Many of country music’s biggest hits are created by songwriters who live perpetually behind the scenes. It’s safe to say that many listeners wouldn’t recognize the writers behind their favorite songs if they were sitting beside them. Instead, recording artists become the faces of the songs that so many people know and love.
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Recently, a video on Facebook proved this. An award-winning country songwriter with several hits to his name sat in the Nashville airport and no one recognized him. The video shows Marcus Hummon sitting in a chair in the airport. He looks up briefly and smiles at the camera. The annotation on the video speaks volumes. “No one at the Nashville airport knows the guy who wrote their favorite country songs is just sitting in the corner.” His son, country singer Levi Hummon posted the video.
[RELATED: Marcus Hummon: Poetic License]
“Bless the Broken Road” plays fittingly plays over the short clip. Many country fans think of Rascal Flatts when they hear the song. After all, the group had a No. 1 hit with the song. Their version of “Broken Road” also brought Hummon and his co-writers—Bobby Boyd and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Jeff Hanna—a Grammy Award in 2005.
Who Is Marcus Hummon?
Hummon is a songwriter, playwright, recording artist, and author. His biggest hits are country songs. He wrote or co-wrote Top 40 hits for several of the biggest names in the genre. Additionally, Hummon is behind No. 1 singles like “Cowboy Take Me Away” by the Chicks, “Born to Fly” by Sara Evans, and “Bless the Broken Road.” He has also written pop, R&B, and gospel songs, per his website.
He released his debut album All in Good Time in 1995. Three years later, he teamed up with Big Country frontman Stuart Adamson to release Supernatural under the name The Raphaels. Since then, he has released several independent albums.
Outside of country music, Hummon has penned several musicals and an opera. He wrote the off-Broadway musicals Warrior, The Piper, and Tut among others.
Here’s a list of the biggest hits written or co-written by Hummon:
- “Bless the Broken Road”—Rascal Flatts, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
- “Cowboy Take Me Away”—The Chicks
- “Ready to Run”—The Chicks
- “Born to Fly”—Sara Evans
- “One of These Days”—Tim McGraw
- “Only Love”—Wynonna
Featured Image by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Americana Music
