Josh Kear
Kear in 2018
Genres Occupation(s)
Songwriter Years active 1996–present
Musical artist
Josh Kear is a multi-
Grammy Award winning songwriter based in
Nashville, Tennessee .
[1]
In 2007, Kear co-wrote
Carrie Underwood 's hit "
Before He Cheats " with
Chris Tompkins .
[2] The song dominated the US Hot Country Songs chart for five weeks and earned a Grammy Award for Country Song of the Year.
[3]
[4] The song is one of the longest-charting hits in Billboard history, and was the third longest-running hit of the 2000s decade.
[5]
[6]
In 2011, Kear co-wrote "
Need You Now " with
Lady Antebellum .
[7] The track held the top position on the country chart for five weeks and remained at number one on the adult contemporary chart for 14 weeks.
[8] The song received two
Grammy Awards in 2011, achieving recognition as both Country Song of the Year and Overall Song of the Year.
[9] "Need You Now" was also awarded the ASCAP Global Impact Award.
[10]
In 2013, Kear received his third Grammy Award for Country Song of the Year with "
Blown Away " which he co-wrote with Chris Tompkins.
[11]
[9] He made history as the first songwriter to secure the Country Song of The Year Grammy on three separate occasions.
[9]
[12] In the same year, he received the title of ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year at the 51st annual ASCAP Country Music Awards.
[13]
[14]
Kear has been credited for numerous chart-topping songs in the country music genre. Among his notable works,
Lee Brice 's "
Drinking Class " was the most played country song on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in 2015.
[15] He also penned
Luke Bryan 's "
Most People Are Good ," which held the number one spot on the same chart for three consecutive weeks,
[16]
[17] as well as
Dierks Bentley 's "
Woman, Amen "
[18] and
Runaway June 's "Buy My Own Drinks."
[19] Additionally, Kear has written or co-written several other number one songs, such as
Florida Georgia Line 's "
God, Your Mama and Me ,"
[20]
Tim McGraw 's "
Highway Don't Care ,"
[21]
Dierks Bentley 's "
Drunk on a Plane ,"
[22]
Blake Shelton 's "
Neon Light ,"
[23]
Carrie Underwood 's "
Blown Away ,"
[3]
Frankie Ballard 's "
Helluva Life ,"
[24] and Luke Bryan's "
Drunk On You ."
[17]
His recent singles include "Ghost Story" by Carrie Underwood,
[25] "
No Body " by Blake Shelton,
[26] and "
Watermelon Moonshine " by
Lainey Wilson .
[27]
Kear has received over twenty ASCAP country airplay awards, two ASCAP pop airplay awards, and three ASCAP country Song of the Year awards for "
Before He Cheats ",
[28] "
Need You Now "
[29] and "
Drunk On You ".
[14]
[12]
Kear is an advocate for songwriter's rights. He has appeared before the
Senate Judiciary Committee , together with
Smokey Robinson , advocating for American songwriters and aiding in the passage of the
Music Modernization Act .
[7] In 2014, he participated in a performance for the
Library of Congress as part of
ASCAP 's "We Write The Songs" series, joining the likes of
Randy Newman ,
Carly Simon and
Heart .
[30] Additionally, Kear co-created the theme song for ASCAP's 100th Anniversary, "More Than The Stars", in collaboration with various songwriters including
Ne-Yo ,
Dan Wilson ,
Stargate , and
Bill Withers .
[31]
In June 2020, Josh Kear entered into a global publishing agreement with
Sony/ATV Publishing .
[12]
Selected artists who have recorded Josh Kear's songs
References
^
"Josh Kear Joins Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville (Exclusive)" .
MusicRow . 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2020-07-09 .
^
"SWEET & SOUR NOTES; Local Grammy voters find things to like -- and dislike -- in this year's crop of nominees; Carrie Underwood" .
Post-Tribune .
ProQuest
344141083 .
^
a
b
"Carrie Underwood" .
Billboard .
^
"50th Annual Grammy Awards" .
^
"Chart Beat" . Billboard .
