Cole Swindell is set to release his new Down Home Sessions IV EP on Black Friday and to hear him tell it, he could not have had the opportunities he has without several superstars in country music giving him support.
In an interview with Taste Of Country, Swindell gave credit to artists like Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett and Craig Campbell, who all recorded songs he wrote before making it big himself.
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“Those aren’t just buddies of mine, those are superstars in our format,” Swindell said. “So for them to believe that much in a song that I wrote … like Thomas Rhett, [“Get Me Some of That”] was my first No. 1 as a songwriter, and look where he is now. Such a good dude. He sent a nice message, saying that he knew I could have recorded it, and thanks. And at that time I didn’t have a record deal, so I was so glad he took that song.”
Swindell began his career as a songwriter and wrote a lot of hits — mostly for others — before he got his record deal, and of the five songs on Down Home Sessions IV, three hit No. 1.
He is credited with writing Campbell’s “Outta My Head”; Bryan’s “Just a Sip”, “Beer in the Headlights”, “Roller Coaster”, “Out Like That”, “I’m Hungover”, “In Love with the Girl”, “Love in a College Town”, “Shore Thing”, “Shake the Sand” and “The Sand I Brought to the Beach”; Rhett’s “Get Me Some of That”; and Scotty McCreery’s “Water Tower Town” and “Carolina Eyes”.
He also co-wrote Florida Georgia Line’s “This Is How We Roll” with Bryan, who was featured on the song.
On his own, Swindell has released seven singles: “Chillin’ It”, “Hope You Get Lonely Tonight”, “Ain’t Worth the Whiskey”, “Let Me See Ya Girl”, “You Should Be Here”, “Middle of a Memory”, and “Flatliner”— of which all have gone to No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart.
Swindell also shared the credit with his bandmates in the interview.
“Those guys sacrifice time from their families when they’re on the road with me, and one day they may want to be studio musicians,” he said. “But for now, for them to be on this Down Home Sessions on songs I wrote … they’ve been playing with me for years, [so] it’s special.”
