NSAI President's Keystone Award Honoree Tim McGraw
On Tuesday, September 26, Ryman Auditorium was overflowing with support for the songwriters who bring to life the music we all love, as the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and presenting partner City National Bank held the 6th annual Nashville Songwriter Awards. A night the industry and fans alike eagerly await each year, the latest ceremony did not disappoint, hosting dozens of performers throughout the evening to celebrate each award and honoree.
Ashley Corley Cole Swindell Russell Dickerson
Ashley Gorley was honored as ‘Songwriter of the Year’ for a record seventh time and the audience was treated to performances of “God Gave Me A Girl” by Russell Dickerson and “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” by Cole Swindell to honor two of Gorley’s hits from the award-winning year.
The top song honor of the night, ‘Song of the Year,’ was awarded to Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson, and Lainey Wilson for their hit “Heart Like A Truck” (recorded by Lainey Wilson), and 9 additional songs and their writers were celebrated as winners in the cherished peer-voted '10 Songs I Wish I'd Written' award category!
Previously announced honorees, David Israelite (Chairman & CEO of the National Music Publishers’ Association) and Tim McGraw, were both celebrated with special performances for their achievements - Brett Young performed a moving rendition of Israelite’s favorite song, “Hallelujah”, and hit-songwriter Lori McKenna took the stage to honor Tim McGraw with a stunning acoustic performance of her own “Humble And Kind”, the chart-topping song recorded by McGraw.
Midway through the evening, paying tribute to Bobby Braddock, who was honored with the 2023 Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award the audience was treated to performances from Tracy Lawrence (“Time Marches On”), Toby Keith (“I Wanna Talk About Me”), and Blake Shelton (“He Stopped Loving Her Today”) to share just a few of the incredible songwriting contributions Braddock has given to the American songbook that continue to inspire the careers of many songwriters. 2022 Kris Kristofferson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Garth Brooks, joined the evening to present Braddock with the award.
Tracey Lawrence, Blake Shelton, Toby Keith and Garth Brooks
In addition to the organizational awards and the Song, Songwriter, and Songwriter-Artist of the Year, 22 songwriters were honored with ‘10 Songs I Wish I’d Written’ awards, a favorite in the industry, as the peer-voted honor signifies the height of acknowledgment and admiration from fellow songwriters for their astonishing work.
Megan Moroney with Ben Williams, Ben Johnson, HARDY and Ashley Gorley, Charlie Handsome performing with ERNEST, Renee Blair performing with HARDY
All Photos ©Tammie Arroyo/AFF-USA.com
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