Ashley Gorley, Alan Jackson & More Honored At 7th Annual Nashville Songwriter Awards

Songwriters, members of the music industry, and fans gathered at Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium on Tuesday night for the 7th Annual Nashville Songwriter Awards. The evening, sponsored by City National Bank, celebrated this year’s top songs and recognized several honorees with special awards.

“This is a very special show because this is the songwriters’ show tonight. We showcase the songwriters,” Lee Thomas Miller, Board President, NSAI, explained. “This is a very coveted award ceremony because these awards are voted on by the most toughest critics in the world, the other songwriters. So anytime that you receive one of the ‘Songs I Wish I’d Written,’ there’s no greater honor. So it’s a big deal.”

The night kicked off with a breathtaking performance by Amanda Shires, paying tribute to NSAI’s 2024 ‘Legendary Song’ – “Always On My Mind,” written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James. The program continued with a lineup of performers taking center stage to celebrate the award categories and the honored songs of the evening.

Songwriter of the Year

Ashley Gorley was celebrated as ‘Songwriter of the Year’ for a record-breaking eighth time. The audience enjoyed special performances of “World on Fire” by Nate Smith and “Young Love and Saturday Nights” by Chris Young, honoring two of Gorley’s standout hits from the award-winning year.

Ahead of the show, Gorley reflected on the award, telling Country Now it was a “huge, huge honor” to be recognized. 

“This NSAI show is just really special because it’s voted on by songwriters,” he pointed out. 

Song of the Year

The night’s top honor, ‘Song of the Year,’ was awarded to Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, and Ryan Larkins for their hit song “The Painter,” which was recorded by country superstar Cody Johnson. 

For Larkins, winning Song of the Year marked a pinnacle in his career.

“It means so much to me to win Song of the Year. I’ve been writing songs since I was 12 years old, and to have an award voted on by our peers, that means so much to me and it’s going to be a special night,” he shared with us ahead of the show. 

Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award

Alan Jackson received the Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his wildly successful career, which includes a whopping 26 No.1 hits.

“When I walk out onstage every night to sing, I tell people I’m going to sing real country music – songs about life and love and heartache and drinkin’ and dancin’ and cryin’ and Mama and having a good time,” Jackson shared from the stage. “That’s what it’s always been about for me.”

He went on to add, “I’m a little overwhelmed. I’ve been very fortunate. I didn’t know anything about the music business or songwriting. I just came to town…learned a lot…had a lot of help.”

The audience enjoyed several performances of songs he co-wrote, including “Livin’ On Love” by Hailey Whitters, “Here In The Real World” by Lee Ann Womack, and “Midnight In Montgomery” by Josh Turner. 

Whitters admitted she was “so nervous” before taking the stage and later took to X (formerly Twitter) to express her excitement over the opportunity to perform for the country music icon. 

“Got to sing my hero [Alan Jackson’s] song back to him last night at the mother church and pretty sure it’s the craziest, wildest, how the hell did I get here moment of my career/life so far,” she wrote. 

President’s Keystone Award

Another esteemed honor of the evening, the NSAI President’s Keystone Award, was given to the legendary producer and songwriter Buddy Cannon, in recognition of his many years of impactful contributions to the music industry and his efforts to uplift songwriters. Cannon was celebrated with a performance of “Give It Away” by Jamey Johnson, a song co-written by Cannon, Johnson, and Bill Anderson.

“It’s really an awkward feeling to me,” Cannon admitted to us just moments before the show. “I’m used to being a behind-the-scenes guy and a cheerleader for the songwriters, and I’ve written songs myself. But this President’s Award… It’s coming from the organization and it’s gratifying. I’m really happy to be here.”

10 Songs I Wish I’d Written

Another highlight of the evening was the presentation of the 10 Songs I Wish I’d Written awards, voted on by the songwriting community. Special performances of these songs took place throughout the evening. 

Parker McCollum, whose song “Handle On You,” written by McCollum with Monty Criswell, was one of the 10 songs honored on Tuesday evening. 

“This is the one that matters, the songwriter awards,” McCollum declared. “When I was in junior high school writing songs, I really wanted to be a songwriter. Before I wanted to even be a country singer, I wanted to write songs. I knew I liked that and I thought I was okay at it. So to get all these years down the road and then get to be recognized by the most talented songwriters and musicians and artists in the world and here in Nashville, Tennessee, it just is so good.”

See below for a complete list of award winners below. 

SONG OF THE YEAR

“The Painter” Written by Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, Ryan Larkins

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

Ashley Gorley

SONGWRITER-ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Jelly Roll

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Alan Jackson

NSAI PRESIDENT’S KEYSTONE AWARD

Buddy Cannon

’10 SONGS I WISH I’D WRITTEN’ AWARDS

“Handle On You”

Written by: Monty Criswell, Parker McCollum

(recorded by: Parker McCollum)

“I’m Not Pretty”

Written by: Mackenzie Carpenter, Micah Carpenter, Megan Moroney, Ben Williams

(recorded by: Megan Moroney)

“Last Night”

Written by: John Byron, Ashley Gorley, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Kasher Hindlin

(recorded by: Morgan Wallen)

“Man Made A Bar”

Written by: Rocky Block, Jordan Dozzi, Larry Fleet, Brett Tyler

(recorded by: Eric Church and Morgan Wallen)

“Need A Favor”

Written by: Jelly Roll, Austin Nivarel, Joe Ragosta, Rob Ragosta

(recorded by: Jelly Roll)

“Next Thing You Know”

Written by: Jordan Davis, Greylan James, Chase McGill, Josh Osborne

(recorded by: Jordan Davis)

“Pretty Little Poison”

Written by: Ryan Beaver, Jared Keim, Warren Zeiders

(recorded by: Warren Zeiders)

“Standing Room Only”

Written by: Tommy Cecil, Patrick Murphy, Craig Wiseman

(recorded by: Tim McGraw)

“Try That In A Small Town”

Written by: Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy, Kelley Lovelace, Neil Thrasher

(recorded by: Jason Aldean)

“Where The Wild Things Are”

Written by: Randy Montana, Dave Turnbull

(recorded by: Luke Combs)

“White Horse”

Written by: Chris Stapleton, Dan Wilson

(recorded by: Chris Stapleton)