Luke Dick has entered the top five on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart this week, rising one spot to No. 5 and knocking Bailey Zimmerman down to No. 6. Dick has a credit on three songs currently at play, including “Strange” (Miranda Lambert), “Don’t Come Lookin'” (Jackson Dean) and “Gold” (Dierks Bentley).

Zach Bryan keeps the peak position for a fourth week as the sole writer on his own “Something In The Orange,” “Oklahoma Smokeshow” and “Burn, Burn, Burn.”

Ashley Gorley (No. 2), Morgan Wallen (No. 3) and Ernest Keith Smith (No. 4) all remain in their respective spots in the top five.

The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital download track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.

Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.

The Country Music Association brought this year’s CMA Awards nominees together for a celebratory dinner at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts Tuesday evening (Oct. 11), a month ahead of the 56th Annual CMA Awards ceremony.

CMA CEO Sarah Trahern welcomed attendees and invited reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs to lead a special toast for the group. The night included a performance by pianist Tyler Merideth, a music teacher at Nashville’s Hillwood High School who is also a CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence.

The 56th Annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. CT on ABC.

A scholarship fund has been created for the children of beloved TV journalist and producer, Lisa Lee, who passed away last year after a battle with brain cancer.

Before her tragic death, Lee held the role of Sr. VP/Creative & Content at the Academy of Country Music. As the Academy’s lead staff producer, she oversaw all video production as well as the design, creation, and editing of ACM logos, digital and printed materials including ACM Tempo magazine, the ACM Awards program book, and both the ACM and ACM Lifting Lives websites.

The scholarship fund was created by industry executives Marion Kraft, Sarah Trahern, Jennie Smythe and Teresa George. In a letter to the community, the executives wrote that both of Lee’s children had their college funds depleted in order to help cover the cost of Lee’s care. Lee’s daughter Grayson would like to follow her footsteps and attend Belmont University in the fall of 2023. Her younger son Jackson also wishes to attend college.

“Because Lisa was so beloved by everyone who knew her, especially here in Nashville, we want to do everything we can to ensure her family has the opportunity to thrive again,” the letter reads.

Those wishing to contribute to Lee’s children’s 529 college funds can write a check payable to Edward Jones (Subject Line: 529 Contribution Lee Family). Edward Jones will provide a tax receipt. Checks will need to be mailed to Shopkeeper Management, Attn.: Marion Kraft, 918 19th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37212.

Those wishing to help the Lee family pay bills and get back on their feet can write checks payable to Lisa Lee Memorial Fund and mail them to First Arkansas Bank and Trust, Attn.: Lise Lee Memorial Fund, PO Box 827, Jacksonville, AR 72078. Donations can also be made via Zelle at LisaLeeMemorial@gmail.com.

Read Lee’s full obituary here.

In a town that’s built on the bedrock of songwriters, no one can deny that Nashville has an incomparable legion of dedicated wordsmiths tirelessly pumping out carefully crafted songs every day.

Over the last few years, more of Music City’s prolific lyricists have decided to put their own voice behind their art, such as Nicolle Galyon‘s recent project Firstborn, Ben Burgess‘ Big Loud debut Tears The Size Of Texas, and plenty of others along the way.

The newest addition to this group of songwriters taking their turn in the spotlight can be found in Nicolette Hayford.

After more than a decade of writing songs for other artists, including Ashley McBryde (“A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega,” “One Night Standards”), Lainey Wilson, Steve Moakler, William Michael Morgan, Chrissy Metz and more, the 2021 MusicRow Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year has emerged with her own artist project with the rough-around-the edges moniker of Pillbox Patti.

Venturing off with her own tribe of writers, such as McBryde, Aaron Raitiere, Benjy Davis, Connie Harrington, Joe Clemmons and producer Park Chisolm, Pillbox Patti aims to convey her take on growing up while delivering it in an honest, yet not always pretty package that’s one part playful and one part painful.

The Monument Records recording artist’s debut project, Florida, named after her home state, features a personal collection of songs that range from the funky bopper of “Suwannee” to the nostalgic “Young and Stupid,” the love crazy “Hookin Up” to the guitar-licked swayer of “Good People,” a few odes to her home town of Starke that can be heard on “Eat Pray Drugs” and “25 MPH Town,” and more.

