CountryLine Songwriter Series

'The CountryLine Songwriter Series', is where you'll hear from some of the most successful artists and songwriters working in Nashville today. Country music is all about storytelling and this is where you'll discover the stories from the people themselves of how they managed to find their way into such a competitive industry and rise to the top. What motivates and inspires them and what they've learnt along the way.

Eric Church grew up in Granite Falls, North Carolina, and began singing as a child. At 13, he started writing songs, later teaching himself to play guitar. After graduating with a degree in marketing, he moved to Nashville to pursue a career in country music. It took him a year to get a publishing deal with Sony/ATV, after which he started having his songs recorded by other artists, an example being Terri Clark's version of "The World Needs a Drink”, Church met producer Jay Joyce, who took an interest in him as a recording artist, and they began making demos. That led to his being signed by Capitol Records Nashville.

Church's debut single, "How 'Bout You”, was released in early 2006, and it had reached the country Top 20 by the time Capitol issued his first album, “Sinners Like Me”, in July 2006. The record was both a critical and commercial success, and he followed it up with “Carolina”, in 2009, which swung for the contemporary country fences and hit them, scoring two Top Ten singles on the country charts with "Love Your Love the Most", (certified gold) and "Hell on the Heart”, In 2010, Church scored another gold single with "Smoke a Little Smoke”, and he won Top New Solo Vocalist at the Academy of Country Music Awards for that calendar year.

“Chief”, was Church's major breakout album: upon its July 2011 release, it debuted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums chart. Soon afterward, "Drink in My Hand", climbed to the top of the country charts, becoming Church's first number one single. Its popularity was eclipsed in the summer of 2012 by "Springsteen”, a ballad that also reached number one on the country charts but additionally crossed over to the pop Top 20. Two other singles were pulled from “Chief”, -- "Creepin'", and "Like Jesus Does", -- and the LP won Album of the Year at the 2012 CMA Awards. Chief also earned him his first Grammy nominations, for Best Country Album as well as Best Country Song and Solo Performance for "Springsteen”.

The Outsiders arrived after considerable anticipation and acclaim in February 2014 and became his second album to hit number one on both the country and overall charts. The Outsiders racked up five hit singles -- the biggest were the ballads "Give Me Back My Hometown", and "Talladega”, both of which reached number one on Billboard's U.S. Country Airplay chart -- and while "Like a Wrecking Ball”, remained on the charts, Church released a brand-new full-length album, “Mr. Misunderstood”, as a surprise in the first week of November 2015. “Mr. Misunderstood”, debuted at number two on Billboard's Top 200 and country charts, eventually earning a gold certification and winning CMA's Album of the Year in 2016. It was around this time he chatted with Stuart Banford.

CountryLine brings country music to the world through our radio stations, a TV show that reaches 90 million homes, countless interviews with massive stars and great live sessions. Download the CountryLine app to experience all this in one place:

· Live shows from the biggest names in country

· Interviews with our favourite artists

· News and gossip direct from music city itself

· Movies; TV shows

· Access to country music’s legends and the stars of tomorrow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'The CountryLine Songwriter Series', is where you'll hear from some of the most successful artists and songwriters working in Nashville today. Country music is all about storytelling and this is where you'll discover the stories from the people themselves of how they managed to find their way into such a competitive industry and rise to the top. What motivates and inspires them and what they've learnt along the way.

A native of Nashville, Mitchell Tenpenny grew up in a city and home surrounded by music. His grandmother was Donna Hilley, a president of Sony/ATV Publishing, and through her, he had brushes with such Music City heavyweights as Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman. Inspired by their writing, he decided to pursue country music as a vocation. Picking up the guitar at the age of 13, Tenpenny learned how to play and write. After graduating with a music business degree from Middle Tennessee State University, he set out on his professional career. In April 2015, his debut, “Black Crow”, was released and featured cameos from the SteelDrivers, Ace Frehley and Brian "Head" Welch.

As he worked on establishing himself as a performer, Tenpenny gained attention as a songwriter in 2016. He co-wrote Granger Smith's Billboard Country Airplay Top Ten hit "If the Boot Fits", along with Jon Langston's single "All Eyes on Us”.

Tenpenny signed with Riser House Entertainment in 2017, releasing "Alcohol You Later", in April before the EP "Linden Ave", arrived in July. Both the single and EP showed him following a more soulful direction, one that was reminiscent of the country-R&B of Sam Hunt and Thomas Rhett. His 2018 single "Drunk Me”, then wound peaking at two on the Country Airplay chart -- and set up the December release of Tenpenny's album, “Telling All My Secrets”, which debuted at number five on the Top Country Albums chart and even cracked the Billboard 200.

