Ten Year Town

Abigail Rose is a Nashville-raised singer-songwriter. This year her song “Betty’s in the Band,” a duet with Weston Hunter, went viral and took her from 35,000 to over a million monthly listeners. Her debut album Paisley is out October 23 on Silverlab. In this episode, we discuss her early years on Music Row, finding her own sound, and how a back-porch rehearsal video turned “Betty’s in the Band” i...

🎟️ Ten Year Town: A LIVE Episode with Jessie Jo Dillon. Monday, October 19, Analog at Hutton Hotel. Doors 5:00, show 5:30. Tickets: https://ffm.link/tenyeartownlive Skip Ewing is a singer-songwriter from Redlands, California, with eleven No. 1 songwriting credits. Those include Randy Travis’ “If I Didn’t Have You,” Clint Black’s “Something That We Do,” and Collin Raye’s “Love, Me.” His songs have...

🎟️ Ten Year Town: A LIVE Episode with Jessie Jo Dillon. Monday, October 19, Analog at Hutton Hotel. Doors 5:00, show 5:30. Tickets: https://ffm.link/tenyeartownlive Dasha is a California-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter whose 2023 single "Austin (Boots Stop Workin')" became a viral breakout and a member of the Spotify Billions Club. She was nominated for New Female Artist of...

LIVE SHOW TICKET LINK: https://ffm.link/tenyeartownlive Jamie Moore is a four-time Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. His songs have been recorded by Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, TobyMac, Mackenzie Carpenter, Florida Georgia Line, and Tim McGraw. They include the #1 "May We All" and Morgan Wallen's diamond-certified "Chasin' You,&quot...

Joybeth Taylor is a Nashville songwriter from Pelham, Alabama. She's written for Morgan Wallen, Jordan Davis, Kane Brown, and Hudson Westbrook, co-wrote Ella Langley's "Weren't for the Wind" and Langley and Wallen's "I Can't Love You Anymore," and is a writer on "Choosin' Texas," the 2026 ACM Song of the Year and the longest-running non-h...

Danny Myrick is a Nashville songwriter from Laurel, Mississippi. He's written for Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Craig Morgan, and Joe Cocker, co-wrote Craig Morgan's "International Harvester" and Tim McGraw's "Truck Yeah," and had 2009's most-played country song with Jason Aldean's "She's Country." Before writing full time he sang lead in Wes...

Dan Alley is a Nashville songwriter from Miamisburg, Ohio. He's written for Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Jon Pardi, and Drake Milligan, co-wrote Hudson Westbrook's "House Again," and landed his first country radio #1 with Luke Bryan's "Country Song Came On." He's a writer on Luke Combs' current single "Be By You," and is releasing his own music...

Zane Williams is a Texas singer-songwriter and the frontman of The Wilder Blue. He spent years as a college coffeehouse performer and a staff songwriter in Nashville, where he wrote "Hurry Home," a top 20 hit for Jason Michael Carroll, before moving back to Texas and building a grassroots following as a solo artist. He formed The Wilder Blue in 2019, and when the band's debut landed...

Little Big Town is Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook — the same four people since they started singing together in 1998. Along the way: "Boondocks," "Pontoon," "Girl Crush," "Better Man," three Grammys for Best Country Duo/Group Performance, six straight CMA Vocal Group of the Year wins, and Opry membership since 2014. The...

There's a circle of wood in the middle of the stage at the Grand Ole Opry House. They cut it out of the floor of the Ryman and carried it over when the Opry moved, so that anybody standing in the middle of that stage is standing on the same boards Hank stood on. This week, I get to stand on it. These are a few thoughts I have about that. About my ten years in Nashville, an Opry debut, and the...

Michelangelo didn't wake up one morning wanting to spend four years painting a ceiling. He was a sculptor. But the Pope had a ceiling, and the Pope had money. In this bonus episode, Troy Cartwright reads an essay about an artist named Aaron Reese, who bought a newsstand at 39th and 4th in New York City to sell his ceramics — and about the uncomfortable, ancient intersection of art and commerc...

Wyatt Flores is a country artist and songwriter from Stillwater, Oklahoma. He has over 1.4 billion career streams, RIAA certifications including 2x Platinum for "Please Don't Go," and a debut album, Welcome to the Plains, released in 2024. His new album, Scared of Heights, produced by Charlie Handsome, Jacob "JKash" Hindlin, and Gian Stone, is out now via Island Records an...

Dylan Scott is a country artist and songwriter from Bastrop, Louisiana. He is a multi-Platinum artist with seven number one singles at country radio, including the triple-Platinum "My Girl," "Nobody," "New Truck," "Boys Back Home" (with Dylan Marlowe), and his most recent chart-topper, "What He'll Never Have." He has nearly 5 billion career st...

