Born on This Day in 1967, the Prolific Country Songwriter Behind Some of Your Favorite Drinking Songs of the 2010s—Including Classics by Toby Keith and Luke Bryan

Countless individuals make country music stars, country music stars. From the light guy at the Ryman Auditorium to the agent who booked the artist the gig, being a famous country musician is far from a one-person show, and one of the most important people on a country musician’s team is the songwriter. In the 2010s, one of the few songwriters who penned hit after hit was Jim Beavers. And he was born on this day, December 27, 1967, in Midland, Texas.

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If you are thick into the Nashville country music scene, then you probably know the name Jim Beavers. However, if you aren’t, and are just a general country music fan who likes to sing along on a Saturday night, then you might not. Well, you should. Because there is a high likelihood that some of the songs featured on your playlist were written by the Midland, Texas native.

A member of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, Beavers has written songs for Faith Hill, Easton Corbin, Billy Currington, Gary Allan, and countless others. As a songwriter, Beavers has had an exemplary career. The major hot streak he experienced was between 2010 and 2013.

Jim Beavers Penned Five Country Hits in Four Years

Most aspiring songwriters are lucky if they sell a song. Most working songwriters are incredibly lucky if they achieve a hit. Now, beyond those two types of songwriters are the rare ones, the ones who write hit after hit. Between 2010 and 2013, Jim Beavers wrote five hit songs. Those hit songs were “Felt Good On My Lips”, “Why Don’t We Just Dance”, “Red Solo Cup”, “5-1-5-0”, and “Drink A Beer”.

Released both in 2010, Tim McGraw’s “Felt Goon On My Lips” and Josh Turner’s “Why Don’t We Just Dance” were major successes on the country charts. As a matter of fact, both singles peaked at No. 1 on the country charts following their 2010 releases.

Between 2011 and 2013, the story wasn’t much different. Following the release of Toby Keith’s iconic single, “Red Solo Cup” peaked at No. 9 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart. Well, that wasn’t it for Beavers, because in 2012, Beavers also wrote Dierks Bentley’s No. 1 hit, “5-1-5-0”. Lastly, in 2013, with the help of Chris Stapleton, the two wrote Luke Bryan’s No. 1 hit, “Drink A Beer”.

In country music, there are not too many songwriters who have achieved five top 10 hits in four years, let alone four No. 1 hits in four years. That being said, we are celebrating Jim Beavers, and letting you know who he is….If you didn’t already.

(Josh Sisk/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)