He issued the seasonal EP "Neon Christmas", in 2020. "Bucket List", then appeared in early 2021, the first single pulled from "Midtown Diaries", a mini-LP that arrived in September. Just a month later, he released his third album and first full-length Christmas set, “Naughty List”. Tenpenny then got harder and louder on “This Is the Heavy”, an album delivered in September 2022.

In March of 2023 he performed at the C2C festival and chatted with Stuart Banford in Dublin.

CountryLine brings country music to the world through our radio stations, a TV show that reaches 90 million homes, countless interviews with massive stars and great live sessions. Download the CountryLine app to experience all this in one place:

· Live shows from the biggest names in country

· Interviews with our favourite artists

· News and gossip direct from music city itself

· Movies; TV shows

· Access to country music’s legends and the stars of tomorrow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'The CountryLine Songwriter Series', is where you'll hear from some of the most successful artists and songwriters working in Nashville today. Country music is all about storytelling and this is where you'll discover the stories from the people themselves of how they managed to find their way into such a competitive industry and rise to the top. What motivates and inspires them and what they've learnt along the way.

Hailing from Philadelphia, Mississippi, Hardy was born Michael Hardy. He headed to Nashville in the early 2010s with the intention of breaking into the country music industry. First, he attended Middle Tennessee State University as a student in their Recording Industry Management program; he wound up graduating with a degree in songwriting from the college. While he was studying, he self-released an EP called “Redneck Recipe”, in 2013; he also posted his songs to the Internet.

Hardy landed his first charting hit with "Up Down”, a song he co-wrote with Brad Clawson and CJ Solar. Morgan Wallen recorded it with the support of Florida Georgia Line, taking it to number one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart after its November 2017 release. Things began to happen swiftly for Hardy after that. FGL recorded "Simple" -- a tune Hardy wrote with the duo, along with Mark Holman.

“This Ole Boy”, Hardy's debut EP, was produced by Joey Moi -- the producer behind FGL's hits -- and was issued in October 2018. “Where to Find Me”, arrived on its heels in January 2019. September brought the release of “Hixtape, Vol. 1”, a country variation on a hip-hop mixtape featuring cameos by Cole Swindell, Morgan Wallen, and Thomas Rhett. "One Beer”, a single pulled from “Hixtape, Vol. 1”, featuring Lauren Alaina and Devin Dawson, became Hardy's first Country Airplay single in 2020, leading to its appearance on “A Rock”, Hardy's debut full-length album. Arriving in September 2020, “A Rock”, also featured the hit "Give Heaven Some Hell”, which reached 11 on Country Airplay in 2021.

In 2021, Hardy appeared on the Dierks Bentley single "Beers on Me", and Brantley Gilbert's "The Worst Country Song of All Time". On his own, he released “Hixtape, Vol. 2”, and a cover of Puddle of Mudd's "Blurry”, telegraphing his move toward hard rock in 2022, a transition marked by the Billboard Hard Rock chart-topper "Sold Out”. Despite his rock success, Hardy also concentrated on the country market, reaching the Country Airplay Top Ten with the Lainey Wilson collaboration "Wait in the Truck”. He brought these two musical personalities together on the 2023 double album “The Mockingbird & the Crow”; the former represented his country side, the latter his rock personality. Upon its release, Hardy chatted with Stuart Banford.

CountryLine brings country music to the world through our radio stations, a TV show that reaches 90 million homes, countless interviews with massive stars and great live sessions. Download the CountryLine app to experience all this in one place:

· Live shows from the biggest names in country

· Interviews with our favourite artists

· News and gossip direct from music city itself

· Movies; TV shows

· Access to country music’s legends and the stars of tomorrow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'The CountryLine Songwriter Series', is where you'll hear from some of the most successful artists and songwriters working in Nashville today. Country music is all about storytelling and this is where you'll discover the stories from the people themselves of how they managed to find their way into such a competitive industry and rise to the top. What motivates and inspires them and what they've learnt along the way.

A native of Rogers, Arkansas, Joe Nichols grew up watching his father play bass in a local country band. He himself played in a rock band during his teenage years but soon came back to country, and after high school took a night job as a DJ while supporting himself as a mechanic by day. He met producer Randy Edwards at the latter job, and under Edwards' guidance, he performed regularly and worked on his songwriting.

He landed a record deal with Intersound and released his self-titled debut in 1996, naturally with Edwards producing. The single "Six of One, Half a Dozen (Of the Other)" was a minor hit, but the album didn't sell particularly well. It did manage to earn Nichols a shot with Warner Bros., but several label mergers left him out in the cold, and he worked a series of day jobs around Nashville while looking for a new deal. In 2000, he struck up a songwriting partnership with session guitarist Brent Rowan, and two years later he signed with Universal. His label debut, “Man with a Memory”, was released in 2002, and its lead single, the ballad "The Impossible”, went to number three on the country charts, also crossing over to the pop Top 30. In the wake of its success, his first album was reissued under the title “Six of One, Half Dozen of the Other”.

