7^th Annual NSAI Nashville Songwriter Awards:

A Celebration of The Heart of Country Music

“It All Begins With A Song!” – NSAI

When you tune your radio dial into the weekly Top 40 you get the incredible opportunity to live vicariously through the songs that tug your heartstrings as the spotlight shines on your favorite artist and their newest hit.

However, in Nashville you get an entirely different perspective on the heart of the country music, pulling back the curtain on the living, breathing embodiment of where that radio found feeling originates.

Though it’s hard to sum up the indescribable heartbeat of Nashville in words, the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) has coined the motto that sums it best.

“It All Begins With A Song!”

The songwriter.

The lifeblood of what makes this town so special.

Writing out their emotions from the inside of writing rooms, on living room floors, or on the back of a half-wet napkin from atop a barstool at their favorite watering hole, the songwriter shares pieces of their heartbreak, their anthem of moving on, love notes to a better half, encouragement, or a simple painting of a reminiscing picture toward a better way of life.

The songs you’ll eventually get to fall in love with will always find their initial footing here in Nashville.

Nightly writer’s rounds give the songwriter the opportunity to test their newest creation on an audience, find the notes that they might need to adjust to make a good song even stronger, or sometimes, even find the right home for their song with an artist who just so happened to be in the audience that night.

This past week was extremely busy here in Nashville with several big events happening all over town, but at the center of it, the songwriting community was embraced and highly recognized at the Ryman Auditorium during the NSAI’s 7^th Annual Nashville Songwriter Awards presented by City National Bank.

As country music thrived over this past year, a spirited celebration of the songs that elevated the genre to new heights excitingly brought together the songwriters behind the hits, the next generation artists, and iconic legends who paved the way.

There are always moments, but then there are those “Only In Nashville” moments. This entire night quickly labeled itself as a two and a half hour “Only In Nashville” moment that often left you in awe of the extremely gifted talent on stage, caused chill bumps to raise the hair on your arms, and struck every emotional heart chord.

Creating an aura within the Ryman Auditorium that mirrored a cozy listening room, everyone leaned in to closely digest each lyrical turn before meeting the songs final notes with rousing cheers that vibrated the wooden church pews you were sitting upon.

The full list of award winners is listed below, but there were certainly highlights that became the specific moments I personally wanted to freeze in time and soak within for just a little bit longer.

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Alan Jackson receives 2024 NSAI ‘Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement’ Award with wife Denise Jackson by his side.  (credit: Jason Davis for NSAI)

Alan Jackson! A storied career that speaks loudly for itself and is so deserving of the Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award. Humble, grateful, and a beaming light the provides the very definition of country music, Jackson choked up several times during his acceptance speech as he mapped the very moments that shaped his career while highlighting the unwavering support of his wife Denise.

But at the core of his speech was heartfelt appreciation for the artists and the genre that he so loves.

“Josh went ahead and picked the hardest song of mine to sing tonight,” Jackson smiled as he praised Josh Turner for his haunting rendition of “Midnight in Montgomery.”

Tallying the raw talent of songwriter/artist Hailey Whitters, mentioning that she had penned his recent song “The Older I Get,” he held his hand to his heart when he talked about her stellar performance of one of his personal favorites, “Livin’ on Love.”

And Lee Ann Womack. Not only showering her with the utmost admiration for her incredible voice, impeccable career, and stirring rendition of “Here in the Real World, he held back joyful tears when talking about the surprise he never knew was coming when she was joined in her performance by his nephew Adam Wright and his wife Shannon (The Wrights).

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

Ashley Gorley accepts his 8th NSAI ‘Songwriter of the Year’ award. (credit: Jason Davis for NSAI)

Ashley Gorley! With over 70 number one songs to his credit, the songwriter that’s provided the soundtrack to our lives accepted his 8^th award in this prestigious category.

Though energetic performances from Nate Smith (“World On Fire”) and Chris Young (‘Young Love & Saturday Nights”) showcased a small glimpse of Gorley’s hits from this past year, it was the humbleness of his acceptance speech that showed the true depth of who he is.

To a tremendous ovation, he praised how it isn’t luck that got him into this position but rather the Good Lord blessing him with the opportunity to be here.

Likewise, he glowed appreciation for the NSAI and to the entire songwriting community for allowing him to even still be in the game today, underlying an encouragement to generation next that spoke loudly to staying the course and never giving up.

“10 SONGS I WISH I’D WRITTEN”

Always the most sought-after category due to it being voted on by their professional songwriting peers, the esteem of earning this award holds the highest honor to the songwriters, outlining their respect of the craft and remarkable abilities to breathe pictures of life into song.

Though each of the 10 performances presented a show stopping moment while providing a snapshot of the genre’s vast diversity of sonic styles, there were a few that really hit me for varying reasons.

