When you think of the biggest stars of country music, the likes of Garth Brooks, Shania Twain and even Taylor Swift probably come to mind. Ashley Gorley could also stake a claim, although there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of him.
Ashley Gorley: the most commercially successful songwriter ever
Gorley, who grew up in a small town in Kentucky, has written a record 83 number-one hits, making him the most commercially successful songwriter of all time. Earlier this month, the 48-year-old was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame for his achievements.
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Obsessed with the inner workings of the music industry from an early age, Gorley went to Belmont University in Nashville, the country capital of the world, to learn the ropes and get a foot in the door.
“I was always very enthralled by what makes a song work,” he explains in an interview. “When I came to Nashville, I tried to just learn how that actually works and how people can make a living at it.”
Gorley’s number one hits
Given his hit rate, there is no doubt he succeeded at doing both. Of his 83 number ones, 82 were in the country music charts, with the outlier, Weezer’s “All My Favorite Songs,” topping the Rock & Alternative chart.
Carrie Underwood has had no fewer than eight number ones in collaboration with Gorley, with Morgan Wallen has had five.
Ashley Gorley number one hits
- “All I Need Is You” – Chris Janson
- “Save Me The Trouble” – Dan + Shay
- “Everything I Love” – Morgan Wallen
- “World On Fire” – Nate Smith
- “God Gave Me A Girl” – Russell Dickerson
- “Thinkin’ Bout Me” – Morgan Wallen
- “Girl In Mine” – Parmalee
- “Last Night” – Morgan Wallen
- “Gold” – Dierks Bentley
- “What He Didn’t Do” – Carly Pearce
- “You Proof“ – Morgan Wallen
- “She Had Me At Heads Carolina“ – Cole Swindell
- “New Truck“ – Dylan Scott
- “Take My Name“ – Parmalee
- “Slow Down Summer“ – Thomas Rhett
- “Beers On Me“ – Dierks Bentley, HARDY, Breland
- “Sand In My Boots“ – Morgan Wallen
- “You Should Probably Leave“ – Chris Stapleton
- “Country Again“ – Thomas Rhett
- “Single Saturday Night“ – Cole Swindell
- “All My Favorite Songs“ – Weezer
- “What’s Your Country Song“ – Thomas Rhett
- “Hole In The Bottle“ – Kelsea Ballerini
- “One Of Them Girls“ – Lee Brice
- “One Big Country Song“ – LOCASH
- “Hard To Forget“ – Sam Hunt
- “Catch“ – Brett Young
- “Ridin’ Roads“ – Dustin Lynch
- “Remember You Young“ – Thomas Rhett
- “Good Vibes“ – Chris Janson
- “I Don’t Know About You“ – Chris Lane
- “Living“ – Dierks Bentley
- “Rumor“ – Lee Brice “Love Ain’t“ – Eli Young Band
- “Eyes On You“ – Chase Rice
- “What Makes You Country“ – Luke Bryan
- “Life Changes“ – Thomas Rhett
- “Marry Me“ – Thomas Rhett
- “Fix A Drink“ – Chris Janson
- “Unforgettable“ – Thomas Rhett
- “Do I Make You Wanna“ – Billy Currington
- “Black“ – Dierks Bentley
- “Today“ – Brad Paisley
- “Dirt On My Boots“ – Jon Pardi
- “A Guy with a Girl“ – Blake Shelton
- “Dirty Laundry“ – Carrie Underwood
- “Middle of a Memory“ – Cole Swindell
- “American Country Love Song“ – Jake Owen
- “T-Shirt“ – Thomas Rhett
- “You Should Be Here“ – Cole Swindell
- “Heartbeat“ – Carrie Underwood
- “Nothin’ Like You“ – Dan + Shay
- “Young & Crazy“ – Frankie Ballard
- “Kick the Dust Up“ – Luke Bryan
- “Tonight Looks Good On You“ – Jason Aldean
- “Don’t It“ – Billy Currington
- “Just Gettin’ Started“ – Jason Aldean
- “I See You“ – Luke Bryan
- “Yeah“ – Joe Nichols
- “Play It Again“ – Luke Bryan
- “Rewind“ – Rascal Flatts
- “That’s My Kind of Night“ – Luke Bryan
- “Hey Girl“ – Billy Currington
- “Don’t Ya“ – Brett Eldredge
- “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight“ – Randy Houser
- “Crash My Party“ – Luke Bryan
- “Good Girl“ – Carrie Underwood “American Saturday Night“ – Brad Paisley
- “Then“ – Brad Paisley
- “It Won’t Be Like This For Long“ – Darius Rucker
- “Start A Band“ – Brad Paisley ft. Keith Urban
- “You’re Gonna Miss This“ – Trace Adkins
- “All American Girl“ – Carrie Underwood
- “Don’t Forget to Remember Me“ – Carrie Underwood
The key to Ashley Gorley’s songwriting success
Arguably one of the keys to Gorley’s success has been how he has helped the country music scene evolve thanks to his long-standing interest in pop, rock, rap and R&B, bits of which he has been able to weave into – and help breathe new life into – a completely different genre.
Wallen and Jelly Roll are among Gorley’s frequent collaborators who resonate with young music fans in a way that earlier country singers often struggled to.
“He pushes a little bit more or throws a curve or wants to try something different, when most people would just give up,” says songwriter-producer Jesse Frasure, one of Gorley’s close friends and collaborators. “He’s willing to wade through a little bit of awkwardness to find some greatness.”
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