Kix Brooks expressed his excitement and surprise upon seeing the other inductees, saying, “I walked in here and saw these guys and was like, ‘We’re doing this together?’ I came here as a fan of songwriters. That’s all I wanted to do.”
Country singers Keith Urban, Kix Brooks, and David Lee Murphy, alongside Casey Beathard and Rafe Van Hoy, have been selected for induction into the prestigious Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The announcement was made by Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame executive director Mark Ford and chair of the board of directors Rich Hallworth during a press conference held at the historic Columbia Studio A in Nashville. Beathard and Murphy will be inducted in the Hall’s contemporary songwriter category, while Van Hoy will be honored in the veteran songwriter category. Urban will receive the induction in the contemporary songwriter-artist space, and Brooks will be recognized as a veteran songwriter-artist.
Kix Brooks, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame as one-half of Brooks & Dunn, co-wrote numerous hits for the duo, such as “Brand New Man,” “My Next Broken Heart,” “Lost and Found,” “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone,” and “Red Dirt Road.”
Keith Urban, in addition to being a prominent artist, has written many of his own chart-topping hits, including “Somebody Like You,” “But For The Grace Of God,” “Better Life,” “Sweet Thing,” and “Days Go By.”
David Lee Murphy gained fame as an artist with his song “Dust On The Bottle,” but his songwriting talents contributed to Kenny Chesney hits like “Living in Fast Forward,” “Here and Now,” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” as well as Jason Aldean’s “Big Green Tractor” and Justin Moore’s “Why We Drink.”
Casey Beathard has an impressive repertoire, having written songs for well-known artists like Eric Church, Tracy Byrd, Tracy Lawrence, Dolly Parton, Kenny Chesney, and Rodney Atkins.
Rafe Van Hoy is celebrated for penning the timeless country classic “Golden Ring,” sung by George Jones and Tammy Wynette. He also authored hits such as Deborah Allen’s “Baby I Lied,” Patty Loveless’s “Hurt Me Bad (In A Real Good Way),” and John Conlee’s “I’m Only In It For The Love.”
The induction ceremony for these esteemed songwriters will take place during the 53rd Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on October 11, held at Nashville’s Music City Center.
