On Monday, Nov. 18, ASCAP (the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) hosted its 62nd Country Music Awards in celebration of the songwriters and publishers of country music’s most-performed ASCAP songs of the past year.
Ashley Gorley scored his 11th ASCAP Country Music Songwriter of the Year win, allowing him to continue his reign as the most-awarded ASCAP songwriter in the country format. Chris Stapleton was also on hand to claim his first ASCAP Country Music Songwriter/Artist of the Year honor while Sony Music Publishing was named ASCAP Country Music Publisher of the Year for the 11th time.
The invitation-only gathering took place in Downtown Nashville, where guests enjoyed a performance of Everette’s recent single, “High and Lonesome,” before ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews, ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams and ASCAP Vice President of Nashville Membership Mike Sistad handed out awards.
Gorley Wrote 11 Most-Performed Country Songs Of The Year
After enjoying light bites and catching up with friends and members of the industry, recipients stepped up to the stage to accept their honors and share a few words of gratitude. Gorley was the first to be recognized for writing 11 most-performed country songs of the year, which includes “World on Fire” and “Bulletproof” (Nate Smith), “Save Me the Trouble” (Dan + Shay), “All I Need Is You” (Chris Janson), “Truck Bed” (Hardy), and “God Gave Me s Girl” (Russell Dickerson).
While catching up with Country Now on the ASCAP red carpet, Gorley reflected on how “special” this year’s ASCAP Awards was with it being his 11th win with 11 songs. “I mean, it’s all gravy at this point. It’s very fun. I don’t set goals for numbers or anything like that, but to just keep getting them means I’m still in the game and as long as I can be with my friends and hang out and have a good time on a daily basis, I’m going to keep doing it.”
The Writing Process Behind Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night”
The recent Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee is also responsible for co-writing the ASCAP Country Song of the Year – Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” – alongside JKash. This recognition earned Gorley his fourth ASCAP Country Song of the Year win. The Grammy-nominated single reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, the Billboard Country Airplay chart and the Billboard Hot 100 where it spent 16 non-consecutive weeks in the top spot. The song is one of Gorley’s remarkable 80 chart-topping hits.
“We sat down for three days and tried to think of something crazy that Morgan could do,” Gorley shared of the writing session behind “Last Night.” “I mean there’s people from every country sending songs to Morgan right now. It’s like, oh my gosh, how will we ever get another one out,” he continued. “A lot of the time we write for him, we’re just trying crazy stuff and he’s just crazy enough to do it. So it ends up being a good combination. He’s not afraid to try some different sound and stuff like that. And when we wrote ‘Last Night,’ it felt special. When we finished the demo, we were like, okay, this seems like it could be something. And then once he did it, it was over.”
Chris Stapleton Congratulates Fellow Songwriters
Along with Stapleton’s ASCAP Country Music Songwriter/Artist of the Year honor, two of his fan-favorites – “White Horse” (co-written by ASCAP member Dan Wilson) and “Think I’m in Love with You” – were both included in ASCAP’s most-performed country songs of the year. He stepped up in front of his peers and delivered a heartfelt speech commemorating his journey in Music City and the ones who have helped him along the way.
“I moved to Nashville to be a songwriter. That’s what I moved to Nashville to do. That was my dream, that was my whole plan…I’ve seen so many friends and so many people who’ve helped me and encouraged me along the way,” he said before going on to gush about his wife, Morgane. “My wife is here with me tonight and she always is my biggest encourager and supporter, and I love her so much and she helps me keep on doing this.”
Stapleton went on to congratulate his fellow winners of the evening and emphasized how much he values his role as a songwriter.
“I’m trying to figure out what I’m feeling tonight and I think I’m just honored to be a songwriter and I see a room full of these guys…congratulations, Ashley, and to all the winners tonight. If you’re in this room tonight, you’re in a very special room. You should feel honored to be in this room if you are wearing one of those things around your neck. That’s what we all move to town to do. And if you’re a songwriter, you’re always going to be a songwriter and nobody can ever take that away from you, and nobody can ever say that you’re not one. And that’s what I love about being a songwriter. So thank you for this award. I really appreciate it. And thank you to everybody who’s been there for me over the years and I’ll try to do you proud.”
Carly Pearce Praises Her “We Don’t Fight Anymore” Duet Partner
Among the list of most-performed songs of the year was Stapleton’s duet with Carly Pearce, “We Don’t Fight Anymore.” As she reflected on the fan-favorite tune, the songstress noted just how valuable Stapleton is to the country music community and songwriters everywhere.
“He is so important. I know that sounds so cliche, but he is a really, really important artist. I feel like he’s changed the game for artists like me that are a little left of center that aren’t just singing safe things and take a little bit of creative liberties. And I’m really proud to get to watch everything that has happened to him over the last 10 years,” she shared.
@countrynow.com @Carly Pearce reflects on “We Don’t Fight Anymore” landing on #ASCAP’s Most-Performed Songs of the Year list and guahes over duet partner, @Chris Stapleton. #carlypearce #awards #chrisstapleton #wedontfightanymore #countrysong ♬ original sound – CountryNow.com
Sony Music Publishing earned its 11th ASCAP Country Music Publisher of the Year win with 24 of this year’s most-performed songs. Among their impressive repertoire are “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (Shaboozey), “Can’t Break Up Now” (Old Dominion and Megan Moroney), “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” (Kelsea Ballerini), “Texas Hold ‘Em” (Beyoncé), “Outskirts” (Sam Hunt), “Bulletproof” (Nate Smith), “Save Me the Trouble” (Dan + Shay), “I Can Feel It” (Kane Brown), “Light On in the Kitchen” (Ashley McBryde) and “Austin” (Dasha), among others. Sony Music Publishing Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston accepted the award.
A complete list of ASCAP Country Music Award winners can be found at: www.ascap.com/countryawards24.
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