Pictured (L-R, back row): Sony Music Publishing’s Rusty Gaston, Big Loud’s Austen Adams, Warner Chappell Music’s Christina Wiltshire, Studio Bank’s Kari Barnhart, Relative Music Group’s Dennis Matkosky, Tape Room Music’s Blain Rhodes, Relative Music Group’s Jesse Matkosky, ASCAP’s Duane Hobson, BMI’s Leslie Roberts; (L-R, front row): Renee Blair, Jordan Schmidt, Lainey Wilson, Michael Hardy, Hunter Phelps, Joey Moi. Photo: Larry McCormack

Hardy brought his trusted collaborators and industry members to the BMI rooftop Monday afternoon (June 3) to celebrate the genre-bending artist’s most recent hits “Wait In The Truck” and “Truck Bed.”

The celebration began with the multi-award winning “Wait In The Truck,” written by Hardy, Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt and Renee Blair. The track also features powerhouse vocals from Lainey Wilson, and was produced by Hardy, Schmidt, Derek Wells and Joey Moi. 

Pictured (L-R, back row): Big Loud’s Austen Adams, Warner Chappell Music’s Christina Wiltshire, ASCAP’s Duane Hobson, Studio Bank’s Kari Barnhart, Relative Music Group’s Dennis Matkosky, Sony Music Publishing’s Rusty Gaston, Tape Room Music’s Blain Rhodes, BMI’s Leslie Roberts, Relative Music Group’s Jesse Matkosky; (L-R, front row): Hunter Phelps, Ashley Gorley,  Michael Hardy, Ben Johnson, Joey Moi; Photo: Larry McCormack

BMI’s Leslie Roberts kicked off the celebration, praising the song’s storytelling and ACM and CMA award wins. She then handed it off to her BMI’s MaryAnn Keen, who took time to commend Blair for her first No. 1 song. Keen highlighted Blair’s “tenacity, emotional honesty, boldness and endurance,” and the crowd nodded in agreement. She also presented her with a custom Taylor guitar to commemorate the special moment, as per BMI tradition.

Next to take the mic was ASCAP’s Duane Hobson, who congratulated writers Phelps and Schmidt, along with the whole crew. “This song was storytelling at its best. It pulls you in and makes you think,” Hobson said. 

After also hearing from Relative Music Group’s Dennis Matkosky, Round Hill Music’s Lindsay Will and Warner Chappell Music’s Christina Wiltshire, it was time to hear from Hardy, Wilson, the writers and producers. Phelps was up first. He gave a shout out to the “dream team” of collaborators, and thanked Big Loud and BBR for their support on the song. 

Schmidt then recalled when Hardy and Phelps brought up the idea for “Wait In The Truck.”

“They had the title. When they said it to me, I was [intrigued]. The more we talked it out, the more I realized this was a big song,” Schmidt said. “Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for bringing me in on that.”

He then turned the attention to their co-writer and his wife Blair, giving her credit for adding the layer to the song that pushed it to the top. Blair sang the female vocal on the demo of “Wait In The Truck” and added the hair-raising “Have mercy, have mercy, have mercy” part.

Blair then gave a heartfelt, emotional speech to celebrate her first No. 1 hit. She spoke about her journey in Nashville, adding her part to the song and Hardy’s generosity for her giving her writing credits although she didn’t ask for them. 

Wilson then wrapped up the “Wait In The Truck” celebration by sharing how she felt when she first heard the song.

“When I heard it, it took me back to why I fell in love with country music to begin with. It reminded me of songs from the ’90s like ‘Whiskey Lullaby,’ ‘Thunder Rolls’ and ‘Goodbye Earl.’ Those songs that really tell a story,” she said. “[Domestic violence] is something that a lot of people don’t want to talk about, it’s hidden behind closed doors. But I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I would only be a part of songs that I felt like made a difference.”

Next, it was time to celebrate “Truck Bed,” written by Hardy, Phelps, Ashley Gorley and Ben Johnson and produced by Hardy, Johnson, Moi and Wells. BMI’s Roberts first took to the mic to praise the song’s cleverness and production, before handing it over to ASCAP’s Hobson who gave a nod to Gorley and Phelps for their recent Triple Play Award wins, which included this track.

Relative’s Matkosky then returned to the stage to speak about Hardy’s knack for bending genres. “From the very beginning, he’s broken boundaries. When I heard ‘Wait In The Truck,’ I felt the same way Lainey did. Now, with ‘Jim Bob,’ ‘Psycho’ and his new rock stuff, he’s breaking boundaries and he’s doing it in a non-deliberate way. He’s doing what he wants to do, what he hears and what he feels.” 

Tape Room’s Blaine Rhodes and Warner Chappell’s Wiltshire each said a few words before Sony Music Publishing’s Rusty Gaston took the mic to speak about Gorley.

Gaston joked about how this is “all new to Gorley,” nodding to his unprecedented 75 No. 1 songs, which he has already exceeded. “Ashley studies people. He gets to know people, he asks questions and he’s interested about what’s going on [in his co-writers’ lives],” Gaston shared, noting that although Gorley can’t personally relate to everything he writes, his songs connect because of his true interest in people.

Studio Bank’s Kari Barnhart was then invited up to the stage for a special presentation, where she announced that the bank would be donating to Second Harvest Food Bank to celebrate the achievement. 

Big Loud’s Candice Watkins then closed out the speeches from industry members before handing the mic over to the “Truck Bed” group. Moi and Wells each said a few words about producing the song, both recalling the magic they felt when they first heard the demo. 

When Phelps took the mic, he echoed the sentiments about Hardy’s unique artistry. “It’s amazing when you feel like you’re breaking rules, and then you decide to go with that for the single—it’s a unique thing. I’m very proud of that.”

It was time for some nostalgia as Johnson recalled the first time he met Hardy and Phelps seven years ago at an ASCAP showcase held at The Basement. The group started writing together shortly after. Johnson also had an extra reason to celebrate as this was his first No. 1 as a producer. Gorley shared a few words about his time writing on the song, and expressed his gratitude about getting to write with the group.

To wrap up the lunch-time party, it was time for the man of the hour to speak about both tracks.

“I’ve probably written 50 songs with the word ‘truck’ in the title and the two that went No. 1 couldn’t be further apart from each other,” Hardy said, drawing a laugh from the crowd. 

He hammered home the point of how important collaboration was with both songs. “Whether it’s ‘Wait In The Truck’ or ‘Truck Bed,’ everybody that has sat in one of these chairs today made the song better. There’s times when people can get in the way or hold back creative freedoms in the room, and I can truly tell you between producers and songwriters, every person here—whether it was somebody’s idea or Renee throwing in the best part of ‘Wait In The Truck’—made both songs better. That is so important.”