Pictured (L-R): BMI’s David Preston, manager Kerri Edwards, Big Loud Mountain’s Craig Wiseman, Round Hill’s Penny Gattis, songwriter and producer Michael Carter, ASCAP’s Beth Brinker, BMI artist Cole Swindell, Sony/ATV Tree Publishing’s Terry Wakefield and Warner Music Nashville’s John Esposito. Photo: Steve Lowry.
Cole Swindell’s latest No. 1 party couldn’t be contained to one location, or to one song. The Warner Music Nashville artist is lobbing hit songs at the top of the charts faster than he can find time to schedule parties.
Instead, music industry members celebrated three of Swindell’s chart-topping tunes with a pub crawl, taking over three bars on Demonbreun Street in Nashville on Monday afternoon (Sept. 12).
At SOUTH, Swindell and company celebrated “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight,” which was released in 2014.
Swindell, Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, and Michael Carter wrote the song in 2013 during a Florida Georgia Line tour. Swindell, Hubbard and Kelley are BMI writers; Carter is associated with ASCAP.
Carter recalled, “We got in the room to write and BK brought in this boom box and he said somebody—I think it was an old flame or something—had sent him a message on Facebook the night before and said, ‘Hope you get lonely tonight.’ So he came in and told us, and we were like, ‘Hell yeah, that sounds good.’ We had a beat going and were in their dressing room. I think we wrote the song in an hour. Then the rest of the day, we were playing that work tape for everybody.”
Carter had much to celebrate during the evening. In addition to being a co-writer on two of the chart-topping songs, he has producer credit on all three of the No. 1 hits.
“FGL could have easily given that song away. I didn’t even have a record deal,” said Swindell. “For us to be on a team where we believed enough in a song, and had enough people around us that believed in the song, that’s a huge compliment to me, even more so than the song going No. 1, that y’all believed in me what we were doing.”
Kelley and Hubbard could not attend, but sent in their congratulations by video.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing’s Terry Wakefield pulled triple duty during the event, as the company has publishing on each of the three songs. Also on hand to honor “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight” were ASCAP’s Beth Brinker and BMI’s David Preston, as well as Kerri Edwards of 243 Music (and manager for Swindell and Luke Bryan), Round Hill Music’s Penny Gattis, and Big Loud Mountain’s Craig Wiseman.
As has become tradition at No. 1 parties, the event was also used to help people in need. Gattis announced a donation on behalf of the songwriters to Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee that would provide 800 meals. Pinnacle Bank’s Ron Cox announced a donation on behalf of the songwriters to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Warner Music Nashville leader John Esposito said that Swindell’s need to condense three No. 1 parties into one massive shindig is a testament to his success. “The only other artist, because he’s so busy, that we’ve been backed up and had to do three No. 1s in a row with is Blake Shelton, so that is pretty good company.”
Pictured (L-R): Big Yellow Dog’s Carla Wallace, Warner Music Nashville’s John Esposito, BMI’s Josh Tomlinson, BMI singer-songwriter Cole Swindell, ASCAP’s Beth Brinker, writer Adam Sanders, producer Michael Carter and Sony/ATV Tree Publishing’s Terry Wakefield. Photo: Steve Lowry
From there, the crowd made its way to the second party stop, Dawg House, to fete “Ain’t Worth The Whiskey.” The track was penned by Swindell, ASCAP writer Adam Sanders and SESAC writer Josh Martin. Sony/ATV’s Wakefield and Big Yellow Dog Music’s Carla Wallace were among those presenting honors.
“It’s one of the first songs I heard when you came into my office with your EP,” Wallace told Sanders. “No. 1 songs are really hard to get. Any No. 1 song is great to celebrate, but when you can say you wrote it with one of your closest friends, you and Cole, that’s really amazing. For anyone out there trying to write a country song, this is your element…it has whiskey, America, and cheatin’. So bring it,” Wallace quipped.
Wakefield shared similar sentiments for Swindell. “When Cole turned in his very first demo session, what song was on it? ’Ain’t Worth The Whiskey.’ That just shows you the caliber of writer he was from the very beginning.”
BMI’s Josh Tomlinson, son of Sony/ATV’s Troy Tomlinson, made his first No. 1 party presentation on behalf of the performing rights organization. He was joined by ASCAP’s Beth Brinker.
Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Bradley Collins, Sony/ATV Tree Publishing’s Terry Wakefield, ASCAP’s Beth Brinker, BMI songwriter Jody Stevens, producer Michael Carter and Warner Music Nashville’s John Esposito. Photo: Steve Lowry.
The party goers, still in full swing, concluded the celebration at Tin Roof, where they honored “Let Me See Ya Girl,” penned by Swindell, Carter and BMI songwriter Jody Stevens. Publishers on the song include Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Colden Rainey Music, and 243 Music.
“We have five No. 1 singles in a row,” said Esposito, referring to Swindell’s latest chart-topper, “You Should Be Here.” “We are on our way to our sixth and I couldn’t be one iota prouder.”
“I never miss a chance to let you know how thankful I am,” Swindell told the crowd. “I grew up a fan. When I fell in love with music and found out who guys like Craig Wiseman were in college, who were writing the songs I was covering, I knew I want to make people feel the way they made me feel when I hear this music. Those songs, we can tell you right where we were when we first heard them. It puts you back at that place, and the fact that music can do that, I think that has a little bit to do with why we all do this. The power is music is real.”
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