Sony/ATV Nashville Honors Bobby Braddock For 50 Years As Staff Writer

Pictured (L-R): Terry Wakefield, Bobby Braddock, Tracy Lawrence, Troy Tomlinson. Photo: Ed Rode, Courtesy of Sony/ATV

Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville celebrated Bobby Braddock‘s 50-year anniversary as a staff writer on Thursday (May 19).

Sony/ATV’s Troy Tomlinson (President/CEO) and Terry Wakefield (Sr. VP of Creative), BMI’s Jody Williams (VP, Writer/Publisher Relations) and music journalist Robert Oermann all spoke about Braddock’s illustrious career and shared personal anecdotes about the man and songwriter.

At the reception, Tracy Lawrence performed “Time Marches On,” his 1996 No.1 hit written by Braddock. Video tributes included words from Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Billy Currington, Scott Hendricks and James Stroud.

Other noted industry guests in attendance included Kix Brooks, Paul Worley, Jim Ed Norman, Don Cook, Doug Johnson, Hendricks, Deborah Allen and Michael Kosser, among others. Braddock’s daughter, Lauren Braddock Havey, and son-in-law Jim Havey also attended.

In May of 1966, Buddy Killen signed Braddock to what was then Tree Publishing Company, “when I was seven years old,” Braddock says with a wink.

In that 50 years Braddock has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York, and the Country Music Hall of Fame; received the BMI Icon Award and the ACM Poets Award; won the CMA Song of the Year award twice (six nominations), and is the only living songwriter to have had No. 1 country songs in five consecutive decades.

Braddock got Blake Shelton his record deal and produced his first three albums and several of his biggest hits. He himself has been an artist on five major labels and has had two books published, most recently Bobby Braddock: A Life on Nashville’s Music Row.

He and Curly Putman wrote what is often considered the greatest country song of all time, “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” Braddock also wrote “I Wanna Talk About Me,” “Time Marches On,” and “Texas Tornado,” and co-wrote “People Are Crazy,” “D.I.V.O.R.C.E.,” “Golden Ring,” and “All My Old Flames Have New Names.”