Ashley Gorley—the most commercially successful songwriter of all time—performs and shares stories from his career as part of the Museum's Poets and Prophets series, which honors songwriters who have made notable contributions to country music. The Museum’s Allison Moorer moderates this program, which was recorded on May 30, 2026, and presented in support of the exhibition “American Currents: State of the Music.”

During the program, Gorley reflects on his Danville, Kentucky, upbringing; the high school basketball injury that unexpectedly gave him more time to focus on music; and his move to Nashville to attend Belmont University, where internships with several publishing companies introduced him to the professional songwriting world. The conversation also covers Gorley’s collaborative approach to writing with artists; his publishing company, Tape Room Music; Creative Support Network, the mental wellness program for songwriters Gorley co-founded after working with Jelly Roll on the #1 hit “I’m Not Okay”; and ADHD, Gorley’s recently formed DJ duo with Jesse Frasure. Gorley closes the program by performing abbreviated solo renditions of hits from across his catalog, including Trace Adkins’s “You’re Gonna Miss This,” Luke Byran’s “Crash My Party,” Chris Stapleton’s “You Should Probably Leave,” Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” and Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” and “Sand in My Boots.”

One of the music industry’s most sought-after songwriters, Gorley has written more than eighty #1 songs. More than four hundred of his songs have been recorded by artists including Kelsea Ballerini, Bon Jovi, Dan + Shay, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, and Weezer. In 2023, Gorley spent multiple weeks at #1 on the “Billboard” Hot 100 Songwriters chart as “Last Night” topped the all-genre Hot 100 chart for a record-breaking sixteen weeks. Gorley has received eight Grammy nominations, is a ten-time ASCAP Songwriter of the Year, and is the most-awarded songwriter in the history of the Country Music Association’s Triple Play Awards, which honor songwriters who chart three #1 songs within a twelve-month period. Gorley received the NSAI Songwriter of the Decade award for 2010–2019 in 2022 and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2025.

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