Country Update BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS NOVEMBER 9, 2020 | PAGE 1 OF 17 INSIDE BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE [email protected] Russell Dickerson ASCAP, BMI, SESAC Country Extends Streak >page 4 Winners Reflect On Their Jobs’ Value CMA Battles COVID-19 Successful country songwriters know how to embed their songs song of the year victor for co-writing the Luke Combs hit “Even >page 9 with just the right amount of repetition. Though I’m Leaving.” Old Dominion’s “One Man Band” took The performing rights organizations set the top of their 2020 the ASCAP country song trophy for three of the group’s mem- winners’ lists to repeat as the ASCAP, BMI and SESAC country bers — Trevor Rosen, Brad Tursi and Matthew Ramsey, who songwriter and publisher of the year awards all went to enti- previously earned the ASCAP songwriter-artist trophy in 2017 Christmas With ties who have pre- — plus songwriter The Oaks, LeVox, viously taken top Josh Osborne, Dan + Shay honors. A shley who adds the title >page 10 Gorley (“Catch,” to two song of the “Living”) hooked year winners he ASCAP’s song- co-wrote with Sam writer medallion Hunt: 2018 cham- Trebek Leaves Some for the eighth time, pion “Body Like a Trivia In His Wake and for the sev- Back Road” and >page 10 enth year in a row, 2015 victor “Leave when victors were the Night On.” unveiled Nov. 9. Even Ben Bur- Makin’ Tracks: Ross Copperman gess, who won Michael Ray’s (“What She Wants his first-ever BMI Tonight,” “Love award with “Whis- ‘Whiskey And Rain’ COPPERMAN GORLEY McGINN >page 14 Someone”) swiped key Glasses,” BMI’s songwriter cruised to the PRO’s title for the fourth time on Nov. 9. And Matt McGinn (“Home- country song title while incorporating bold repetition into the sick,” “Cool Again”) picked up SESAC’s songwriter award for “Whiskey” bridge: “Line ’em up, line ’em up, line ’em up, line Country Coda: the second time in three years on Nov. 5. ’em up/Knock ’em back, knock ’em back, knock ’em back, knock Joe Diffie’s Warner Chappell cinched two country publisher titles, taking ’em back.” First No. 1 the ASCAP honor for the eighth consecutive year and the BMI However, the whiskey glasses are being lifted over virtual >page 17 honor a third straight year. SMACKWorks claimed its second connections this year instead of at the traditional black-tie SESAC publisher award. dinners, thanks to coronavirus-related precautions. Additionally, Wyatt Durrette III repeated as the SESAC “It feels weird to celebrate things when a lot of people are ULMER. JOSH GORLEY: BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE NOVEMBER 9, 2020 | PAGE 2 OF 17 having a really, really hard deal,” says a circumspect McGinn. “It feels almost like I should feel guilty celebrating.” The PROs still surprised the winners, though. McGinn was dragged to SESAC president/COO Kelli Turner’s house under a ruse that he needed to pick up a pie (“My girlfriend lied,” he deadpans), while others were lured into Zoom calls with cryptic warnings. “We were told not to be in our underwear,” says Old Dominion’s Rosen with a laugh. “If they tell you you can’t be in your underwear, you probably won a major award.” Joking aside, the victories carry some weight. Externally, fellow cre- MOMENTSBYMOSERPHOTOGRAPHY ators recognize the achievement. In- John Berry performed the national anthem with Robin Berry (left) and ternally, writers often feel pressure Jeannie Seely before the 36th All American 400 finale on Nov. 1 at the to repeat. Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. MASON ALLEN MASON “The minute I find out, I start pan- From left: Ramsey, Tursi and Rosen icking that I’m not doing enough for next year,” confesses Copperman. “It’s a good reminder to celebrate things. I just find out the news and think, ‘Oh, my gosh, I have to go harder for next year.’ ” The PROs’ country awards are historically handed out on successive nights in the run-up to the Country Music Association Awards, slated this year for Nov. 11. While there are no formal ceremonies in virus-plagued 2020, the achievements are still being celebrated with online videos and announcements. Music has been an important source of relief for many amidst the isolation of the era, and the writers do not take that lightly. “I’ve always been such a fan of the power of music,” notes Durrette. “I fell in love with its ability to connect people and heal people and make them feel not alone in their sadness or despair or happiness, for that mat- Jennifer Turner presented husband Josh Turner will plaques for his ter. It’s just the ultimate connector.” RIAA-certified double-platinum