn’t just the first songwriter in the Country format to achieve this feat, but it stamps him as the only songwriter of any genre to earn 50 No.1s in the history of the Mediabase and Billboard Airplay charts.
Gorley wrote “One Big Country Song” with fellow hitmakers Jesse Frasure and Hardy. The song follows Gorley’s 49th No. 1, “Hard to Forget,” recorded by Sam Hunt. Gorley’s first No. 1 was “Don’t Forget to Remember Me” for Carrie Underwood. in 2006. Scroll down for a full list of all 50 of Gorley’s chart-toppers.
Thank you, Ashley Gorley, for my delight at being able to watch you write your way into global music history. It makes me extremely proud of my Kentucky connection, along with our shared love of Kentucky Wildcats basketball. Now let’s get Ashley nominated for the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame! This would be a wonderful boost for our Kentucky Music legacy. Danville, Kentucky, native Ashley needs to be alongside the Everly Brothers, The Judds, Dwight Yoakum, The Kentucky Headhunters, Exile, Steve Wariner and the rest of our history of Kentucky Music inductees. – Preshias Harris
Nashville attracts songwriters like bees to a sunflower. For many, it takes a giant leap of faith to leave home, family and friends – and often a good job – to move to Nashville with the hope of becoming a songwriter.
“I was here about eleven or twelve years before I had a song that was doing well at radio.” – Ashley Gorley
Recently, Chris Lane took a day off from touring to celebrate his second No. 1 song, “I Don’t Know About You” (on Big Loud Records) and talk about his new single, “Big, Big Plans,” that he wrote with Jacob Durrett and Ernest K. Smith.
During the roundtable media meeting before the presentation of the awards for “I Don’t Know About You,” Chris and that song’s writers – Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Hunter Phelps and Jameson Rodgers – opened up about coming to Nashville and how their songwriting careers developed.
“I wrote 12 terrible songs!”
Chris Lane
“For me, I never knew that I wanted to do anything with music,” Chris admitted. “I was always involved with sports growing up. I felt that was what I was great at.” An outstanding athlete, he played baseball at the University of North Carolina and had plans to pursue a career as a professional baseball player. However, sports-related injuries made that dream impossible and he turned to music.
“When I graduated college, I was learning how to play the guitar and trying to figure out how to sing and play at the same time,” he continued. “I started a cover band and I guess I became extremely passionate over the touring side of things and being an artist. I don’t think at that time I was thinking, ‘Oh man, I’m gonna be a country artist one day that will have a song on the radio,’ or any of that kind of stuff. Songwriting was kind of an afterthought. I would go out and play all my favorite artists’ [songs], Kenny Chesney Keith Urban, Aldean, Eric Church. I mean I would just cover their songs every night and play for four hours.”
“To be able to sing a song… that connects with the crowd, that’s super special.” – Chris Lane
“What’s your name, what’s your sign, what’s your birthday? / What’s your wrist tattoo bible verse say? / Tell me this, do you kiss on the first date? / Don’t hold anything back.” – lyrics from “I Don’t Know About You”
It took 45 weeks to climb to the top of Billboard’s Country Airplay charts, but Chris Lane’s “I Don’t Know About You” (Big Loud Records) finally made it to No. 1 on October 01, 2019. On Tuesday, January 28, Chris celebrated that achievement with the song’s writers at a Number One party in Nashville, hosted by the performing rights organizations, BMI and ASCAP.
Receiving plaques to mark the occasion were songwriters Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Hunter Phelps and Jameson Rodgers. The event was extra special for Phelps and Rodgers as “I Don’t Know About You” marked the first No. 1 for both songwriters. For Ashley, it was his forty-fourth No. 1. (To make things more complicated, last week Ashley celebrated his forty-fifth No. 1 for co-writing “Good Vibes” for Chris Janson, and since then has already scored his forty-sixth and forty-seventh chart-topper!)
Pictured (L-R): ASCAP Songwriter Jameson Rodgers, BMI Songwriter Michael Hardy, Chris Lane, ASCAP Songwriter Hunter Phelps, ASCAP Songwriter Ashley Gorley. Photo: Ed Rode
Song struck a chord with listeners
“I Don’t Know About You” really struck a chord with listeners as it is built around typical questions that a guy will ask a girl when they first meet, hoping for a date.
During the media roundtable before the presentation Lane and the songwriters talked about the song. “Lyrically, it had really cool lines in it,” said Lane. “For whatever reason, people just gravitated towards that. And even fans. I mean, a line as simple as, ‘Girl I know your favorite beer because you told me and I bought it.’ I’ve watched people scream that line! Obviously with the ‘wrist tattoo’ line. I’ve had people come up to me in the grocery store and say, ‘I love your bible verse tattoo song.’ That’s what they refer to it as, they don’t call it by its name! People took to it because of really great lines and a great melody as well.”
Tuesday, June 11, 2019 is a date that Chase Rice will remember for a long time. It was the date of his first Number One party. Chase celebrated the success of “Eyes On You” with co-writers Ashley Gorley and Chris DeStafano at The Tin Roof in Nashville.