^
"Fred and his readers discuss Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats," ringles, Reba McEntire and more" . Billboard .
^
a
b Collins, Michael.
"Songwriters, music executives urge Congress to pass first music copyright reform in decades" .
The Tennessean .
^
"Lady A" .
Billboard .
^
a
b
c
"Artists. Josh Kear" . Grammy . Retrieved 2 July 2023 .
^ Roland, Tom (November 7, 2011).
"Brad Paisley, Ben Hayslip, Allen Shamblin Win Big at ASCAP Country Music Awards" .
Billboard .
^
"Underwood, Kear and Tompkins Celebrate No. 1 "Blown Away" " . January 17, 2013.
^
a
b
c
d
"Sony/ATV Nashville signs Grammy-winning songwriter Josh Kear to worldwide publishing deal" .
Music Business Worldwide . June 29, 2020.
^
"Josh Kear: Top ASCAP Country Writer" .
Music Connection . May 30, 2014.
^
a
b Billboard Staff (November 5, 2013).
"George Strait, Josh Kear, Warner/Chappell Among ASCAP Country Music Award Honorees" .
Billboard .
^
"Lee Brice" .
Billboard .
^ Whitaker, Sterling (27 March 2018).
"Luke Bryan Scores 20th No. 1 Single With 'Most People Are Good' " .
Taste of Country .
^
a
b
"Luke Bryan" .
Billboard .
^ Hudak, Joseph (February 14, 2018).
"Dierks Bentley on the Changing Way Women Are Depicted in Country Songs" .
Rolling Stone .
^ Paulson, Dave.
"Story Behind the Song: Runaway June's 'Buy My Own Drinks' " .
The Tennessean .
^
a
b
"Florida Georgia Line" .
Billboard .
^
"Tim McGraw" .
Billboard .
^
"Dierks Bentley" .
Billboard .
^
"Blake Shelton" .
Billboard .
^
"Frankie Ballard" .
Billboard .
^ Freeman, Jon (March 18, 2022).
"Carrie Underwood Exacts Mental Revenge in New Song 'Ghost Story' " .
Rolling Stone .
^ Nicholson, Jessica (August 19, 2022).
"Blake Shelton Brings '90s Vibe to 'No Body': Stream It Now" .
Billboard .
^ Freeman, Jon (August 12, 2022).
"Lainey Wilson Writes Her Version of 'Strawberry Wine' With Nostalgic New Song 'Watermelon Moonshine' " .
Rolling Stone .
^
"Wiseman, Rich Tops At ASCAP Country Awards" .
Billboard . October 15, 2007.
^
"ASCAP Country Music Awards Honors Dierks Bentley, Brett James, Alan Jackson" .
American Songwriter . September 15, 2010.
^
"Songwriters Jam at Library of Congress" .
Roll Call . May 7, 2014.
^
"ASCAP 100th Birthday Song/Video Features Grant, Kelley, Haywood, Kear" .
MusicRow . December 18, 2013.
^
"A Great Big World Best Songs List: Top, New, & Old" . AllMusic .
^
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"Josh Kear | Credits" .
AllMusic .
^
"Danielle Bradbery Best Songs List: Top, New, & Old" .
AllMusic .
^
a
b
"Songwriter Josh Kear Shares His Inspiration For Living Life" .
HuffPost . February 23, 2011.
^ Roden, Ally (August 19, 2021).
"Did You Know Carrie Underwood's 'Before He Cheats' Was Originally Written For Gretchen Wilson?" . Country Now .
^ Torrento, Jaclyn (January 8, 2020).
"Josh Kear" .
Nashville Songwriters Association International .
^ Houghton, Cillea (January 29, 2023).
"3 Songs You Didn't Know Kelsea Ballerini Wrote for Other Artists" .
American Songwriter .
^ Rau, Nate.
"Nashville publisher Big Yellow Dog finds success inside and outside the mainstream" .
The Tennessean .
^
"Mitchell Tenpenny Opens Up About The Writing And Recording Process Behind New Album, "This Is The Heavy" " .
CMT .
External links
International National Artists