singles “Why Don’t We Just Dance” Thus, even after all the repetition, Gorley continues and “Would You Go With Me” during an Oct. 29 livestream from AJ’s to pursue the vocation with a passion, even respond- Goodtime Bar in Nashville. ing to a last-minute call to write at 10 p.m. with Lee Brice when he helped pen the recent No. 1 single “One DURRETTE of Them Girls.” “It’s almost like a workout kind of energy,” says Gor- ley of his approach to the job. “It only has one gear for me. I can’t casually do it. So when we’re on it, we got a task at hand and we’re just kind of attacking it.” Gorley’s success ratio is not the only reason he gets repeat business with many of Nashville’s songwriters and artists: He also brings an adaptability to the appointment. “He’s really good at writing for the artist in the room and understanding what his needs are,” says Brett Young, who co-wrote his recent hit “Catch” with Gorley. “Aside from getting along really well, which helps a ton in a writer’s room, he knows me well enough now to know how to use his skill set, to really help me rise on my record.” Not that the writing room is the only creative source. The opening line of Songwriter Luke Dick (“Bluebird,” “Kill a Word”) re-signed with “Whiskey Glasses” was inspired by a chorus that Burgess’ now-deceased fa- Little Louder Music. From left: Little Louder offensive coordinator ther made up decades ago. Arturo Buenahora, Dick and Little Louder music supervisor of morale “He was a fireman, he was a first responder, and a Jefferson Brown. singer-songwriter as well,” recalls Burgess. “He was always singing and coming up with little songs, and some of them were the most annoying things you’ve ever heard.” The winning country songwriters, of course, aspire higher than annoyance. Burgess believes “Whiskey Glasses” succeeded because it was an honest assessment of heartbreak; Carly Pearce, whose “I BURGESS Hope You’re Happy Now” was among ASCAP’s most- DONATO CALEB performed, sees her song in a similar light. “Songs are vessels for truth, for making somebody feel comforted — no matter if it’s a good feeling or a bad feeling — to feel like you’re not alone,” she says. “To me, it’s my duty as a songwriter to write exactly what I go through in my truth because I know there’s somebody out there that needs to hear it.” In the end, it’s the possibility of succeeding in that endeavor that leads coun- BUSEY ALECTRA try songwriters to repeatedly hunker down in small rooms and craft 3-minute Brianna Harness (left) unveiled her new album, Welcome to my pieces of commercial art. Nightmare, to her family in conjunction with the project’s Oct. 31 “It’s the one thing to me that never gets old,” says Old Dominion’s Tursi. release. Attendees included fellow artists and family members Whey “I wake up every day excited to do it again.” Jennings and Jessi Colter. BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE NOVEMBER 9, 2020 | PAGE 4 OF 17 ON THE CHARTS JIM ASKER [email protected] ‘Used To’ No. 1: Russell Dickerson Scores Fourth Consecutive Career-Opening Country Airplay Leader Russell Dickerson’s “Love You Like I Used To” (Triple Tigers) hops from No. 2 Prior to FGL, another famous twosome, Brooks & Dunn, linked Country to No. 1 in its 36th week on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart to become his Airplay No. 1s with their first four singles in 1991-92: “Brand New Man,” “My fourth leader in as many visits. The song gained by 9% to 34.4 million Next Broken Heart,” “Neon Moon” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.” audience impressions in the week ending Nov. 8, according to Nielsen Music/ The last comparable chart achievement for a soloist before Combs? Clint MRC Data. Black notched four Hot Country Songs leaders with his first four releases. The track, which Dickerson wrote with Casey Having started his run in June 1989, just be- Brown and Parker Welling, is the first single fore the Nielsen Music-based Country Airplay from the artist’s sophomore studio LP, South- chart’s inception, he arrived with the chart-top- ern Symphony, due Dec. 4. pers “Better Man,” “Killin’ Time,” “Nobody’s “I remember playing this song right after we Home” and “Walkin’ Away,” through May 1990. had written it for my wife, Kailey, and some radio On the multimetric Hot Country Songs folks on the bus in Detroit,” Dickerson tells Bill- survey — which is now powered by airplay, board. “When we saw the look on their faces, we streaming and sales data — Dickerson’s latest knew this song was special. Now I can’t believe hits a new high of 8-6, also with 5.8 million we all get to celebrate our fourth No.