Country music sensation Casey Beathard ’90 has been named the winner of the 2008 BMI Country Songwriter of the Year Award, the second time since 2004 that he has received the honor.
BMI, a performing right organization, celebrated the writers and publishers of the year’s 50 most-performed country songs during its 56th annual Country Awards ceremony on Nov. 11
Beathard, a former Elon football player, has worked with numerous Nashville artists, including Kenny Chesney, Billy Ray Cryrus, Trace Adkins, Gary Allan, Tracy Byrd and Billy Currington. Beathard co-wrote five of the songs on this year’s most-performed list.
The former business management major has collaborated on hits such as “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem” (Kenny Chesney), “Don’t Blink” (Kenny Chesney), “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” (Billy Ray Cyrus), “Walk a Little Straighter (Billy Currington), “Ten Rounds With Jose Cuervo” (Tracy Byrd), “Cleaning This Gun” (Rodney Atkins), “How ’Bout Them Cowgirls” (George Strait) and “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” (Tracy Lawrence).
Beathard has written Top 20 songs for country music star Clay Davidson, and for Gary Allan, whose “Right Where I Need to Be” which spent 41 weeks on the charts in 2001. He has also penned songs for Kenny Chesney, Tracy Lawrence and Tracy Byrd. He has performed with Garth Brooks, who sings on the title track of Byrd’s new album, “Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo,” which Beathard co-wrote.