Born 49 Years Ago Today in Georgia, the Go-to Hitmaker for Artists Like Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, and Tim McGraw

Some of Nashville’s most celebrated artists have Hillary Lindsey to thank for their biggest hits. The Hall of Fame songwriter has racked up 27 number-one hits across the pop and country charts. Just a small sampling of her work includes Grammy winners “Jesus, Take the Wheel” (Carrie Underwood); “Girl Crush” (Little Big Town); and “I’ll Never Love Again” (Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper).

Today we’re exploring the numerous accomplishments of Hillary Lee Lindsey, born in Washington, Georgia, on this day (August 11) in 1977.

Who is Hillary Lindsey?

Music has always been an integral part of Hillary Lindsey’s life. Her father was a drummer, and most of her childhood memories involve helping push the pedals on her grandfather’s old pump organ as he played.

Lindsey also had a knack for vocals, performing in her church choir and winning 4-H singing competitions. She was about 10 years old when she wrote her first song about the impending divorce of her best friend’s parents.

 “It really devastated me thinking about what that was going to do to her,” Lindsey told Sounds Like Nashville in 2020. I wish I remembered the song, but I wrote a song about that. As I got older, it turned into me having a crush on a boy that didn’t like me. Then I would write songs for my girlfriends who also had crushes on boys that didn’t like them. That’s how the writing started.”

Making Her Name in Nashville

After graduating from high school in 1994, Hillary Lindsey moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University.

She decided to major in music business, “because I thought when I tried to get a record deal, that I wouldn’t get screwed because I knew the business side of it.”

One day, Lindsey’s college roommate took her demo tape to the record label where she was interning. Word spread quickly, and Lindsey landed her first publishing deal in 1997. She later signed as an artist with Sony Music, but the label dropped her after just three months.

“I hadn’t recorded anything, and didn’t even step into the studio. It was a pretty low time,” she told Music Row in 2015. “Then I stopped feeling sorry for myself and began writing with Gordie Sampson, Brett James, Troy Verges, and others. We began getting cuts, and I thought, ‘This isn’t bad, either.’”

In 2002, Lindsey saw her work reach number one for the first time with Martina McBride’s “Blessed”. And it certainly wasn’t the last.

To date, American Idol champ and country music superstar Carrie Underwood has taken 11 of Lindsey’s compositions to the top. That includes Underwood’s breakout 2006 hit “Jesus Take the Wheel”; along with “So Small”; “Last Name”; and “Two Black Cadillacs.

Other chart-topping hits from Lindsey’s pen include “American Honey” by Lady A; “A Little Bit Stronger” by Sara Evans; and “Shotgun Rider” by Tim McGraw.

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In 2020 and 2021, the Academy of Country Music named Hillary Lindsey its Songwriter of the Year.

Featured image by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images for Songwriters Hall Of Fame