Another single from “Man with a Memory”, "Brokenheartsville," became his first number one country hit in early 2003, and it helped send the album into the country Top Ten. His second album for Universal South, “Revelation”, and a holiday album, “Traditional Christmas”, were released in 2004, followed by the Top Ten hit album “III”, in 2005. His next record, “Real Things”, hit the shelves in 2007 and focused primarily on tender country ballads with a smattering of uptempo jams. “Old Things New”, followed two years later in 2009. It proved to be another solid hit for Nichols thanks to the singles "Believers" and "Gimmie That Girl”, and Nichols followed it up in 2011 with the album “It's All Good”. “It's All Good”, performed respectably -- it debuted at 19 on the Billboard country charts -- but it didn't generate a big hit single. After its release, Nichols parted ways with Universal and signed with Red Bow in October 2012. A year later, he returned with the sunny, pop-oriented “Crickets”.

“Crickets”, generated two major country hits -- "Sunny and 75" and "Yeah" -- which kept the album on the charts through 2014. In 2015, Nichols released "Freaks Like Me”, the single that was intended to be the first taste from his eighth solo album, but it didn't generate much attention, nor did its 2016 sequel, "Undone”. Following these two singles, Nichols reworked the eighth album, which was released as “Never Gets Old”, in July 2017.

In 2019 he spoke about his life and career with Stuart Banford.

CountryLine brings country music to the world through our radio stations, a TV show that reaches 90 million homes, countless interviews with massive stars and great live sessions. Download the CountryLine app to experience all this in one place:

· Live shows from the biggest names in country

· Interviews with our favourite artists

· News and gossip direct from music city itself

· Movies; TV shows

· Access to country music’s legends and the stars of tomorrow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

'The CountryLine Songwriter Series', is where you'll hear from some of the most successful artists and songwriters working in Nashville today. Country music is all about storytelling and this is where you'll discover the stories from the people themselves of how they managed to find their way into such a competitive industry and rise to the top. What motivates and inspires them and what they've learnt along the way.

Kane Brown was born in 1993 in Chattanooga, Tennessee to a white mother and Black father. Initially attracted to R&B, Brown decided to focus on country after winning an 11th grade talent contest with his rendition of Chris Young's "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)”. Brown then began posting videos online of covers of songs by Brantley Gilbert, Alan Jackson, and others. He quickly developed a loyal following, a fan base that helped his own single, "Don't Go City On Me”, go viral upon its release in 2014. In 2015, Brown released his debut EP, “Closer”, which reached the Top Ten of the Billboard Country Albums chart. Following “Closer”, he also released the stand-alone single "Used to Love You Sober”.

In early 2016, Brown signed a recording contract with RCA/Sony Music Nashville. That December, he returned with his full-length self-titled debut, featuring the singles "Ain't No Stopping Us Now" and "Thunder in the Rain”. The album debuted at number one on the country charts and peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200. Two more singles, "What Ifs”, featuring Lauren Alaina, and "Heaven" appeared in 2017.

"Lose It”, the first single from Kane Brown's second album, appeared in June 2018. It climbed to number one on Billboard's Country Airplay chart prior to “Experiment's”, release in November. “Experiment”, debuted at number one on Billboard's Top 200 and spawned two more number one Country Airplay singles with "Good as You" and "Homesick" arriving in January and August of 2019, respectively. Also in 2019, he joined DJ Marshmello for the single "One Right Thing" and cracked the Top 20 of the Billboard Country chart with his song "For My Daughter”.

As “Experiment”, wound down its album cycle in 2020, Brown released “Mixtape, Vol. 1”, in August of that year. The EP was highlighted by the hit single "Cool Again”. Following the Chris Young collaboration "Famous Friends”, Brown teamed up with Blackbear for 2021's "Memory”. The number one Billboard Country Airplay solo single "One Mississippi" arrived later that year, opening a series of singles released in advance of his 2022 album “Different Man”. Prior to the September appearance of “Different Man”, "Like I Love Country Music" topped the Billboard Country Airplay Charts, with the promo singles "Whiskey Sour" and "Leave You Alone" helping build anticipation for the record's release. Largely produced by Dann Huff, “Different Man”, was an exercise in genre-fluid country, finding Brown attempting everything from R&B to stripped-down balladeering. He co-wrote all but one of the album's 17 songs. It hit number two on the country chart and five on the Billboard 200.

In February of 2023 Kane chatted with CountryLine's Stuart Banford.

CountryLine brings country music to the world through our radio stations, a TV show that reaches 90 million homes, countless interviews with massive stars and great live sessions. Download the CountryLine app to experience all this in one place:

· Live shows from the biggest names in country

· Interviews with our favourite artists

· News and gossip direct from music city itself

· Movies; TV shows

· Access to country music’s legends and the stars of tomorrow

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.