Thomas Rhett picks up ‘Gold’ album, too
Nashville is turning into a party town. A ‘Number One’ party town, that is, with frequent festivities to honor the writers of recent chart toppers.
It was a ‘twofer’ party for Thomas Rhett on February 16, as the writers of two of his recent hits, ‘Craving You’ and ‘Unforgettable,’ were recognized for their achievements. The party at Von Elrod’s was jointly hosted by ASCAP and BMI, commemorating Rhett’s eighth and ninth career Number Ones.
Dave Barnes and Julian Bunetta were recognized for writing Rhett’s RIAA Platinum-selling mega hit, ‘Craving You,’ that also featured the voice of Maren Morris. Interestingly, it was not certain that ‘Craving You’ would be released with the Maren Morris backing vocals. Versions were mixed both with and without Maren’s vocals. On comparing the two, Rhett and his team decided that the ‘with’ version was better, even though he had originally felt that ‘Craving You’ wasn’t really a duet song.
Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley and Shane McAnally co-wrote “Unforgettable” with Rhett, released as the second single from Rhett’s 2017 album, ‘Life Changes.’ Frasure, Gorley and McAnally are all veteran hit writers with literally scores of No. 1 notches on their belts.
Both Frasure and Gorley better not stray too far: they’ll be back on February 21 to receive awards as writers of John Pardi’s No. 1 hit, “Dirt On My Boots.” co-written with Rhett Akins – who happens to be Thomas Rhett’s dad.
‘Life Changes’ goes GOLD
If that wasn’t enough, Rhett was also surprised with a plaque to commemorate ‘Life Changes’ (The Valory Music Co.) earning RIAA Gold Certification for achieving 500,000 units sold less than six months after its release. Additionally, his current Top 5 single “Marry Me” has been certified Gold as it continues to climb the Country radio charts.
As a songwriter, Thomas Rhett is a force to be reckoned with. Next week, Thomas Rhett will be recognized as a CMA Triple Play Award recipient, which honors songwriters who have penned three No. 1 songs within a 12-month period (“Die A Happy Man,” “Star of the Show” and Michael Ray’s “Think A Little Less”).
Rhett is keeping up the momentum with his ‘Life Changes Tour 2018,’ set to kick off in April. For more information and for a full list of upcoming tour dates, visit www.ThomasRhett.com.
Preshias Harris is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com
