Chris Janson & Crew celebrate the No. 1 hit “All I Need Is You”

Pictured (left to right, back row): Rod Riley, Rusty Gaston, Lindsay Will, Noah Dewey, Kelly Janson, Bryce Sherlow, Emilia James, Jimmy Harnen and Clay Bradley; (left to right, front row): Caroline Hodson, Scott Borchetta, Brad Clawson, Chris Janson, Mitch Oglesby, Ashley Gorley, Julian Raymond and Ron Cox. Photo: Aubrey Wise

BMI brought together industry members earlier this week to Chris JansonHis No. 1 hit “All I Need Is You” marked his fifth chart hit as a songwriter and artist.

The heat of the day began to subside as industry representatives, family and friends filed into the BMI lobby on Tuesday afternoon (June 25). Gathered on stage were the song’s co-writers Ashley Gorley, Brad Clawson, Mitch Oglesby and Janson.

BMI Sandra B. was the emcee of the party. He congratulated the songwriters and thanked the crowd for taking the time out of their busy schedules to show up and celebrate the monumental achievement. To celebrate their songwriters Gorley and Oglesby, ASCAP’s Emilia James.

She began by noting that while it was his third No. 1 hit, it was Oglesby’s first No. 1. “Mitch embodies hard work, determination and never giving up. He grew up on a farm in Georgia before moving here to be a teacher. He also worked at Nissan for a few years, drove a school bus and did whatever it took to make ends meet while keeping his head down and honing his craft. In 2017 he signed his publishing deal and three years later he had his first No. 1 hit – another Chris Jason hit ‘Done’. I’m so excited we can finally celebrate!”

To showcase their songwriters, Anthem Entertainments Noah DeweyRound Hill Music’s Lindsay Will and Tape Room Music’s Caroline Hodson. Hodson took to the microphone to congratulate the teams that helped the song top the charts and Tape Room songwriters Gorley and Clawson.

“Simply put, you’re the kind of guy that everyone loves to be around,” Hodson told Clawson. “You’re ready to write every day. You’re smart, inclusive and ambitious, but most importantly, you’re humble and grateful to everyone around you. Congratulations to you and everyone else here on stage.”

Warner Chappell’s Bryce Sherlow was next, followed by Sony’s Rusty Gaston to praise Gorley.

“I hear a lot of songwriters say they admire Ashley Gorley’s success, but I’d like to point out that Ashley embodies the philosophy, ‘The harder you work, the luckier you get.’ Ashley was recently in New York and got a call from an artist who said he wanted to write that night. So Ashley hopped on a plane back to Nashville and wrote until 3 a.m. before hopping on another plane and flying back to New York to continue his meetings. It’s that kind of work ethic that leads to Ashley’s success.”

Other speakers took the stage, including Studio Banks Ron CoxBig Machine Records’ Scott BorchettaNashville Harbor Records Jimmy Harnen and producer Julian Raymond.

Finally, it was time to hear the songwriters. Oglesby spoke first, introducing Chris’ wife and manager Kelly Janson on stage to stand next to him. “This lady here brought me on this stage. She went home and told Chris Janson he needed to write with Mitch. He said, ‘Who’s Mitch? How many cuts does he have?’ She said ‘none’ and he said he wouldn’t write with me. Fast forward to the next day, he came in and we hit it off immediately,” he laughed.

Clawson was next: “I want to thank everyone who contributed to this song. I want to thank my family, Big Machine, Tape Room, Warner and everyone else. I’m really grateful to you.”

Next, Gorley took the microphone to echo Oglesby and thank his team. “First of all, I want to thank God for giving me the privilege of creating and getting to know these guys. I also want to thank Kelly for inspiring me to write this song and all of Chris’s other songs. Thank you to all the publishing and promotion teams for making this song possible.”

Finally, Janson took the opportunity to thank each member of his team individually who helped his song reach No. 1. He invited his promo team, management, band members and more on stage and presented each of them with a gift to show his appreciation.

“When you’re a successful songwriter or artist, it’s so easy to get put on a pedestal or have so many yes-men around you that you think you’re more important than you actually are,” he explained. “The truth is, it’s all ground up and we’re just a catalyst to get there. Without the team, you have nothing. I’ve been in the music business long enough to know that the more you love your team, the more you’re loved by them, and I’m so grateful for my team.”

John Nix Arledge is a Business Development and Account Manager at MusicRow magazine. He graduated from Mississippi State University in May 2022 with a Masters in Business Administration and a BA in Communications. Prior to MusicRow, John Nix worked as a Project Coordinator at Nashville-based entertainment marketing agency FlyteVu, where he assisted the agency with social media strategy, activation outreach, and public relations.

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