Chris Tompkins

Last updated
Chris Tompkins
Birth nameChristopher G. Tompkins
Born Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Genres Country music
Occupation(s)Songwriter
Years active2002–present
LabelsBig Loud
Website Tompkins at Big Loud Shirt

Christopher G. Tompkins (born Muscle Shoals, Alabama) is an American songwriter based in Nashville. [1] Since 2002 he has co-written songs for pop, rock, and country artists Jimmy Buffett, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, and Nickelback and has written charting singles for artists such as Kenny Chesney, Florida Georgia Line, and Tim McGraw. [2] [3]

Contents

Tompkins has won two Grammy Awards for Best Country Song, first for "Before He Cheats" sung by Carrie Underwood in 2007, [4] and also for Underwood's 2012 song "Blown Away". [4] Tompkins has written 16 number one hits, [5] and he won Songwriter of the Year by the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2007.[ citation needed ]

Early life

Chris Tompkins was born and raised in Green Hill, Alabama and attended Rogers High School. [1] As a teenager Tompkins started playing in a garage band with Jason Isbell. [6]

Music career

2002–2009: First hits

Tompkins signed his first publishing deal at age 22, moving to Nashville, Tennessee. In 2004 Tompkins had his first top 20 hit on the Billboard charts, co-writing "Me and Emily" by Rachel Proctor. [7] He started working with Big Loud Shirt Industries during the summer of 2006 as a songwriter. [1]

He and songwriter Josh Kear wrote the multi-platinum seller "Before He Cheats", sung by Carrie Underwood and released in 2007. It was named 2007 Single of the Year by the Country Music Association. Tompkins won the 2007 MusicRow "Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year" award and was honored as the Alabama Music Hall of Fame songwriter of the year. [8] The following year "Before He Cheats" won several categories at the 50th Grammy Awards, including Country Song of the Year. While at the awards Tompkins befriended Tom Higgenson of the indie rock group Plain White T's. They soon began to collaborate, and Tompkins has since co-written several songs on their albums, including "Welcome To Mystery" featured in the motion picture Almost Alice starring Johnny Depp.

2010–2012: Increased output

In 2010 he co-wrote the song "Ain't Back Yet" with Kenny Chesney. The song reached No. 2 on the country charts, and also appeared in Chesney's movie Summertime in 3-D. Also in 2010, He worked on a number of charting singles in 2011, including the Chris Young single "Voices." [1] He co-wrote the duet "I Feel Like a Rockstar" in 2012, performed by Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw [1] and landed his first Jimmy Buffett cut "Bama Breeze". [9]

He collaborated with Underwood once again on her 2012 album Blown Away , notably on the second single of the same name. The single was co-written with his frequent collaborator Josh Kear, and as noted by interviewer Kurt Wolff, "the melody and overall sound of the song also stand out as something fresh and very different." [10] Tompkins explained to Wolff that "Blown Away" was an "attempt at 'melodic pop' that was 'unique' yet still 'country.'" [10] Tompkins also commented that "Blown Away" is "It's a completely different type of song for Carrie. She's got a lot of pop elements, and I listen to a lot of pop, but I listen to everything from Randy Newman to Mozart to Rihanna to Steely Dan. I think all that stuff shows up in my music, and I think it showed up in 'Blown Away.'" [10] The single peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart and No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart and won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 2013.

2013–2017: Recent Projects

In 2013, Tompkins penned five songs including the number one hits "Round Here" and "Get Your Shine On" on Florida Georgia Line's debut album Here's to Good Times. Following the album's massive success, Tompkins collaborated again with Florida Georgia Line on number one hits like "Dirt" and "Anything Goes", contributing a total of eleven cuts to the band.

Released in April 2014, He also co-wrote the song "Drunk on a Plane", recorded by Dierks Bentley which peaked in the top 3 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs and number one on the Country Airplay chart. The song later went on to be certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA. [11]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardNominated workCategoryResult
2007 MusicRow Awards Chris TompkinsBreakthrough Songwriter of the Year [8] Won
Alabama Music Hall of Fame Chris TompkinsSongwriter of the YearWon
Country Music Association Awards "Before He Cheats"Single of the YearWon
Academy of Country Music Awards Song of the YearNominated
Single of the YearNominated
ASCAP Country Music AwardsSong of the YearWon
33rd People's Choice Awards Favorite Country SongWon
2008 50th Grammy Awards Song of the YearNominated
2013 55th Grammy Awards "Blown Away" Country Song of the Year [12] Won
ASCAP Country Music Awards "Drunk on You" [13] Song of the YearWon

Discography

Related Research Articles

The Grammy Award for Best Country Song has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the songwriter(s) of the song, not to the artist, except if the artist is also the songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie Underwood</span> American country singer (born 1983)

Carrie Marie Underwood is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of American Idol in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the only solo country artist in the 2000s to have a number-one song on the Hot 100. Her debut album, Some Hearts (2005), was bolstered by the successful crossover singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Before He Cheats", becoming the best-selling solo female debut album in country music history. She won three Grammy Awards for the album, including Best New Artist. The next studio album, Carnival Ride (2007) had one of the biggest opening weeks of all time by a female artist and won two Grammy Awards. Her third studio album, Play On (2009), was preceded by the single "Cowboy Casanova", which had one of the biggest single-week upward movements on the Hot 100.

