"Start A Band" Writers Get Their Due

Brad Paisley and Keith Urban rehearse on Sunday, Nov. 9, for their performance on "The 42nd Annual CMA Awards," which broadcasts live from the Sommet Center in Downtown Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 8/7c on the ABC Television Network. Photographer: John Russell / Provided by Country Music Association.

July 14, 2009 — Brad Paisley and Keith Urban pushed "Start A Band" to No. 1 way back in January, but the songwriters — Kelley Lovelace, Ashley Gorley and Dallas Davidson — had to wait six months to finally celebrate with No. 1 parties.

For Dallas, it was a particularly long wait: It’s the first time Dallas ever had a song that went to the top of the chart. "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk," a Trace Adkins hit he co-write with Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser, stopped at No. 2.

"Where were y’all when it went No. 2?" Dallas joked to reporters at the BMI soiree as he explained what it meant to finally reach No. 1. "I didn’t see you. You don’t get the interviews, you don’t get the free beer [from a party] and all that good stuff, so it’s nice to actually cross the finish line."

ASCAP and BMI, two of the three performing rights organizations that collect and distribute money to songwriters for public airing of their work, typically throw parties for the writers and the artists when a song reaches No. 1. Both agencies put off the "Start" parties as they tried to coordinate schedules with Brad and Keith. In the end, neither artist was able to make it. Neither was producer Frank Rogers, though two artists Dallas regularly writes with — Randy Houser and Rhett Akins — made a point of helping him celebrate.

The wait was actually much longer than six months. Kelley, Ashley and Dallas wrote "Start A Band" sort of by mistake; Dallas had double-booked writing appointments with each of the other two on the same day, and to solve the scheduling dilemma, they decided to do a three-person writing session. Kelley came up with the concept for the song while the other two were en route, and once they started, it all came together in a matter of just three or four hours. They thought they might land it on an album Brad released in June 2007.

"Once we got it done, we had learned that Brad liked the song," Ashley recalled. "Then we started kind of envisioning him on it, how cool that would possibly be, and it didn’t end up finding a home on that 5th Gear album, which he was working on at the time, and so we’re like, ‘Oh, there goes that.’ Usually people don’t come back around and remember songs like that."

But Brad did. When he made his mostly-instrumental guitar album, Play, "Start A Band" provided a perfect excuse to reel in Keith and work up a dueling guitar outro.

"Usually, you’re trying to come up with ideas for Brad or Carrie [Underwood] or Darius Rucker or somethin' like that," Kelley said. "For one to come out of nowhere and be a huge event like that, that’s real fun."

Monday’s No. 1 parties, back to back at ASCAP and BMI, provided an excuse for numerous publishing companies, Country Weekly, the Country Music Association and Country Radio Broadcasters to shower the composers with wall bling for their accomplishment. Two of the guys were already quite familiar with the achievement. Kelley’s had 11 No. 1 songs, while Ashley’s written six. But for Dallas, it marked a first.

"It’s a cool day," he told the BMI crowd in a gross understatement.

Actually, the No. 1 parties come in addition to other current achievements for each of the three writers. Dallas’ song "Barefoot And Crazy" is a Top 15 single for Jack Ingram. Brad’s "I’m Still A Guy," which Kelley co-wrote, was recently certified gold, as was Brad’s single "Then," which Ashley co-authored. Kelley and Ashely were also co-writers on Carrie’s "All-American Girl," which was just certified platinum.