The Unsung Heroes Behind Your Favorite Country Songs and Artists

The song "Crazy," performed and made famous by Patsy Cline, was written by Willie Nelson. "I Will Always Love You," sung by the pop star Whitney Houston and made famous from the movie The Bodyguard with Kevin Costner, was written by the Queen of Country, Dolly Parton, as was Merle Haggard's "Kentucky Gambler," and Garth Brooks’ "To Make You Feel My Love" was penned by Bob Dylan. 

While these are popular songs written by someone other than the performer who made them famous, there are many more that have surprise writers. Some country music songwriters are performers themselves, while others focus primarily on the songwriting process and hand the songs over to someone who can bring them to life.

Discover some lesser-known heroes of country music songwriting, along with some familiar names who have also penned songs for other artists.

While you may not recognize the name Ashley Gorley, he's one of Nashville's strongest songwriters. This Kentucky native was fascinated by music metrics and the way that fans reacted. Gorley attended Belmont University in Nashville to study music publishing and attempt to decipher the workings of songwriting.

According to an article in The Washington Post, "On June 12, about three decades after he moved to Nashville, Gorley was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which dubbed him the most commercially successful songwriter of all time. He has shattered records by co-writing an astonishing 83 No. 1 radio hits and counting, several of which topped the Billboard 100."

Some of Gorley's top songs that he wrote or collaborated on include:

Here are 15 of the most influential, though sometimes underrecognized, songwriters and songwriter-performers in country music history:

Little Big Town's "Better Man" was written by none other than Taylor Swift, country music star turned pop sensation. Faith Hill is one of the top female performers in country music. Did you know that her song " I Can't Do That Anymore" was written by fellow country musician Alan Jackson?

While Miranda Lambert writes a lot of her own music, she also performs songs written by others, including Kacey Musgraves' "Mama's Broken Heart." Another country music superstar, Luke Bryan, sings songs written by other songwriters, such as "Drink a Beer," co-written by Chris Stapleton and Jim Beavers. 

In a collaboration, Cole Swindell, Rhett Akins, and Michael Carter wrote "Get Me Some of That," performed by Thomas Rhett. Some songwriters allow others to perform their songs while also performing them themselves, as seen with Sam Hunt's "Cop Car," made famous by Keith Urban.

George Strait is another country music songwriter; however, his song "Give It Away" was written by Jamey Johnson. Lori McKenna has written songs for Little Big Town and Tim McGraw, and in a surprise hit, the disco kings, the Bee Gees, wrote "Islands in the Stream," performed by the legends Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. Morgan Wallen and the former Florida Georgia Line duo, Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard, wrote "You Make It Easy," which Jason Aldean took to the charts. 

While Los Angeles and New York have an astonishing number of songwriters, Nashville far outnumbers them in terms of country music songwriters. Known as Music City, it's home to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. This organization has inducted hundreds of country music songwriters, ranging from Garth Brooks and Mary Chapin Carpenter to Kris Kristofferson and Dolly Parton. The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame honors the legacy of country music by celebrating its songwriters, preserving their stories, and educating the public about the cultural impact of their work.

Nashville is home to singers, songwriters, producers, and engineers, all with the same goal in mind: to create great country music. Collaborations such as "I Had Some Help" with Ashley Gorley, Morgan Wallen, and genre-crossing artist Post Malone showcase the creative process while tailoring the song to modern preferences.

Country music is constantly evolving, with genre-blending artists including Kane Brown and Shaboozey. Pop and rock stars are increasingly turning to country music, as seen with artists such as Darius Rucker, Beyoncé, and Cassadee Pope. We see country music stars, including Taylor Swift and Maren Morris, transitioning to pop. These artists draw on their roots to create new music, which helps give modern country music its cultural impact.

On the other hand, there are neo-traditionalist artists, such as Cody Johnson, who want to stick to the country roots of steel guitar, southern twang, and singing songs about love, family values, and working the land.

Producers, artists, and talent agents must collaborate to identify the niche that best showcases each artist's strengths while adhering to some of the fundamental principles of country music. When creative minds come together with Nashville songwriters and Music City's rich history of producing the finest and most significant country music artists, this genre will only grow stronger.

Country music songwriters are truly the unsung heroes of this genre. They're receiving increasing recognition from the Country Music Association, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and even the GRAMMYs. Jake Brown's newest book, Songs of Nashville, delves into the real stories behind country music's greatest hits, featuring in-depth interviews, opinions, and personal perspectives on the songwriting process that has created some of the genre's most iconic songs over the past 50 years. Brown describes the project as a tribute to Nashville's overlooked songwriters, honoring their creativity and the lasting impact they've had on generations of country music hits.