Jackson Dean Celebrates Second Chart-Topper ‘Heavens To Besty’
Pictured (L-R, back row):Big Machine Music’s Mike Molinar, River House Artists’ Lynn Oliver Cline, Studio Bank’s Kari Barnhart, BMI’s MaryAnn Keen, Sony Music Publishing’s Tom Luteran, Jody Williams Songs’ Jody Williams and Little Louder’s Arturo Buenahora. (Front Row, L-R): Benjy Davis, Luke Dick, Jackson Dean and Driver Williams. Photo: Larry McCormack for BMI
Jackson Dean filled the BMI lobby yesterday (May 5) to celebrate his second ever chart-topper “Heavens To Betsy.”
Emceed by BMI’s MaryAnn Keen, the event honored the artists, songwriters, publishers and industry team members who contributed to the single’s success.
Written by Dean, Benjy Davis and Driver Williams, and produced by Luke Dick, the track appeared on Dean’s sophomore album On The Back Of My Dreams. It marked the first No. 1 for Williams, who was presented with a custom Taylor 210e DLX guitar to commemorate the moment.
Driver Williams and BMI’s MaryAnn Keen. Photo: Larry McCormack for BMI
Big Machine Music’s Mike Molinar, River House Artists’ Lynn Oliver-Cline, Sony Music Publishing’s Tom Luteran, Jody Williams Songs’ Jody Williams and Little Louder’s Arturo Buenahora each took the microphone to honor the team behind the song.
Each spoke to the track’s storytelling, thanking the team for creating a song that connects on a deeper level with many fans, reflecting on the different ways they’ve seen that connection manifest, both through audience reactions and in their own experiences. In addition, several underscored Jackson’s rare talent, highlighting his strength as a vocalist, songwriter and artist.
Sponsored by Studio Bank, Kari Barnhart made a special donation presentation on behalf of Dean and collaborators in support of Old Friends Senior Dogs Sanctuary, a Nashville-based organization that finds forever foster homes for senior dogs. The official whiskey sponsor of BMI No. 1 parties, Green River Whiskey, gifted Dean, his co-writers and producer each with a commemorative bottle of single barrel bourbon in honor of their hit.
“When you do great things, write great songs, sing great songs and bring great songs, you make it easy to make great songs in the studio. To see people [on tour] come up to [Jackson] and tell their stories about how much this song means to them from a place of grief and loss–to me that is the real truth, the granular purity of music. To be part of that, I get more grateful everyday,” Dick shared.
Williams shared his gratitude for his teams, friends and family, many of whom were in attendance. He shared that celebrating the moment at BMI felt especially full circle, having grown up around the music business.
“Lastly, I want to thank the songwriting community, and the two streets that grew me up as a music business kid all the way until now,” he shared. “I’ve seen it grow and change for better and worse, but it’s my home. Thank you Music Row–16th and 17th avenue and all the side streets in between. It’s not just the individual people that make up this community. Its quite literally the streets, buildings, sidewalks and parking lots. There’s too many important memories in this little part of town, so thank you Nashville.”
“It’s been an honor to watch the journey of this song and how it has made people feel. It has been a really cool thing to be a part of,” Davis added.
“Thank you for being under this roof for a couple hours with us to celebrate this. It took Driver walking through the door saying ‘Heavens To Betsy boys, what do you think about that?’ and the darkness of Benjy Davis to make it happen,” Dean quipped. “I think we’ve all known since the get that this was going to be a song to speak volumes. Thank you so much to everyone that has made that happen.”