Left to right: Ashley Gorley, Chase Rice and Chris DeStefano talk with the media at the Tun Roof. Photo: Preshias Harris
Chase, Ashley and Chris met with members of the music media before the awards presentation and recalled the day that they wrote “Eyes On You.”
“That day was pretty pivotal because it was not good in my career the day we wrote that,” admitted Chase. “I was on my way out of Sony. I think I had, like, a week left in my contract. It was a scary time for me, even though, looking back, I probably wasn’t acknowledging that as much, but it was a tough time. Like, ‘if we don’t get something going big right now, this could go south real quick.’”
The Country Music Association has revealed the recipients of the 10th annual CMA Triple Play Awards, an honor presented to songwriters who pen three No. 1 songs within a 12-month period based on the Country Aircheck, Billboard Country Airplay and Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
In total, 10 songwriters will receive trophies this year: Luke Combs, Jesse Frasure, Nicolle Galyon, Ashley Gorley, Tyler Hubbard, Josh Kear, Shane McAnally, Chase McGill, Josh Osborne and Thomas Rhett.
Galyon will host a very special CMA Songwriters Series Presented by U.S. Bank performance, taking place Tuesday, Feb. 19 at Marathon Music Works in Nashville at 7:00 PM (doors 6:00 PM) and also featuring Combs, Gorley, Kear, McGill and Osborne.
(L to R) Nicolle Galyon, Luke Combs, Ashley Gorley, Josh Kier, Chase McGill, Josh Osborne set to appear at CMA Songwriters Series, Feb 19. Photo: CMA
(L-R): MusicRow Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson, Ashley Gorley and MusicRow Chart Director Alex Kobrick. Photo: Preshias Harris
Ashley Gorley has received yet another honor. At the MusicRow Magazine’s 16th annual Country Breakout Awards, Gorley received the Songwriter of the Year Award. The award goes annually to the songwriter with “the most songs that commanded country radio in … secondary markets,” according to MusicRow Publisher and Owner, Sherod Robertson. It was Gorley’s second consecutive win.
The Awards ceremony was part of MusicRow’s annual ‘Country Radio Meet & Greet’ held at the Listening Room Café in Nashville. As before, it was held during the first day of the Country Radio Seminar (CRS). Although it is not part of the official CRS program, the event always attracts large numbers of radio air personalities and program directors, as well as members of Nashville’s music community.
Seven Number Ones in 2017
Ashley Gorley. Photo: Tape Room Music
Gorley was honored for the remarkable achievement of co-writing seven Number Ones on the 2017 MusicRow charts. Among those songs: Blake Shelton’s “A Guy With a Girl” that was Gorley’s 30th Number One as a writer.
Gorley’s other MusicRow Number Ones for 2017: Thomas Rhett’s “Unforgettable,” Jon Pardi’s “Dirt On My Boots,” Dierks Bentley’s “Black,” Chris Janson’s “Fix A Drink,” Brad Paisley’s “Today” and Billy Currington’s “Do I Make You Wanna.” Gorley is also the only songwriter to have received the ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award five times, a record that he set in 2017.
A native of Danville, Kentucky, in 2011 Gorley partnered with Combustion Music and Warner/Chappell Music to start up Tape Room Music, his own music publishing company.
Blake, Kelsea Artists of the Year
Blake Shelton. Photo: MusicRow
At the Country Breakout Awards, Blake Shelton earned the Male Artist of the Year Award for more spins than any other male artist on the MusicRow Country Breakout Chart, achieving 83,208 spins reported by stations on MusicRow’s panel. His spin total included three No. 1 hits on the Country Breakout chart: “I’ll Name The Dogs,” “A Guy With A Girl” and “Every Time I Hear That Song.”
Kelsea Ballerini. Photo: Sara Barlow/MusicRow
Kelsea Ballerini was recognized as Female Artist of the Year with 80,928 reported spins. Kelsea had two No. 1s on the MusicRow Country Breakout chart with “Legends” and “Yeah Boy.” This was Kelsea’s second consecutive win in this category.
FGL nab 4th win; Combs, Owens honored
Florida Georgia Line
The Group/Duo of the Year Award went to Florida Georgia Line for the fourth consecutive year with 76,938 spins in 2017. FGL’s Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard topped MusicRow’s chart with “Smooth” and also with “God, Your Mama and Me,” a collaboration with Backstreet Boys.
Luke Combs. Photo: Louis Brown
Luke Combs received the Breakout Artist of the Year Award. Combs’ songs, including the Platinum-certified hit “Hurricane,” racked up 78,978 spins on reporting stations. His debut album, ‘This One’s For You,’ has already been certified Gold by RIAA.
Shane Owens
Shane Owens took home the Independent Artist of the Year Award, gaining more spins than any other indie artist in 2017 with a total of 33,428 spins. Owens’ songs, including “19” helped him lead the pack of independent artists.
Capitol Records Nashville locked in an unassailable 14th win as MusicRow’s Label of the Year. The UMG imprint scored 457,962 spins in 2017 with airplay from artists such as Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood.
The annual MusicRow Country Breakout Awards go to artists, songwriters and labels that have achieved the most spins as reported by secondary market radio stations that report to the MusicRow Country Breakout chart.
Full details and more can be found in the February/March issue of MusicRow magazine and online at musicrow.com.