<i>Some Hearts</i> 2005 studio album by Carrie Underwood

Some Hearts is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood, released in the United States on November 15, 2005, by Arista Nashville. The album contains the number one country singles "Jesus, Take the Wheel", "Don't Forget to Remember Me", "Wasted", and "Before He Cheats". The North American version contains the Billboard Hot 100 number one single, "Inside Your Heaven", as a bonus track.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Before He Cheats</span> 2006 single by Carrie Underwood

"Before He Cheats" is a song by American singer Carrie Underwood from her debut studio album, Some Hearts (2005). Written by Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear, it was released as the fourth single from the album. The song tells the story of a woman taking revenge on her unfaithful partner.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett James</span> American singer-songwriter and record producer

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Kear</span> Musical artist

Josh Kear is a Nashville-based songwriter signed to Sony/ATV Music Publishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Wiseman</span> American songwriter

Craig Michael Wiseman is an American Country music songwriter and producer, and the owner/founder of the Big Loud enterprise. He has been writing since the late 1980s, and his songs have been recorded by Lorrie Morgan, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Dolly Parton, Blake Shelton, and numerous other acts. He has written twenty-six No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs music charts, and has won a number of industry awards. In 2009, he was named "Songwriter of the Decade" by the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and in 2015, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aimee Mayo</span> American songwriter

Aimee Mayo is a Grammy Award-nominated songwriter from Gadsden, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Laird</span> American songwriter

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This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Girl (Carrie Underwood song)</span> 2012 single by Carrie Underwood

"Good Girl" is a song by American country music artist Carrie Underwood. The song was written by Chris DeStefano, Ashley Gorley and Underwood. It was released by Arista Nashville as the lead single from Underwood's fourth studio album, Blown Away (2012).

<i>Blown Away</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Carrie Underwood

Blown Away is the fourth studio album by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood. It was released in the United States and Canada on May 1, 2012, by Arista Nashville. After finishing her successful Play On Tour in December 2010 to promote her third studio album Play On, Underwood started working on the album, but took her time, as she "wanted to change things up", and needed to step away from the "celebrity bubble" to "have real things to write about and to sing about". It took her over one year to finish the album, which, according to Underwood, ended up having a "darker storyline" than her previous efforts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blown Away (Carrie Underwood song)</span> 2012 single by Carrie Underwood

"Blown Away" is a song by American recording artist Carrie Underwood, taken from her fourth studio album of the same name (2012). The song served as the album's second single on July 9, 2012, through Arista Nashville. Written by Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear, who previously wrote Underwood's single "Before He Cheats" (2006-2007), "Blown Away" is a country pop song with lyrics addressing the story of a daughter locking herself in a storm cellar while her alcoholic father is passed out on the couch in the path of a tornado. Producer Mark Bright drew inspiration from 1980s music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Black Cadillacs</span> 2012 single by Carrie Underwood

"Two Black Cadillacs" is a song by American recording artist Carrie Underwood, taken from her fourth studio album, Blown Away. The song served as the album's third single on November 18, 2012, through Arista Nashville. Written by Underwood, Hillary Lindsey, and Josh Kear, "Two Black Cadillacs" is a country pop song with lyrics addressing the story of two women who, when they realize they are both involved with the same man, decide to kill him. It was produced by Mark Bright, and the instrumentation was compared to songs by Dixie Chicks and Miranda Lambert.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dirty Laundry (Carrie Underwood song)</span> 2016 single by Carrie Underwood

"Dirty Laundry" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood from her fifth studio album, Storyteller (2015). The song was written by Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley, and Hillary Lindsey, with production from Jay Joyce, and was released as the fourth single from the album in the United States and Canada. The single was shipped to country radio on August 22 and made its official impact on September 5. The song was certified Platinum by the RIAA on January 23, 2020.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghost Story (song)</span> 2022 single by Carrie Underwood

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Chris Tompkins". Big Loud Shirt. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
  2. ↑ "Chris Tompkins". Genius. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  3. ↑ "Songs written by Chris Tompkins | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  4. 1 2 "Chris Tompkins". GRAMMY.com. 2020-11-23. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  5. ↑ "An Evening with Nashville's Hottest Songwriters feat. Chris Tompkins, JT Harding & Jessie Lee". 3rd and Lindsley. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
  6. ↑ Sullivan, James (August 1, 2013). "Jason Isbell: 'There's Still Just as Much Awe' in Sobriety". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  7. ↑ "Rachel Proctor". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  8. 1 2 "2007 ASCAP Country Music Awards at the Ryman" (Press release). The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved 18 July 2010.
  9. ↑ "Original versions of Bama Breeze written by Mark Irwin, Chris Tompkins, Josh Kear | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  10. 1 2 3 Wolff, Kurt (February 9, 2013). "Behind The Song: Carrie Underwood "Blown Away"". US 99.5. Radio.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Country Weekly". Country Weekly. ISSN   1074-3235. OCLC   65209144.
  12. ↑ Duvall, Erin (February 10, 2013). "Carrie Underwood, Grammys 2013: 'Blown Away' Wins Best Country Solo Performance & Best Country Song". The Boot. Retrieved 2021-07-27.
  13. ↑ ASCAP 2013 Awards
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