What happens when a company—or an artist—starts optimizing for engagement instead of trust? In this solo episode, I unpack why Netflix's biggest competitive advantage isn't its algorithms or its catalog, but the relationship it has with its audience. That same tension exists in music, where creators are constantly tempted to simplify, explain, and optimize their work for platforms that r...

Brice Long is a songwriter and artist from Hopkinsville, Kentucky. As a songwriter, he has written No. 1 hits including Gary Allan's “Nothing On But The Radio” and Jon Pardi's “Heartache On The Dance Floor,” along with Randy Houser's “Like A Cowboy,” which was nominated for CMA Song of the Year. As an artist, Brice recently released his new album, All I Ever Wanted . In this episode...

Shane McAnally is a songwriter, producer, and publisher originally from Mineral Wells, Texas. He is a 4x Grammy Winner, 2x ACM Songwriter of the Year, a Tony-nominated composer, and has written and/or produced over 50 number one songs. Some of his hits include Body Like a Back Road, recorded by Sam Hunt, American Kids, recorded by Kenny Chesney, and Merry Go Round, recorded by Kacey Musgraves. Rec...

Shane McAnally is a songwriter, producer, and publisher originally from Mineral Wells, Texas. He is a 4x Grammy Winner, 2x ACM Songwriter of the Year, a Tony-nominated composer, and has written and/or produced over 50 number one songs. Some of his hits include Body Like a Back Road, recorded by Sam Hunt, American Kids, recorded by Kenny Chesney, and Merry Go Round, recorded by Kacey Musgraves. Rec...

Charles Wesley Godwin is a country music artist and songwriter born and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia. He first discovered his passion for music in college, picking up a guitar after realizing his WVU football dreams weren't going to pan out and watching the Avett Brothers perform at the 2011 Grammys. He spent years developing his sound by playing small bars, cafes, and breweries across...

Brad Tursi is a songwriter, guitarist, and member of Old Dominion. As a songwriter, he has penned hits for artists including Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley, and Luke Bryan, including Chesney's “Save It For A Rainy Day.” As a member of Old Dominion, he has helped create some of the band's biggest songs, including “Snapback,” “No Such Thing As A Broken Heart,” and “One Man Band.” He has a n...

Jake Worthington is a country music artist and songwriter raised in La Porte, Texas. He first gained national attention as the runner-up on Season 6 of NBC’s The Voice before spending years developing his sound playing dance halls and honky-tonks across Texas. His latest record, When I Write The Song , was released in 2025, and he is currently signed to Big Loud Texas. Worthington has shared stage...

In this bonus episode, we take a look at the songwriting and philosophy of Tom Petty—what made his songs work, why simplicity matters, and what artists can learn from the way he approached music and career. --------------------------------------------------- If you want to read the Mundanity of Excellence you can find the PDF here: https://academics.hamilton.edu/documents/themundanityofexcellence....

Randy Montana is a songwriter and artist raised in Nashville, Tennessee. He has written songs recorded by artists including Luke Combs, Parker McCollum, Justin Moore, Riley Green, and many others. His No. 1 hits include “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” “I Hope You’re Happy,” “Pretty Heart,” and “Sleepless In A Hotel Room.” On March 16, 2026, Montana claimed the No. 1 spot on the MusicRow Top Songwrite...

Zach Abend is a songwriter and producer originally from Syracuse, New York. He has co-written songs for artists including Morgan Wallen, HARDY, LOCASH, Kenny Chesney, and Blake Shelton. His #1 songs include writing Kenny Chesney’s “Take Her Home,” LOCASH’s 2025 single “Hometown Home,” and most recently as a writer on HARDY’s “Favorite Country Song.” He is currently published by Relative Music Grou...

Mitchell Tenpenny is a singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. He broke through with his multi-Platinum No. 1 hit “Drunk Me” and has since earned additional chart success with songs like “Truth About You,” “At The End Of A Bar” (with Chris Young), and “We Got History.” He has released multiple albums including Telling All My Secrets and This Is The Heavy , and has toured with artists like Jas...

This episode originally aired on January 20th, 2025.  Kip Moore is an artist and songwriter originally from Tifton, Georgia. He has several multi-platinum records including songs like “Somethin’ ‘bout a Truck,” “More Girls Like You,” and “The Bull.” He is also known for his live show and a rabid touring audience that spans the US, the U.K., Australia, South Africa, and Europe. “Solitary Tracks” wa...