Chris Stapleton Gives Songwriter Kevin Welch Big Boost via “Millionaire”
In mid October of 2018, local Nashville publication Music Row Magazine decided to launch a new chart as a way to keep up with the success and influence of specific songwriters. Instead of charting the success of specific songs, albums, or the artists performing on them, this new chart tracks songwriters who may have multiple songs charting at a given time using algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital downloaded track sales, and streams.
As you can imagine, big time Music Row songwriters such as Shane McAnally, Chase McGill, and Josh Osborne are big players on the chart. But for the last 7 weeks, it hasn’t been these big Music Row names who have multiple credits on big radio singles dominating the chart, it has been Texas/Oklahoma songwriter and performer Kevin Welch, thanks to Kevin being the sole songwriter on Chris Stapleton’s current single, “Millionaire.”
Starting on November 4th, Kevin Welch has been #1 on the Music Row Songwriter Chart, and will likely be at or near the top of the chart for a while as “Millionaire” continues to climb. And that’s not the only accolade for the tune. The song is up for Best Country Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards coming up in February.
Originally written and recorded as the title track to Kevin Welch’s 2002 solo release, the single comes from Chris Stapleton’s From ‘A’ Room: Vol. 2 album released on December 1st, 2017. It was released as a single on April 23rd, 2018, and has been slowly climbing the charts ever since. It currently sits at #12 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. The song was also covered by Chris LeDoux on his 2002 record After the Storm, and soul legend Solomon Burke on his country music tribute record entitled Nashville from 2006.
Originally from Oklahoma and revered throughout the Texas and Red Dirt music scene, Kevin Welch is no stranger to having songs enter the mainstream country music charts. He first moved to Nashville in 1978, and his songs have been recorded by the likes of Don Williams, Ricky Skaggs, Moe Bandy, Waylon Jennings, Patty Loveless, Garth Brooks, and others. However like so many career songwriters of the previous era, Kevin Welch’s songwriting credits have virtually disappeared from the mainstream as the same usual suspects of a very small crop of professional songwriters get most of the cuts on radio singles.
The renewed interest could also not come at a better time. On November 2nd, 2016, Kevin Welch’s daughter Savannah Welch was hit by a car at a farmers market in Wimberley, TX—a community just outside of Austin. Savannah Welch is also a musician, playing her own music and with the supergroup The Trishas. It resulted in Savannah needing to have her leg amputated. This forced Kevin Welch to curtail his touring schedule to help take care of his daughter. The mailbox money from “Millionaire” is welcome relief for Kevin, who also just released his latest record Dust Devil in October 2018.
Similar to what Chris Stapleton did with the country classic “Tennessee Whiskey” written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, “Millionaire” has put a worthy songwriter back in the spotlight after years of absence.
January 8, 2019 @ 10:18 am
For SCM fans who don’t really know much about Kevin Welch, here’s a bit of his background as I know it. He was part of a group of musicians back in the 90s who called themselves The Dead Reckoners. They formed a recording company called Dead Reckoning Records so that they could produce music on their own terms and not have to deal with the big labels. Members besides Welch include Mike Henderson, Kieran Kane., Tammy Rogers, Harry Stinson, Alison Prestwood, and Fats Kaplin. The company is still in business today and Welch’s Dust Devil cd was released by them. Welch put out several terrific cds in the early 90s with Kane and Kaplin getting equal billing in the group title and all the writing and playing. Sadly i now see quite a few of Welch’s older solo cds in the $1 bins of local music stores that I visit. But it’s great to know that he continues to make music and perhaps the Stapleton connection will get people interested in looking at Welch’s large inventory of great songs.
January 8, 2019 @ 10:32 am
Well deserved attention for a fantastic songwriter and artist. I bought his self-titled album when I was back in college.
CMT used to play his videos steadily back then. But that’s a story for another day…
January 8, 2019 @ 1:09 pm
Ditto. Bought his first cassette in 1990 at Cats records after seeing him on CMT .Great record .I had wondered what happened to him and the rest of the Dead Reckoning gang.
January 8, 2019 @ 11:02 am
Hey Trigger, love the content on this site. Was wondering if you heard/what you thought of that new Chris Young song ‘Raised On Country’? To me, the instrumentation and overall sound is improved from the two singles off his last album, but I don’t know, it feels like he’s trying to chase the ‘I’ve always been an authentic/real country singer’ trend that Luke Bryan and FGL have done with the names of their most recent albums. Now his early work (‘Man I Want To Be’ and ‘Neon’) is in my opinion better and way more ‘country’ than anything from the output of Luke Bryan/FGL, but it still seems like he’s trying to chase a trend instead of trailblazing his own path.
January 8, 2019 @ 12:05 pm
I feel like we’re back in the cyclical phase of “this is how country I am” songs that hit around 2004 right after mainstream radio was heavy on the pop stylings of Shania Twain/Faith Hill etc. Right when Gretchen Wilson found mega success with “Redneck Woman” you had a ton of those type of songs – “Redneck Yacht Club,” “Hicktown” “Honky Tonk U,” “Cornfed,” etc. Even Faith Hill with “Mississippi Girl.”
That phase then went into songs that had more religious ties around 2006/2007…”Three Wooden Crosses,” “Believe” by Brooks & Dunn, “Jesus, Take The Wheel,” “When I Get Where I’m Going” – I feel like that was the last time country radio had a decent amount of songs with substance. Would be nice to have more substance on the radio. Not sure if any of Randy Houser’s new stuff is being played on radio…Sirius XM is doing a good job of it…but saw some clips from his album showcase last night and it looks like he’s back to putting out better songs. He had Jamey Johnson performing with him last night and it was good.
