Nashville Songwriter Leads MTSU’s Commercial Songwriting Concentration

Rick Carnes. Photo Credit: Andy Heidt

Rick Carnes has joined Middle Tennessee State University as the new head of the university’s Commercial Songwriting Concentration under its Recording Industry department.

Carnes has earned 40 platinum albums with songs recorded by Alabama, Steve Wariner, Pam Tillis, Conway Twitty and Dean Martin. His song “I Can’t Even Get The Blues No More” was Reba‘s first No. 1 single, and Garth Brooks recorded Carnes’ tune “Long Neck Bottle” (with Wariner).

Carnes is also president of the Songwriters Guild of America, vice president of the National Music Council and communications chair of the Music United Coalition.

MTSU has had considerable success, with graduates including Laura Rogers (of the Secret Sisters), Eric Paslay (who had three No. 1 songs on the country charts last year), Luke Laird (who has written numerous songs for Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Blake Shelton) and others who have studied commercial songwriting at the university.