Within the eight-song project, Hayford and her co-writers break down every wall, opening up a level of authenticity that’s generally hard to find. This is best exemplified on the hardest-hitting song of the album, “Valentine’s Day.” Chronicling Hayford’s real life experiences, the chilling song pulls back the curtains on her abortion story at the age of 15 on Valentine’s Day.

“I had a lot of stories to tell and a lot of healing to do,” Hayford shares. “As a writer I spent years helping artists tell their truths and I have always really enjoyed that part of the craft, but I realized that I needed to tell my own truths or I was going to lose myself in this town.”

She continues, “I wasn’t on anybody’s dime but my own so no one was telling me how or where or what kinds of songs I could cut or get away with. It was about me and for me with no other agenda. I had never given myself that freedom or permission before. Florida is a result of that freedom.”

Earlier this week, Hayford took over The House rehearsal studio outside of Nashville to host her very own Patti-Palooza.

Decked out in inflatable pool toys, string lights, fake pills and plenty of alcohol, the night saw Hayford take the stage to perform Florida in its entirety. She also peppered in a handful of unreleased songs along the way, including the Jessie Jo Dillon-penned “Low Life,” the empowering “Die Alone,” and her ode to never growing up in “To Be Young.”

“Thank y’all so much for being here. This shit is really important to me. I made an album that I’m really proud of and really excited about with my favorite people ever,” the CMA and ACM-nominated writer gushed to the packed room. “Welcome to Patti-Palooza.”

Backed by a drummer and Florida‘s producer, Park Chisolm, on guitar, Hayford enamored the crowd as she rolled through the sexy slow burner of “Candy Cigarettes.” The room fell silent during the stripped down “Valentine’s Day.”

“There’s a lot of people in this room that wrote that song with me. Thank you for giving me space to do that,” she said following the tear jerker, listing off each of her co-writers. “I really appreciate y’all. Thank you for writing that song and all of these songs with me.

“I have to say thank you to my co-writers, all of them, because songs don’t write themselves,” she added knowingly.

Through Florida, Hayford sets out to tell her truth, while also speaking to the people often forgotten in country music. “I hope it sheds a light on the badass, cool ass, good ass people on the other side of these small towns. The kind of people I know and came up with, that aren’t livin’ in a paint by number country song,” she sums.

Pillbox Patti’s debut project, Florida, is available everywhere now.

Big Machine Label Group has packaged 18 Florida Georgia Line tracks, including three previously unreleased songs, into the duo’s first-ever Greatest Hits project.

FGL spent 10 years as one of country music’s most influential acts. They burst onto the country music charts in 2012 with “Cruise,” a song that would become a record-breaking No. 1 country hit. “Cruise” earned Diamond certification from the RIAA, becoming the first country single to attain sales and streams equivalent to 10 million units.

The duo went on to tally 19 career No. 1 singles, more than 13 billion global streams, sold more than 40 million tracks and 4.8 million albums worldwide, logged nearly 2 billion video views and played to over 4 million fans spanning massive arena and stadium headline tours.

FGL’s Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley have since went their separate ways to focus on solo music, playing their last show together on Aug. 31 at the Minnesota State Fair.

The Greatest Hits package is due out Oct. 28 on Target Exclusive Vinyl, and will release digitally on Nov. 9. CDs will be available Nov. 11.

A previously unreleased track called “Life” is available now. The tune was written by Hubbard, Craig Wiseman, David Garcia, and Josh Miller, and produced by Joey Moi.

Florida Georgia Line Greatest Hits Track List:
1. “Cruise”
2. “Meant To Be – Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line”
3. “H.O.L.Y.”
4. “May We All (featuring Tim McGraw)”
5. “Get Your Shine On”
6. “Dirt”
7. “Long Live”
8. “Simple”
9. “God, Your Mama, and Me (featuring Backstreet Boys)”
10. “Stay”
11. “Sun Daze”
12. “I Love My Country”
13. “Round Here”
14. “This Is How We Roll (featuring Luke Bryan)”
15. “Up Down (featuring Morgan Wallen)”
16. “Invisible” +
17. “Life”+
18. “Rendezvous (featuring Lele Pons)”+
+previously unreleased tracks