Vicky McGehee

If Vicky had to pick a theme song for her life, it might well be Willie Nelson's “On The Road Again.” Vicky has a fierce passion for writing songs, and a fierce love of going out on the road with the artists she loves to write with, so if a bus engine is firing up somewhere in Nashville, chances are, she's probably racing to catch it. The Oklahoma native has an uncanny knack for honing in on exactly what an artist is trying to say -- just ask Jason Aldean, Gretchen Wilson, or John Rich. ... [ more ] If Vicky had to pick a theme song for her life, it might well be Willie Nelson's “On The Road Again.” Vicky has a fierce passion for writing songs, and a fierce love of going out on the road with the artists she loves to write with, so if a bus engine is firing up somewhere in Nashville, chances are, she's probably racing to catch it. The Oklahoma native has an uncanny knack for honing in on exactly what an artist is trying to say -- just ask Jason Aldean, Gretchen Wilson, or John Rich. She's penned dozens of hits for all three and plenty of other artists, and is still in awe of the fact that a girl from a tiny town in Oklahoma could end up supplying radio with some of its biggest and most-played country hits.

Vicky never really thought about music much growing up. A tomboy at heart, she was far too busy riding horses, playing basketball and enjoying the outdoors, and besides, no one in her family was musically inclined anyway. But as a teen, she loved going to concerts with her friends, and one night an Alabama/Janie Fricke show opened her eyes to a whole new world of country music. An avid classic rock fan of bands like REO Speedwagon, Styx, AC/DC, Boston, and others, she quickly developed a love for country legends like Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash as well as the contemporary country of the 80's and 90's.

Vicky decided to move to Nashville and found work in the entertainment law field -- a move that would ultimately change her life forever. “It was so funny, because I really had no idea about getting into this side of country music. But one day I hit a crossroads in life, and it all changed for me. An opportunity came up and I went for it, and the next thing you know I'm Music Row Songwriter of the Year, then BMI Writer of the Year, it was like a rocket taking off. It kind of makes me wonder what mother or father didn't take the time to throw their kid a football or play basketball with their kids and realize they had talent no one knew! If that opportunity hadn't come along, I would never have known I could be a songwriter”.

Diving headlong into her new career, Vicky landed a publishing deal with Buddy Killen and spent two years learning the craft of songwriting. One of the first songs she wrote at Killen Music was “Heart Hold On” for Buffalo Club. It was the third single for the band and the first single for Vicky. She moved on to Sony Tree and the first big break of her career -- meeting John Rich. The two would instantly become fast friends from the first time they met and go on to collaborate on some of country's biggest hits over the next several years. Within the first two years of their initial meeting, they shared 40 cuts together. She credits John as one of the key people who helped launch her writing career.

Vicky moved to Warner Chappell in 2000, writing for Michael Knox. “Michael was my second big break. When I got to Warner Chappell it was like a door opening up for me. It happened so fast.” She wrote “Hicktown,” “Johnny Cash,” and “Why” for Jason Aldean. “Why” becoming her first Number One. “Holy Water” for Big and Rich, and about 14 songs on Gretchen's first, second and third albums, which included “All Jacked Up”, “Come To Bed” and “When I Think About Cheatin'”, and from there she began receiving all kinds of awards from the industry. In 2005, she was named Music Row's Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year, and only a year later BMI awarded her their highest honor of Songwriter of the Year. In 2007, she reached another plateau when her song, “Like We Never Loved At All,” became a smash for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and won a BMI pop award and a Grammy. BMI has also awarded her with 11 Top 50 Played Songs of The Year and in 2011 she received 6 BMI Millionaire Awards. Through these same few years Vicky was nominated for several Grammy, CMA, ACM and CMT awards. “I can't tell you how excited I am to sign with Peer Music and team back up with Michael Knox once again. I'm looking forward to another big run!”

With her chameleon-like ability and way with a lyric, Vicky continues to dominate the charts today, with recent cuts and singles by Jason Aldean, Thompson Square, Toby Keith, Big and Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Jane Deere, Lost Trailers, Craig Campbell, Jamie Johnson, Randy Houser, and many others. Her list of hits is impressive, and continues to grow each year. Vicky's songs are certainly translating in the sync world too. She has landed placements on a “Wrangler commercial”, “The Voice”, “Dancing With The Stars”, “Army Wives”, “Saving Grace” and many many more. Vicky approaches the craft the same way now as she did the very first day she began putting words down on paper – with a childlike excitement about what might come next.

I wake up every morning, well, not every morning, and can't wait to write another song, I can't wait to hear a crowd singing my song back to me, I can't wait to hear I've got a hold or cut! It's all still so awesome to me and I don't want to stop here…I don't want to stop learning and I don't want to stop feeling those highs of hearing your song sung back to you. It's been an amazing life! I can't wait to see what happens next!” [ less ]

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