On his first day in Nashville, Kendell wrote the song "Right Where I Need to Be" which was cut by Gary Allen and peaked at number 5 on Billboard's country music chart. This initial success really boosted Kendell's career as a writer and allowed him to work with a wide array of acts including, Jake Owen, George Strait and many more. As his career progressed he returned to his roots, feeling that a traditional sound was a more natural fit for his writing and own music style. In 2008 he wrote the title track for Jamey Johnson's Grammy nominated album, That Lonesome Song, which yielded the same name as the song. Kendell has also written over 60 songs with country star, Chris Stapleton including his grammy winning track, "Either Way".