Dallas Davidson is one of the hardest-working songwriters in Music City. He said he writes about a hundred songs a year. Considering he’s been a songwriter in Nashville for almost 20 years, he’s written more than a thousand songs. The good ole boy from Georgia has had his songs recorded by some of the biggest names in the industry. Names like Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Cole Swindell, Jake Owen, Luke Bryan, Randy Houser, Lady Antebellum, and Billy Currington.
Davidson’s first significant cut as a songwriter came in 2006 when Trace Adkins recorded one of his songs. Honky Tonk Badonkadonk would run all the way up to #2 on the radio charts and go on to live forever in country music folklore. It’s arguably the greatest song ever written about a double-cheeked-up country girl in country music history. Davidson’s first #1 song on the charts was in 2009. That tune was Start A Band, which was recorded as a duet by Keith Urban and Brad Paisley. The song was also nominated for a grammy.
A Closer Look At Dallas Davidson’s Big-Time Songwriting Portfolio
Dallas Davidson’s next songwriting credits for a #1 hit would come just a year later with Billy Currington’s That’s How Country Boys Roll. He’s also credited with co-writing another #1 song for Joe Nichols titled Gimmie That Girl. Other notable hits that Davidson carved out include Put A Girl In It by Brooks & Dunn, Barefoot and Crazy by Jack Ingram, All About Tonight by Blake Shelton, and All Over Me by Josh Turner. He also wrote the song Grandaddy’s Gun which has been recorded by Aaron Lewis and Blake Shelton. It’s one of the best hunting songs ever made.
His list of noteworthy songs also includes Runnin’ Outta Moonlight by Randy Houser, If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away by Justin Moore, and Keep Them Kisses Comin By Craig Campbell. He also helped write We Owned The Night and Just A Kiss which were both cut by Lady A. He co-wrote Smalltown Throwdown by Brantley Gilbert, Thomas Rhett, and Justin Moore too (awesome music video by the way). Where I Come From by Montgomery Gentry is also some of his best work.
Many of Davidson’s best songwriting work was the result of collaborative efforts. He, along with Rhett Akins and Ben Hayslip formed a songwriting team known as The Peach Pickers.
If You’re A Luke Bryan Fan Then Dallas Davidson Co-Wrote Some Of Your Favorite Songs
In the Woodsong video, Davidson discusses his unique and special working relationship with Luke Bryan. Through a mutual contact from their home state of Georgia, Davidson started sending some of his earliest songs to Luke Bryan. However, the two didn’t meet in person until they both unknowingly got permission to hunt the same 257-acre property outside of Nashville. Davidson started getting frustrated when he kept seeing tire tracks on the property. He thought someone was trespassing on the land he had permission to hunt. Finally one day Davidson rolled up to the property to find a parked truck. He wrote a strongly worded note expressing his frustration about the truck’s driver treading on his hunting property. It turns out that was Luke Bryan’s truck and they both had permission to be there.
What started as an argument about a hunting property soon turned into one of the most fruitful singer-songwriter combinations in the country music industry. The list of Luke Bryan cuts co-written by Dallas Davidson is a long one. It includes songs like Rain Is A Good Thing, Country Girl (Shake It For Me), I Don’t Want This Night To End, That’s My Kind of Night, Doin’ My Thing, We Run This Town, Kick The Dust Up, and Play It Again.
Play It Again Music Group Continuing Legacy Of Successful Songwriting
That last song is the inspiration behind the name of Davidson’s music label and publishing group. Play It Again Music Group has recently collaborated with up-and-coming writers and artists like Dylan Marlowe and Walker Montgomery. Established country music star Lee Brice and his brother Lewis are also a part of the PIA lineup too.
Dylan Marlowe is an extremely talented songwriter who already has a #1 song to his name. Marlowe co-penned Jon Pardi’s hit Last Night Lonely. He doesn’t just write damn good songs though, he sings them too. His newest song Record High debuted recently and is arguably his best work yet. Walker Montgomery is the son of legendary 90s country artist John Michael Montgomery. He’s making his own name as a talented musician in his own right though. His songs Out Of Nowhere and Bad Day To Be A Beer should be on any good-vibing playlist put together for this summer.
Davidson Also Helped Write Luke Bryan’s Huntin’, Fishin’, and Lovin’ Every Day
Of course, any list of Luke Bryan songs that Dallas Davidson was involved in creating would be incomplete without mentioning this one. Huntin’, Fishin’, and Lovin’ Every Day is a perfect theme song for this entire article. It’s also a song that Davidson discusses in depth during this Woodsong video presented by Realtree. The first song he mentions in the video is another Blake Shelton hit. That one is the Boys Round Here. So check it all out in the full video below:
