Ten Year Town

🎟️ Ten Year Town: A LIVE Episode with Jessie Jo Dillon. Monday, October 19, Analog at Hutton Hotel. Doors 5:00, show 5:30.

Tickets: https://ffm.link/tenyeartownlive

Skip Ewing is a singer-songwriter from Redlands, California, with eleven No. 1 songwriting credits. Those include Randy Travis’ “If I Didn’t Have You,” Clint Black’s “Something That We Do,” and Collin Raye’s “Love, Me.” His songs have been recorded by George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Willie Nelson, and, more recently, ERNEST and Lainey Wilson. As an artist, he had top 5 hits with “Burnin’ a Hole in My Heart” and “It’s You Again.” His new album, Dragonfly, is out now.

In this episode, we discuss practicing guitar with a hair curler under the strings, bluffing his way into a country bass gig, the writers’ night that landed him at Acuff-Rose, the producer who told him “Love, Me” would never get played, and writing “Something That We Do” after Clint Black’s album was already finished.

There are, of course, many other stops along the way.

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This episode is also sponsored by The Graphic Guitar Guys. They create eye-catching custom guitar wraps for some of the biggest artists and festivals in the music industry. Their work is perfect for adding a unique touch to album pre-sale bundles or VIP package items—check them out and discover how they can transform a guitar into a show-stopping work of art.

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Troy Cartwright is a Nashville-based artist and songwriter originally from Dallas, Texas. His songs have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of streams, and he is currently signed to Big Machine Music for publishing. Cartwright has written songs recorded by Cody Johnson, Lee Brice, Nickelback, Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, and has upcoming cuts with several A-list artists.

New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

🎟️ Ten Year Town: A LIVE Episode with Jessie Jo Dillon. Monday, October 19, Analog at Hutton Hotel. Doors 5:00, show 5:30.

Tickets: https://ffm.link/tenyeartownlive

Dasha is a California-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter whose 2023 single "Austin (Boots Stop Workin')" became a viral breakout and a member of the Spotify Billions Club. She was nominated for New Female Artist of the Year at the 2026 ACM Awards. Her latest single, "82 Chevy," is out now.

In this episode, we discuss the ex-boyfriend who sent her back to country music, the freestyle that became "Austin," and what she'd tell her younger self about surviving the spotlight. There are, of course, many other stops along the way.

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This episode is also sponsored by The Graphic Guitar Guys. They create eye-catching custom guitar wraps for some of the biggest artists and festivals in the music industry. Their work is perfect for adding a unique touch to album pre-sale bundles or VIP package items—check them out and discover how they can transform a guitar into a show-stopping work of art.

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Troy Cartwright is a Nashville-based artist and songwriter originally from Dallas, Texas. His songs have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of streams, and he is currently signed to Big Machine Music for publishing. Cartwright has written songs recorded by Cody Johnson, Lee Brice, Nickelback, Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, and has upcoming cuts with several A-list artists.

New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

LIVE SHOW TICKET LINK: https://ffm.link/tenyeartownlive

Jamie Moore is a four-time Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. His songs have been recorded by Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, TobyMac, Mackenzie Carpenter, Florida Georgia Line, and Tim McGraw. They include the #1 "May We All" and Morgan Wallen's diamond-certified "Chasin' You," which earned him NSAI's "10 Songs I Wish I'd Written" award. He's an elected board member of NSAI and signed with Spirit Music in 2026.

In this episode, we discuss growing up blocks from FAME Studios, how one co-write got his foot in the door at EMI, finding out "May We All" was the next single from Tim McGraw in a Whole Foods, and the day Craig Wiseman walked out of a write and came back with the first verse of "Chasin' You."

There are, of course, many other stops along the way.

New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

Joybeth Taylor is a Nashville songwriter from Pelham, Alabama. She's written for Morgan Wallen, Jordan Davis, Kane Brown, and Hudson Westbrook, co-wrote Ella Langley's "Weren't for the Wind" and Langley and Wallen's "I Can't Love You Anymore," and is a writer on "Choosin' Texas," the 2026 ACM Song of the Year and the longest-running non-holiday No. 1 in Billboard Hot 100 history. She has Corey Kent's "Empty Words" climbing at radio now. She is currently published by Sony Music Publishing and Verse 2 Music, with TAYCAN Entertainment as a creative partner.

In this episode, we discuss 4 a.m. lifeguard shifts and writing three songs a day for five years before she signed, writing "Weren't for the Wind" on a stranded tour bus in Wyoming, the dinner conversation that turned into "Choosin' Texas," and why that song has been the best and worst thing that's ever happened to her.

There are, of course, many other stops along the way.

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This episode is also sponsored by The Graphic Guitar Guys. They create eye-catching custom guitar wraps for some of the biggest artists and festivals in the music industry. Their work is perfect for adding a unique touch to album pre-sale bundles or VIP package items—check them out and discover how they can transform a guitar into a show-stopping work of art.

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Troy Cartwright is a Nashville-based artist and songwriter originally from Dallas, Texas. His songs have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of streams, and he is currently signed to Big Machine Music for publishing. Cartwright has written songs recorded by Cody Johnson, Lee Brice, Nickelback, Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, and has upcoming cuts with several A-list artists.

