‘Craving You,’ ‘Unforgettable’ score No.
1 awards
Thomas Rhett picks up ‘Gold’ album,
too
By Preshias Harris for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show
Nashville is turning into a party town. A
‘Number One’ party town, that is, with frequent festivities to honor the
writers of recent chart toppers.
It was a ‘twofer’ party for Thomas Rhett on
February 16, as the writers of two of his recent hits, ‘Craving You’ and
‘Unforgettable,’ were recognized for their achievements. The party at Von Elrod’s was jointly hosted
by ASCAP and BMI, commemorating Rhett’s eighth and ninth career Number Ones.
Dave Barnes and Julian Bunetta were
recognized for writing Rhett’s RIAA Platinum-selling mega hit, ‘Craving You,’
that also featured the voice of Maren Morris. Interestingly, it was not certain
that ‘Craving You’ would be released with the Maren Morris backing vocals. Versions
were mixed both with and without Maren’s vocals. On comparing the two, Rhett
and his team decided that the ‘with’ version was better, even though he had
originally felt that ‘Craving You’ wasn’t really a duet song.
Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley and Shane
McAnally co-wrote “Unforgettable” with Rhett, released as the second single
from Rhett’s 2017 album, ‘Life Changes.’
Frasure, Gorley and McAnally are all veteran hit writers with literally
scores of No. 1 notches on their belts.
Both Frasure and Gorley better not stray
too far: they’ll be back on February 21 to receive awards as writers of John
Pardi’s No. 1 hit, “Dirt On My Boots.” co-written with Rhett Akins – who
happens to be Thomas Rhett’s dad.
If that wasn’t enough, Rhett was also
surprised with a plaque to commemorate ‘Life Changes’ (The Valory Music Co.)
earning RIAA Gold Certification for achieving 500,000 units sold less than six
months after its release. Additionally, his current Top 5 single “Marry Me” has
been certified Gold as it continues to climb the Country radio charts.
As a songwriter, Thomas Rhett is a force to
be reckoned with. Next week, Thomas Rhett will be recognized as a CMA Triple
Play Award recipient, which honors songwriters who have penned three No. 1
songs within a 12-month period (“Die A Happy Man,” “Star of the Show” and
Michael Ray’s “Think A Little Less”).
Rhett is keeping up the momentum with his
‘Life Changes Tour 2018,’ set to kick off in April. For more information and
for a full list of upcoming tour dates, visit www.ThomasRhett.com.
# # #
PHOTO CREDITS:
‘Gold Record’ photo, (L-R): Big Machine
Label Group’s Nicole Csabai, BMLG’s Mike Rittberg, G Major Management’s
Virginia Davis, Thomas Rhett, BMLG’s Scott Borchetta, BMLG’s Allison Jones, The
Valory Music Co.’s George Briner and BMLG’s Jake Basden. Photo Credit: Jason
Kempin/Getty Images
‘Songwriter’ photo (L-R): Julian Bunetta
(BMI), Jesse Frasure (BMI), Ashley Gorley (ASCAP), Thomas Rhett (BMI), Shane
McAnally (GMR), Dave Barnes (ASCAP) and Dann Huff (ASCAP)
Photo Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty Images