(Front row, left to right): Hannah Williams, Sony/ATV Nashville Creative Manager; Josh Van Valkenburg, Sony/ATV Nashville SVP, Creative; Luke Laird; Troy Tomlinson, Sony/ATV Nashville president/CEO; (Back row, left to right): Terry Wakefield, Sony/ATV Nashville SVP, Creative; Dustin Kovacic, Dickinson Wright PLLC; Tom Luteran, Sony/ATV Nashville VP, Creative; Austen Adams, Dickinson Wright PLLC; Stephen Denninger, Sony/ATV Nashville A&R coordinator; and Dane Schmidt, Sony/ATV Nashville director, Creative. Photo courtesy of Sony/ATV.
Luke Laird, a 2001 alumnus of the Department of Recording Industry, has signed a worldwide publishing agreement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Creative Nation.
Laird, a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer, has had 46 radio singles, 23 of which were Billboard No. 1 hits. He’s also been acknowledged six times by the Country Music Association with the Triple Play Award, signifying three No. 1 singles within a 12-month period. In 2012, he received Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year (writer) from the Academy of Country Music.
Singer Kacey Musgraves, center, poses with her Grammy-winning album’s co-producers, MTSU alumnus Luke Laird, left, and Shane McAnally, after accepting the award at the 2014 Grammys.
Troy Tomlinson, president and CEO of Sony/ATV Nashville, said it is rare for a publisher to secure the hit-driven catalogue and futures of a writer the quality of Luke Laird. “We are grateful that he is entrusting his body of work with us and look forward to continuing success,” he said.
Laird is also looking forward to working with the Sony/ATV team. “They have a great history of working with songwriters who are heroes of mine, and they will be the perfect complement to my team at Creative Nation,” Laird said.
The hit-maker has returned to campus on several occasions to offer advice to MTSU Recording Industry students aspiring to make a name for themselves in the music business, the most recent visits organized by the MTSU chapters of the Country Music Association and the Nashville Songwriters Association International. The College of Media and Entertainment also honored him at a 2016 pre-Grammy event in Los Angeles. Laird won a 2013 Grammy for Best Country Album for producing Kacey Musgraves “Same Trailer Different Park” and was nominated twice in 2015 for Best Country Song for “American Kids” by Kenny Chesney and “Give Me Back My Hometown” by Eric Church.
Laird’s No. 1 hits include: “Fast” and “I See You” by Luke Bryan; “Head Over Boots” by Jon Pardi; “T-Shirt” by Thomas Rhett; “Gonna” and “Hillbilly Bone” by Blake Shelton; “Talladega,” “Give Me Back My Hometown” and “Drink In My Hand” by Eric Church; “American Kids” by Kenny Chesney; “Sunshine & Whiskey” by Frankie Ballard; “One of Those Nights” by Tim McGraw; “Downtown” by Lady Antebellum; “Somebody’s Heartbreak” by Hunter Hayes; “Beat This Summer” by Brad Paisley; “Pontoon” by Little Big Town; “You” by Chris Young; “A Little Bit Stronger” by Sara Evans; “Take A Back Road” by Rodney Atkins; and “Temporary Home,” “Undo It,” “So Small” and “Last Name” by Carrie Underwood.
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