SESAC Awards Honor Hillary Scott, Cary Barlowe, Richard Leigh

The SESAC Awards were held last night (Nov. 1) at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and recognized some of the biggest songwriters in the business. Before the awards, Sounds Like Nashville attended the Red Carpet which hosted more than 20 songwriters and artists who would be honored later that night. Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott, who was recognized for writing “Bartender,” “Freestyle” and “Long Stretch of Love,” three of SESAC’s 17 most-performed country songs of the year, shared her excitement to be attending the awards and gave some advice on songwriting.

“It’s fun to be here,” she tells Sounds Like Nashville. “I was just saying that hearing the songs back from the loudspeaker as they’re calling people to accept their award, it just reminds you what an amazing huge year it’s been in country music and it makes you grateful to be able to live it. I’m so excited for tonight.”

A co-writer on many of Lady Antebellum’s hits, Scott says some of the best advice she was given on songwriting came from fellow SESAC writer Victoria Shaw.

“I was a young writer when I started working with her. She would always say, ‘Just dare to suck,'” she recalls. “I think that’s so important when you go into a writing room with people you know or maybe it’s new people you’ve never worked with before. If you throw out a line, even if it’s terrible, it might lead someone else next to you to the right one.”

It is advice that 2015 SESAC Songwriter of the Year Cary Barlowe (Florida Georgia Line’s “Sun Daze,” Dustin Lynch’s “Where It’s At”) shared with us too.

“Every day is a new song and don’t over think it,” he adds. “If it feels good it’s probably right. Sometimes you have to go with your gut.”

Before he was honored at the ceremony, he said he was grateful for the recognition.

“I’m very thankful I get to do music for a living still. Somehow I came in and was able to fall into some luck so I’m very fortunate.”

Meanwhile, Richard Leigh who was awarded SESAC’s Songwriter Legacy Award for his success with country hits “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue,” “The Greatest Man I Never Knew” among others, was bashful about the award.

“I think they might have made a mistake,” he admits while standing beside Crystal Gayle. “It’ll sink in eventually. It’s really easy to remember the songwriter. Tonight I’m getting credit for something a lot of other people really did. Crystal Gayle, [producer] Allen Reynolds, all the great musicians who played, I’m getting credit for what they did. I don’t deserve it but I’m very grateful.”

He adds that many of his songs hold more meaning to him now than when he first wrote them.

“A song is like a prayer come to earth. It can hit you in a different way on a different day, in a different year.”

SESAC Awards Honors:

Songwriter of the Year:
Cary Barlowe

Song of the Year:
“Homegrown”
Written by Zac Brown, Niko Moon, Wyatt Durrette
Recorded by Zac Brown Band

Publisher of the Year:
Magic Mustang Music

Country Performance Activity Awards:

“Homegrown”
Written by Zac Brown, Niko Moon, Wyatt Durrette
Published by Day for the Dead Publishing
Southern Ground
Rosest Music
Recorded by Zac Brown Band

“Loving You Easy”
Written by Zac Brown, Niko Moon
Published by Day for the Dead Publishing
Southern Ground

“Make Me Wanna”
Written by Larry McCoy
Published by Hondo Creek Music
Recorded by Thomas Rhett

“Like A Cowboy”
Written by Brice Long
Published by SingaBLongSong
Tunes of Parallel
Recorded by Randy Houser

 “Sun Daze”
Written by Cary Barlowe
Published by We Be Pawtying
Castle Bound Music
Recorded by Florida Georgia Line

“Where It’s At (Yep, Yep)”
Written by Cary Barlowe
Published by We Be Pawtying
Castle Bound Music
Recorded by Dustin Lynch

“Ain’t Worth The Whiskey”
Written by Josh Martin
Published by Josh Martin Music
Recorded by Cole Swindell

“Kiss You In The Morning”
Written by Justin Wilson
Published by Legends of Magic Mustang Music
Recorded by Michael Ray

 “Hell Of A Night”
Written by Jaron Boyer
Published by Jaron Boyer Music
peertunes ltd
Recorded by Dustin Lynch

“Riot”
Written by Jaron Boyer
Published by Jaron Boyer Music
peertunes ltd.
Recorded by Rascal Flatts

“Freestyle”
Written by Hillary Scott
Published by Hobbs Hill Publishing
Recorded by Lady Antebellum

“Long Stretch Of Love”
Written by Hillary Scott
Published by Hobbs Hill Publishing
Recorded by Lady Antebellum

“Bartender”
Written by Hillary Scott
Published by Hobbs Hill Publishing
Recorded by Lady Antebellum

“Hard To Be Cool”
Written by Rob Hatch
Published by Way Down The Hatch Music Publishing
Legends of Magic Mustang Music
Recorded by Joe Nichols

“I Don’t Dance”
Written by Rob Hatch
Published by Way Down The Hatch Music Publishing
Legends of Magic Mustang Music
Recorded by Lee Brice

“Goodnight Kiss”
Written by Rob Hatch
Published by Way Down The Hatch Music Publishing
Legends of Magic Mustang Music
Recorded by Randy Houser

“Drink To That All Night”
Written by Lance Miller
Published by Spirit Nashville Three
Melvins Pistol Music
Melvins Bullets Music
Recorded by Jerrod Niemann