“Handle On You” – Performed by Monty Criswell

Surrounded in only piano accompaniment, Criswell added a distinctive depth to the lyrical emotion of the song, breathing a different type of life into the smash hit. But what I really loved most about this moment was that Parker McCollum was in the crowd. He would join Criswell on stage to accept the award, but he allowed his co-writer the spotlight with the performance, simply soaking it in from his 4^th row seat and allowing the impact to hit his heart the same way it struck everyone else.

“Standing Room Only” – Performed by Patrick Murphy

Like “Handle On You,” co-writer Patrick Murphy draped the song in only piano accompaniment to allow the strength of the lyrics to boldly stand as the focal point. With each next lyrical phrase, the crowd drew more and more into the overall guide of bettering ourselves to make a difference on the world. When joined onstage by co-writers Craig Wiseman and Tommy Cecil, a standing ovation washed over the writers in a visual sign of the songs incredible reach.

“Need A Favor” – performed by Austin Nivarel, Joe Ragosta, Rob Ragosta

Where most of the other songs were performed acoustically, Austin Nivarel, Joe Ragosta, and Rob Ragosta embodied the excitement they had shown in the pre-performance video when talking about getting selected for this honor. Swapping the lead vocal position around a full band atmosphere, the three bounced around the stage with huge smiles on their faces, elated to be there while igniting a fueled version of the smash hit to immediately get the crowd bopping and singing along.

“Try That In A Small Town” – Performed by Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy, Kelley Lovelace, Neil Thrasher

What could be considered the most controversial song in country music over the past year, co-writer’s Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy, Kelley Lovelace, and Neil Thrasher found that amongst their peers, it’s a masterpiece. When a particular line resonated with someone in the crowd, shouts of appreciation rang out. While the song drove to its chorus the voice of Lovelace gave way to Thrasher’s as he struck hard into the passion of the stand up for your neighbor’s intent of the song.

SONG OF THE YEAR

“The Painter” written and performed by Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, Ryan Larkins

Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, Ryan Larkins performing the 2024 NSAI ‘Song of the Year’ , “The Painter”. (credit: Jason Davis for NSAI)

The top-vote getter of the “10 Songs I Wish I’d Written,” “The Painter” earned a tremendous ovation as it stamped the exclamation point on a night that not only showcased the best of the best songs and writers, but stood proudly on the importance of what it means to craft a song from the honesty of your own real life situations while turning your personal photo album into something that resonates through the speakers to hold tightly the heart of listeners.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS

SONG OF THE YEAR:
“The Painter” written by Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, Ryan Larkins

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR:
Ashley Gorley

SONGWRITER-ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
Jelly Roll

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
Given in recognition to a songwriter whose works have made a significant contribution to the American songbook and who has inspired the careers of others. 
Alan Jackson

NSAI PRESIDENT’S KEYSTONE AWARD: 
Given in recognition of significant contributions to the betterment of all songwriters, chosen by the current NSAI President.
Buddy Cannon

“10 SONGS I WISH I’D WRITTEN” AWARDS:
Each year, the highly-coveted ‘10 Songs I Wish I’d Written’ Awards are voted on by Professional Songwriter Members of NSAI honoring the work of their songwriter peers. Songs eligible for the award have at least one Nashville-based writer and charted in the Top 20 of Billboard Airplay chart in the Christian, Country, Mainstream Top 40, and/or Rock genres between May 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024. The NSAI Song Of The Year is the highest vote-getter.

“Handle On You”
Written by: Monty Criswell, Parker McCollum
(recorded by: Parker McCollum)

“I’m Not Pretty”
Written by: Mackenzie Carpenter, Micah Carpenter, Megan Moroney, Ben Williams
(recorded by: Megan Moroney)

“Last Night”
Written by: John Byron, Ashley Gorley, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Kasher Hindlin
(recorded by: Morgan Wallen)

“Man Made A Bar”
Written by: Rocky Block, Jordan Dozzi, Larry Fleet, Brett Tyler
(recorded by: Eric Church and Morgan Wallen)

“Need A Favor”
Written by: Jelly Roll, Austin Nivarel, Joe Ragosta, Rob Ragosta
(recorded by: Jelly Roll)

“Next Thing You Know”
Written by: Jordan Davis, Greylan James, Chase McGill, Josh Osborne
(recorded by: Jordan Davis)

“Pretty Little Poison”
Written by: Ryan Beaver, Jared Keim, Warren Zeiders
(recorded by: Warren Zeiders)

“Standing Room Only”
Written by: Tommy Cecil, Patrick Murphy, Craig Wiseman
(recorded by: Tim McGraw)

“Try That In A Small Town”
Written by: Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy, Kelley Lovelace, Neil Thrasher
(recorded by: Jason Aldean)

“Where The Wild Things Are”
Written by: Randy Montana, Dave Turnbull
(recorded by: Luke Combs)

“White Horse”
Written by: Chris Stapleton, Dan Wilson
(recorded by: Chris Stapleton)