Top Songwriter Chart: MusicRow’s Top 100 Songwriters Of 2020

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While the past year was difficult for all, 2020 saw these elite songwriters garner ample chart success on the weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart. Using algorithms based on song activity according to airplay, digital downloaded track sales and streams, these songwriters prevailed in 2020.

Notably, there are 19 female songwriters in the top 100 this year—which is made up of 112 songwriters because of tied scores. This is a continued increase from last year’s 13 female songwriters within the top 100, and 2018’s 11. Hillary Lindsey is the highest ranking female on this year’s list, at No. 11.

Hillary Lindsey. Photo: Becky Fluke

The songs that propelled Lindsey to No. 11 include Luke Bryan’s “What She Wants Tonight,” HARDY’s “One Beer,” Kelsea Ballerini’s “Hole In The Bottle,” and Jordan Davis’ “Almost Maybes.” Among her 2020 honors were Songwriter of the Year at the ACM Awards and Female Songwriter of the Year at the MusicRow Awards.

Josh Osborne

For the second time in the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart’s history, Josh Osborne takes the top position. Songs of his that were hits in 2020 include Sam Hunt’s “Kinfolks,” “Hard To Forget,” and “Breaking Up Was Easy In The 90’s,” Morgan Wallen’s “7 Summers,” Darius Rucker’s “Beers And Sunshine,” both Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani hit duets “Nobody But You” and “Happy Anywhere,” and more.

Osborne ended 2020 in the No. 1 position on the weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter chart for the sixth consecutive week. Osborne won Song of the Year at the ACM Awards this year for “One Man Band,” recorded by Old Dominion.

HARDY. Photo: Tanner Gallagher

HARDY comes in at No. 2 on the MusicRow Top 100 Songwriters chart this year. As an artist, his self-penned songs that had high activity this past year were “Give Heaven Some Hell” and “One Beer,” his first No. 1 song as an artist. Songs HARDY co-wrote for other artists that were hits in 2020 were LOCASH’s “One Big Country Song,” Jameson Rodgers’ “Some Girls,” Morgan Wallen’s “This Bar” and “More Than My Hometown,” and more.

HARDY released his debut album, A ROCK, in September, and it peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. He was also named the AIMP Nashville Songwriter of the Year.

Ross Copperman. Photo: Kelly Taylor

Ross Copperman takes the No. 3 position. Tops songs for Copperman in 2020 were “Tip Of My Tongue” (Kenny Cheseney), “What She Wants Tonight” (Luke Bryan), “The Other Girl” (Kelsea Ballerini with Halsey), “Lady” (Brett Young), “Beers And Sunshine” (Darius Rucker), as well as “Nobody But You” and “Happy Anywhere” (Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani).

Copperman was named Songwriter of the Year for the fourth time at the BMI Country Awards in November.

Ashley Gorley. Photo: Josh Ulmer

Ashley Gorley, who notched his record-breaking 50th No. 1 song in 2020, is at No. 4 on the MusicRow Top 100 Songwriters chart. The hits that fueled him were “One Big Country Song” (LOCASH), “Remember You Young” (Thomas Rhett), “Hole In The Bottle” (Kelsea Ballerini), “Hard To Forget” (Sam Hunt), “One Of Them Girls” (Lee Brice), and more.

Gorley also won his eighth consecutive ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year award in November, and was MusicRow‘s Male Songwriter of the Year at the 32nd annual MusicRow Awards. He was also named as NSAI’s Songwriter of the Year.

Luke Combs. Photo Courtesy UMPG

The fifth songwriter on the MusicRow Top 100 Songwriters chart is Luke Combs. Combs garnered massive amounts of airplay, sales and streams this year, releasing the deluxe version of What You See Is What You Get. Songs that drove Combs were his own “1, 2 Many,” “Better Together,” “Does To Me,” “Lovin’ On You,” “Six Feet Apart,” and “Forever After All,” as well as Carly Pearce and Lee Brice’s hit duet, “I Hope You’re Happy Now.”

In 2020, Combs won Male Artist and Album of the Year at the ACM Awards; Male Vocalist and Album of the Year at the CMA Awards; and was named Artist of the Year at the 32nd annual MusicRow Awards. He was also named as NSAI’s Songwriter-Artist of the Year.

MusicRow‘s Top Songwriters of 2020:
1. Josh Osborne
2. Michael Hardy
3. Ross Copperman
4. Ashley Gorley
5. Luke Combs
6. Shane McAnally
7. Josh Thompson
8. Randy Montana
9. Morgan Wallen
10. Ernest Keith Smith
11. Hillary Lindsey
12. Jon Nite
13. Jonathan Singleton
14. Jake Mitchell
15. Jesse Frasure
16. Craig Wiseman
17. Zachary Kale
18. Ray Fulcher
19. Gabby Barrett
20. Thomas Archer
21. Laura Veltz
22. Ryan Vojtesak
23. Matt Dragstrem
24. Thomas Rhett
25. Lance Miller
26. Parker McCollum
27. David Garcia
28. Jimmy Robbins
29. Kane Brown
30. Brandon Kinney
31. David Lee Murphy
32. Natalie Hemby
33. Lindsay Rimes
34. Jamie Paulin
35. Maren Morris
36. Jordan Davis
37. Jamie Moore
38. Corey Crowder
39. Paul Sikes
40. Travis Denning
41. Brock Berryhill
42. Dallas Davidson
43. Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick
44. Michael Tyler
45. Alex Palmer
46. Ben Johnson
47. Parker Welling
48. Brett Young
49. Josh Hoge
50. Michael R. Carter
51. CJ Solar
52. Jeffery Hyde
53. Lee Brice
54. Eric Church
55. Emily Weisband
56. Russell Dickerson, Casey Brown
57. Sam Ellis
58. Sam Hunt
59. Tyler Reeve
60. Justin Weaver
61. Josh Miller
62. Maddie Marlow, Taylor Dye, Deric Ruttan
63. Jacob Durrett
64. Kelly Archer
65. Kelsea Ballerini
66. Lonnie Lee Fowler
67. Shay Mooney, Dan Smyers
68. Ryan Tedder
69. Matt Stell
70. Ashley McBryde, Nicolette Hayford
71. Dan Couch
72. Chris Stapleton
73. Matt Jenkins
74. Chris Lane
75. Scotty McCreery
76. Hunter Phelps
77. Tommy Lee James
78. Jessi Alexander
79. Shy Carter
80. Mike Henderson
81. Casey Beathard
82. Jimmy Yeary, Marv Green
83. Carly Pearce
84. Chase Rice
85. Matt McGinn
86. Zach Crowell
87. Kip Moore, Scott Stepakoff
88. James Slater, Micah Carter, Chris August
89. Tyler Hubbard
90. Ingrid Andress
91. Derrick Southerland
92. Jeremy Stover
93. Nicolle Galyon
94. Justin Moore
95. James McNair
96. Zach Skelton, Julian Bunetta
97. Brad Clawson
98. Chris Janson
99. Mitch Oglesby, Matt Roy
100. Carrie Underwood

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