New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

Danny Myrick is a Nashville songwriter from Laurel, Mississippi. He's written for Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Craig Morgan, and Joe Cocker, co-wrote Craig Morgan's "International Harvester" and Tim McGraw's "Truck Yeah," and had 2009's most-played country song with Jason Aldean's "She's Country." Before writing full time he sang lead in Western Flyer and cut hundreds of demos and background vocals.

In this episode, we discuss a life-changing call from Bobby Braddock, how a run-in with Jeffrey Steele changed everything, why "International Harvester" has a half-verse, and how a goof-around demo with his engineer became a hit for Jason Aldean.

There are, of course, many other stops along the way.

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This episode is also sponsored by The Graphic Guitar Guys. They create eye-catching custom guitar wraps for some of the biggest artists and festivals in the music industry. Their work is perfect for adding a unique touch to album pre-sale bundles or VIP package items—check them out and discover how they can transform a guitar into a show-stopping work of art.

---------------------------------------------------

Troy Cartwright is a Nashville-based artist and songwriter originally from Dallas, Texas. His songs have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of streams, and he is currently signed to Big Machine Music for publishing. Cartwright has written songs recorded by Cody Johnson, Lee Brice, Nickelback, Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, and has upcoming cuts with several A-list artists.

New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

Dan Alley is a Nashville songwriter from Miamisburg, Ohio. He's written for Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Jon Pardi, and Drake Milligan, co-wrote Hudson Westbrook's "House Again," and landed his first country radio #1 with Luke Bryan's "Country Song Came On." He's a writer on Luke Combs' current single "Be By You," and is releasing his own music through River House Artists.

In this episode, we discuss walking away from a city job, making the leap to write songs in Nashville, Luke Bryan cutting "Country Song Came On,", co-writing "House Again" with Hudson Westbrook, and quitting drinking and finding "High and Dry" on a back porch in Fort Myers. There are, of course, many other stops along the way. 

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This episode is also sponsored by The Graphic Guitar Guys. They create eye-catching custom guitar wraps for some of the biggest artists and festivals in the music industry. Their work is perfect for adding a unique touch to album pre-sale bundles or VIP package items—check them out and discover how they can transform a guitar into a show-stopping work of art.

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Troy Cartwright is a Nashville-based artist and songwriter originally from Dallas, Texas. His songs have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of streams, and he is currently signed to Big Machine Music for publishing. Cartwright has written songs recorded by Cody Johnson, Lee Brice, Nickelback, Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, and has upcoming cuts with several A-list artists.

New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

Zane Williams is a Texas singer-songwriter and the frontman of The Wilder Blue. He spent years as a college coffeehouse performer and a staff songwriter in Nashville, where he wrote "Hurry Home," a top 20 hit for Jason Michael Carroll, before moving back to Texas and building a grassroots following as a solo artist. He formed The Wilder Blue in 2019, and when the band's debut landed in the middle of the 2020 shutdown, a tweet from Luke Combs changed everything. The band just released their new album, Cinco, recorded at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas.

In this episode, we discuss his journey from Texas to Nashville and back, how a book jacket about making his product 10% better changed his life, making his new record at Sonic Ranch, and many other stops along the way.

New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

Little Big Town is Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook — the same four people since they started singing together in 1998. Along the way: "Boondocks," "Pontoon," "Girl Crush," "Better Man," three Grammys for Best Country Duo/Group Performance, six straight CMA Vocal Group of the Year wins, and Opry membership since 2014. Their new record is called It's a Dying Art.

Recorded live in front of an audience in Nashville, the four of them join Troy to talk about making their new record, chasing a song that was already on hold for somebody else, and the early-career night they had to go on in George Strait's place in front of a stadium that came for him.

Ten Year Town is a podcast about the songwriter's journey, hosted by Troy Cartwright. New episodes weekly.

New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

There's a circle of wood in the middle of the stage at the Grand Ole Opry House. They cut it out of the floor of the Ryman and carried it over when the Opry moved, so that anybody standing in the middle of that stage is standing on the same boards Hank stood on.

This week, I get to stand on it.

These are a few thoughts I have about that. About my ten years in Nashville, an Opry debut, and the two songs I'm playing — including one called "Shoulders," which is about the fact that I didn't get anywhere by myself. It's about my dad, who's been a fan since before there was anything to be a fan of. It's about a kid at home who was born in May and is going to learn what a life looks like by watching mine.

Somebody carries it forward so you can stand on it. Then it's your turn to carry it on.

New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

Michelangelo didn't wake up one morning wanting to spend four years painting a ceiling. He was a sculptor. But the Pope had a ceiling, and the Pope had money.

In this bonus episode, Troy Cartwright reads an essay about an artist named Aaron Reese, who bought a newsstand at 39th and 4th in New York City to sell his ceramics — and about the uncomfortable, ancient intersection of art and commerce that every working artist has had to figure out.

There was never an Eden where artists made exactly what they wanted and everybody showed up. Aaron Reese has an old newsstand. Michelangelo had a pope. And I have an Instagram.

This piece started as a letter I wrote for my newsletter, Letters to Myself, at https://troycartwright.substack.com — short things like this, whenever they come to me. All free.

New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.