Ashley Gorley, a 1999 Belmont graduate from the College of Entertainment and Music Business, received the Songwriter of the Year award at Monday night’s ASCAP Country Music Awards held at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, an invitation-only gala that salutes the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP’s most performed country songs of the past year.
Gorley wrote or co-wrote Trace Adkins’ “You’re Gonna Miss This,” Brad Paisley and Keith Urban’s “Start a Band” and Darius Rucker’s “It Won’t Be Like This for Long.” “You’re Gonna Miss This” was also named one of ASCAP’s five most-played songs in the past year and Country Song of the Year. For his wins, Gorley was presented with a special, limited edition Gibson Les Paul guitar. In referencing “You’re Gonna Miss This,” Adkins told NewsChannel5, “[Ashley’s] had a great year, not just with this song. He still has hits. He’s got new hits on the radio right now. I mean he’s on a roll.”
ASCAP also recognized a distinguished group of songwriters with the Silver Circle honor in recognition of 25 years or more of ASCAP membership. Among those honored were Gregg “Hobie” Hubbard, a graduate of Belmont’s Masters of English program and a Writing Center tutor, and Bob Regan, an adjunct in the College of Entertainment and Music Business who teaches “Fundamentals of Songwriting.”
Several alumni also performed at the event including Gorley, Sarah Buxton, Chris Rodriguez and Lee Ann Womack. In addition, numerous alumni were noted for writing songs in ASCAP’s Top 25 most performed category: Connie Harrington (“Every Other Weekend”), Josh Turner (“Everything Is Fine”), Jeremy Stover (“How ‘Bout You Don’t”), Kelley Lovelace and Brad Paisley (“I’m Still a Guy”), Gorley (“It Won’t Be Like This for Long”), Hillary Lindsey (“Just a Dream” and “Last Name”) and Gorley and Lovelace (“Start a Band”).
