Nashville Gathers To Honor John Morgan & Jason Aldean’s No. 1 ‘Friends Like That’

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Pictured (L-R, back row): Cornman Music’s Brett James, BBR/BMG Nashville’s Jon Loba, BBR/BMG Nashville’s JoJamie Hahr, BMI’s Mason Hunter, ASCAP’s Duane Hobson, Sea Gayle Music’s Chris DuBois and Warner Chappell’s Jessi Stevenson; (L-R, front row): Studio Bank’s Ron Cox, Kurt Allison (ASCAP), Lydia Vaughan (BMI), John Morgan (BMI), Jason Aldean (BMI), Will Bundy (ASCAP), Brent Anderson (ASCAP) and Tully Kennedy (Producer). Photo: Larry McCormack for BMI

On Tuesday afternoon (June 24), John Morgan and Jason Aldean gathered friends and industry professionals at Live Oak on Demonbreun to celebrate the success of their No. 1 single, “Friends Like That.” Hosted by ASCAP and BMI, the event honored the artists, songwriters, publishers and industry team members who contributed to the single’s success.

The song, penned by Morgan, Lydia Vaughn, Brent Anderson and Will Bundy, and produced by Tully Kennedy, Kurt Allison and Aldean, marked Morgan’s first No. 1 single as an artist and second as a songwriter. The tune also became Aldean’s 29th No. 1 single.

Pictured (L-R): BBR/BMG Nashville’s Jon Loba, BBR/BMG Nashville’s JoJamie Hahr, Kurt Allison (Producer), BBR’s Lee Adams, Jason Aldean (BMI), BBR’s Misti Douglas, John Morgan (BMI), Will Bundy (ASCAP), BBR’s Regan Donato, Brent Anderson (ASCAP), BBR’s Scotty O’Brien, Lydia Vaughan (BMI), Tully Kennedy (Producer) and BBR’s Shelley Hargis. Photo: Larry McCormack for BMI

The event was emceed by BMI’s Mason Hunter. Industry leaders took the mic to honor each artist, writer and producer including ASCAP’s Duane Hobson, Cornman Music’s Brett James, SeaGayle Music’s Chris DuBois, Warner Chappell’s Jessi Stevenson, Country Aircheck’s Chuck Aly, BBR/BMG Nashville’s JoJamie Hahr and Triple Play’s Amy Scott.

Many of these people spoke of the strong bond that has developed between this group of writers, noting the work ethic, humility and consistency each one brings to the room. Aldean was thanked for his role in bringing Morgan into the spotlight and willingness to champion songwriters.

Studio Bank sponsored the event, with Ron Cox presenting a special donation in honor of the writers to St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital.

“One of the coolest things that I’ve learned about doing what we do in this town is that no one’s success is achieved alone,” Vaughn shared as she thanked each person involved in the song’s success. “There are so many stars that have to align for a song to go No. 1 and that’s the magic of Nashville—when all the parts are working together, every once in a while, against all odds, that happens.”

“This song was a lesson for me,” Anderson said of the song’s one-year run on radio before topping the charts. “You start to think differently about your catalog when something shows up years later and becomes a No. 1.”

Pictured (L-R): MusicRow’s LB Cantrell, Kurt Allison, Lydia Vaughan, John Morgan, Jason Aldean, Will Bundy, Brent Anderson, Tully Kennedy and MusicRow’s Lauryn Sink. Photo: Larry McCormack for BMI

“It’s fun to win, but it’s a lot more fun to win with people you love. This song is about friends, and these are some of my longest friends in town,” added Bundy of the people surrounding him on stage.

Aldean took a moment to recognize that this is the first No. 1 for his label imprint, Night Train Records, and thanked the label staff. “I, more than anybody, know how hard these guys go to see a song cross the finish line, so thank you for that,” he said.

Morgan took the mic to wrap up the celebration. He spent time recognizing the efforts of each member of the team, as well as his peers that he has come up with. “Every single one of these people [on stage] took a chance on me and wrote with me as an unsigned writer… It’s so wild to me, looking back at how things ended up going.”

Lauryn Sink
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