January 9, 2019 @ 7:01 am
Don’t forget the Beachy / Jimmy Buffett Country era from 2002-2005.
Kenny Chesneys No Shoes Nation started in 2002. Alan Jackson collabed with Jimmy Buffett in 2003. Then all the artists, labels, radio wanted a cut on the action.
Blake Shelton’s Some Beach.
Many others
January 25, 2019 @ 8:51 pm
Funny thing is that Clint Black was a self-proclaimed “Parrothead” back when friends and I saw him tour with Lorrie Morgan and Merle Haggard as his openers. Other than “When My Ship Comes In,” (which doesn’t really count as beachy), I’m blanking on any song he did trying to use the beach vibe. Feel like there was one…
More importantly, while we’re on the topic of artists who deservedly got a lot of CMT time for their videos in the late 80s/early 90s, I recently watched Clint on “The Big Interview” with Dan Rather and was reminded what a killer song “Killin’ Time” was/still is. (Unintended pun…I was trying to be mindful of swearing and used “killer” instead of “kicka**”). That very first guitar lick… And, that opening line is so obvious it must be a cliche, but somehow it didn’t ever feel that way.
January 8, 2019 @ 12:37 pm
I have Chris Young’s “Raised On Country” on my review radar. I agree on the mixed feelings.
January 8, 2019 @ 11:17 am
I’m calling it. Millionaire is going to be 2019’s Broken Halos. Also Stapleton’s last single before another record.
January 9, 2019 @ 7:05 am
Millionaire has been stalling at #12 on radio charts for weeks… I don’t see it being another #1 for Chris … His Volume 2 album wasn’t great. It’s fallen off in album sales lately too. Used to be top 10 album on billboard, but now it’s a Top 40
January 8, 2019 @ 1:43 pm
This is great news for Kevin Welch and his family. I have been a big fan of his and try to catch him around town when possible. He’s a great songwriter and a great person. Also, Kevin and his son Dustin do a lot for wounded warriors around the Austin Area.
I recently purchased Kevin Welch and Walt Wilkins – Live In the Rock Room, what a great acoustic songwriting album. You wont find it on amazon but can reach out to the Rock Room if interested.
January 24, 2019 @ 9:33 pm
I love “Letter to Dustin” and think about it (and usually have it with me on a playlist or CD) every time I travel via plane (or book a flight, or think about planes, or boats, or the ocean, or prison, or…wait, I digress..). Seriously, though…Welch’s music has been with me for a long time. If I ever run across his CDs in a bargain bin, I’m going to buy them and give them to friends. I’ve already started doing that when I see someone new to in concert and think highly of them them. I buy as many of their CDs as I can with the cash on me and then “play it forward” by giving the CDs to friends I think will dig the artist. Always feels great to support live music and GREAT music. Almost get a little buzz when the friends end up going to see the artists in concert when / if they make it to their towns.
PS – A Cat’s is where I bought my first Kevin Welch, too.
January 9, 2019 @ 11:20 am
I’ve loved Kevin since his debut and followed him passionately throughout his career. No Depression was kind enough to let me review his latest album, and it’s one of his best.
http://nodepression.com/album-review/kevin-welch-searches-hallowed-ground
January 24, 2019 @ 9:22 pm
Mike Henderson, who was a co-writer of “Broken Halos,” was on guitar with Kevin Welch in the video for “Til I See You Again.” Welch is one of the few artists for whom I would cave to buy a “cassingle.” Eventually bought a couple of his albums on cassette and then again on CD and again online. I don’t recall exactly how, but I am sure that Welch was my gateway to James McMurtry. Around 10 years ago, I was making a playlist for my “Zune” and was trying to find some of my favorites of Kevin’s online. Stumbled across a Dixie Chicks cover of “Til I See You Again.”
Kevin’s original of that one and his “Something About You” have steadily remained two of my favorite songs over the decades (both as measured by the calendar years and by my own 20s, 30s, and now 40s.) So glad to see artists I flipped out about way back then getting airplay and hopefully pay now. Dean Dillon belongs on that list, too. Of course, his name was better known all along because of the many songs of his that George Strait cut. But, I first became a fan of Dean’s through his video of “Holed Up In Some Honky Tonk” and then learned he had written or co-written some of my favorites recorded by others. Still have cassettes and CDs of his, and my autographed photo from the fan club, plus the one he signed in person when I talked my Mom and a family friend (who was a friend & co-worker of my Mom and also was the Mom of my friend/classmate) into the family friend and I roadtripping from tri-cities TN to Big Stone Gap, VA to see Dean Dillon perform live at a Fourth of July picnic. (Small miracle that I caught the commercial for it on the radio in my car).
January 24, 2019 @ 9:49 pm
Okay, me again… a lot of posts all of the sudden on 3-week old news… in all honesty, I picked up an older phone too big to be my every day phone and saw that the browser still was on this article from when I first saw it a few weeks ago. I started to send the link to friends (who have heard me rave about and play Welch and others for years), and just about blew a fuse in my mind because I was so happy to see this story.
So, this one last post is to say I have long wished that country stations today would play songs that were never singles back when the albums were released. For example, put Kevin Welch’s “Hello, I’m Gone” on a country station today and it will be one of the best songs played all day.
Would radio ever do it? (Undoubtedly, there are rules and legal issues, but Garth’s “Friends in Low Places” and McGraw’s “If You’re Reading This” made it through popular demand.)
Would anyone be left to appreciate it? I’d like to think that anyone who likes ANY music could appreciate great songs if the songs could just make it to the airwaves.