Top All-Time Country Songwriters Revealed In New Record Research Book
Categoria: Musica
In this week's Country Update lead story, Billboard exclusively reveals the top all-time country songwriters.
Por Billboard | 02/06/2026
Name the top two songwriters in the history of the Billboard country charts — go ahead. Is Willie Nelson one of them? Nope. Dolly Parton ? Nope. Hank Williams ? Still nope. Kris Kristofferson ? Not quite. Related How Country Songwriters Are Combatting — and Adopting — Artificial Intelligence BTS, Cardi B, Lainey Wilson & More Set for iHeartRadio Music Festival: See Full Lineup BTS Add Extra Melbourne Show to Australian Leg of ARIRANG World Tour Two modern songwriters — Ashley Gorley (“I Had Some Help,” “I Am Not Okay”) and Shane McAnally (“Body Like a Back Road,” “Mama’s Broken Heart”) — ranked No. 1 and No. 2 on Record Research’s first-ever study of the Top Country Songwriters 1944-2025, based on the Billboard charts. Billboard unveils the top 10 exclusively in this edition, while a full list of the top 40 appears in Joel Whitburn’s Top Country Singles 1944-2025 , due to be published by Record Research June 4. The book arrives concurrently with the launch of the annual CMA Fest in Nashville. Gorley and McAnally benefit from longevity and volume — both have consistently seen their names in parentheses on the country charts for more than 15 years — but also from their era. The study weights Billboard ’s Country Airplay charts more heavily than the multimetric Hot Country Songs , but the latter chart still has allowed more titles to burst into public consciousness for short windows through its inclusion of streaming data. Songs featured on major new albums, or that benefit from some cultural event, tend to make a splash on that list, and McAnally and Gorley have had a number of those, in addition to hits that emerge through more traditional, longer-term patterns. That trend is indebted to the democratization of music that analysts predicted in the early stages of the industry’s digital age. “I think this chart actually reflects that,” says Record Research partner Vinnie Freda, who played a key role in rejuvenating the company. “Because of the impact of streaming services, there tends to be less of a curation that takes place compared to, say, the 20th century. The consumer has a little bit more of a say.” Only two of the top 10 all-time writers were also artists from start to finish in their career, a fact that will likely not surprise many Nashville publishers or country music professionals. But it might come as a shock to consumers. (Full disclosure: I’ll be moderating a panel June 6 during CMA Fest built around the full top 40 list with Freda, Gorley and McAnally). The list’s two artist-writers, Bill Anderson (No. 4) and Merle Haggard (No. 10), developed the kinds of careers that at least two of the other top 10 writers originally targeted. Bob McDill (“Gone Country,” “Good Ole Boys Like Me”), who ranked No. 3; and Rhett Akins (“Dirt On My Boots,” “Honey Bee”), No. 9; had artist aspirations early on but discovered writing better suited them. Also in the top 10 are Harlan Howard (“I Fall to Pieces,” “Why Not Me”), No. 5; Billy Sherrill (