Luke Combs, Thomas Archer, Taylor Phillips Celebrate First No. 1 Song “Hurricane”
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Pictured (L-R): “Hurricane” co-writers Thomas Archer, Luke Combs and Taylor Phillips. Photo: Steve Lowry
On Tuesday (July 11) River House Artists/Columbia Nashville breakout singer/songwriter Luke Combs joined his BMI co-writers Thomas Archer and Taylor Phillips at downtown Nashville’s ACME Feed and Seed to celebrate their two-week No. 1 and Platinum-certified hit single, “Hurricane.” The momentous occasion marked the very first No. 1 at country radio for all three writers.
BMI’s Bradley Collins welcomed an overflowing crowd of friends, family and industry members to commemorate the success of “Hurricane” as the first debut artist single to top the country radio charts for multiple weeks since Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” and the first debut solo male to accomplish the task since Darius Rucker in 2008. To date, “Hurricane” boasts more than 134 million streams and is the lead single from Combs’ debut album This One’s For You.
“I came out here in September of 2014 and had made some connections and started writing with some people and a lot of those people are in this room today. Obviously it’s super special to have your first No. 1 song and to be able to share it with all these people in this room,” Combs shared.
BMG’s Chris Oglesby honored Archer, while InTune Entertainment’s Jeff Catton and Warner/Chappell’s Will Overton took the stage to honor Phillips.
“Nashville’s one of those towns where you write a bunch of songs and you get told ‘no’ day in and day out. So it just makes that one ‘yes’ a whole lot sweeter,” Archer said. “It’s not an individual sport, it’s a team sport. Both of these guys have put teams around them, as all of us have, and I think that was the catalyst for the whole song…surrounding ourselves with good people.”
“I met this guy named Jeff Catton and Jeff took a chance on me. I didn’t know what I was doing, I just told you I’d do something,” Phillips said. “Warner/Chappell thank y’all for letting me be a part of y’all’s family and BMI and anybody else I forgot. From the bottom of my heart thank y’all for everything and God bless every one of you.”
Pictured (Back row L-R): Shane Allen, VP Promotion, Columbia Nashville; Steve Hodges, EVP Promotion, Sony Music Nashville; Randy Goodman, Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Nashville; Ken Robold, COO, Sony Music Nashville; Jim Catino, SVP A&R, Sony Music Nashville; (Front row, L-R): Thomas Archer, Luke Combs and Taylor Phillips. Photo: Steve Lowry
Joint publishers Jonathan Singleton, 50 Egg Music, and Mike Molinar, Big Machine Music, congratulated Combs and his co-writers and honored each of them with their first No.1 plaques. Molinar also presented plaques to Lynn Oliver-Cline, who signed Combs to a deal with her newly-established River House Artists last year, and Combs’ manager Chris Kappy of Make Wake Management.
David Smith honored the songwriters on behalf of Pinnacle Bank with a donation to Camp Sunshine. Country Radio Broadcasters’ Holly Lane was on hand to celebrate the chart-topping hit with another plaque for each writer. Other presenters included Country Aircheck’s Chuck Aly, MusicRow‘s Sherod Robertson, and Carolyn Tate and Lisa Davis Purcell from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Pictured (back row L-R): Chris Kappy, Make Wake Management; Bradley Collins, BMI; Scott Borchetta, Big Machine Music; Jonathan Singleton, 50 Egg Music Publishing; Chris Oglesby, BMG Music Publishing; Mike Molinar, Big Machine Music; Jeff Catton, InTune Entertainment; Will Overton, Warner Chappell; Lynn Oliver-Cline, River House Artists; Randy Goodman, Sony Music Nashville. (Front row, L-R): Thomas Archer, Luke Combs and Taylor Phillips. Photo: Steve Lowry
Oliver-Cline took the stage again to congratulate Combs and thank the industry before Sony Music Nashville Chairman and CEO Randy Goodman introduced Columbia Nashville Senior Vice President of Promotions Shane Allen. Allen remarked, “Every No. 1 is special, but there are certain No. 1’s that you just know it’s the start of something so much bigger.”
Combs closed the event by thanking his co-writers, team, and family. “I just really thank you guys for being here today and not only believing in me but believing in yourselves and believing in this song. Thank you guys so much, let’s have some drinks!”
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