Blake Pendergrass has been named NSAI Songwriter of the Year at the annual Nashville Songwriter Awards, held at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
The honour caps a career-defining year for one of Music City’s most in-demand songwriters.
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The Nashville Songwriter Awards are presented by the Nashville Songwriters Association International and celebrate the writers behind country music’s biggest songs. For Blake Pendergrass, the win comes with seven No. 1 hits to his name and more than one billion streams across his catalogue.
Accepting the award in an emotional speech, Pendergrass looked back on the years of uncertainty and perseverance that led him to the Ryman stage. He also dedicated a special moment to his mother, who is currently in hospital.
“I remember crying in the car with my parents about eight years into this journey and asking them if they thought I should keep going,” he said. “And them encouraging me to. And my mom’s in the hospital right now. Say a prayer for her later this evening.”
He went on to reflect on the highs and lows that come with a life spent writing songs for a living.
“I’ve watched songs climb the chart. I’ve watched songs fall off the chart. And I’ve watched songs never make it onto the chart. At this point in my career, I’ve felt like the kid that’s never going to make it. I’ve felt like the kid that is the least talented one in the room. I’ve felt like the guy with something to prove. I’ve felt like the guy that proved it.”
“But what I do believe is that God has put me on the greatest adventure that I could ever ask to be on with the best people I could ever ask to be a part of it with.”
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His peers marked the occasion with three performances from his catalogue. Ethan Burdick performed ‘865’, Pendergrass’ first major-label cut, which he co-wrote with John Byron.
Warren Zeiders delivered ‘Betrayal’, written by Justin Ebach, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Blake Pendergrass, Ali Tamposi and Zeiders himself. Vincent Mason then took the stage for his hit ‘Wish You Well’, written by Jessie Jo Dillon, Chris LaCorte, Pendergrass and Geoff Warburton.
Those seven No. 1 hits include four for Morgan Wallen: ’20 Cigarettes’, ‘Don’t We’, ‘I Got Better’ and ‘Just In Case’. The list is completed by Jelly Roll’s ‘Heart Of Stone’, Tucker Wetmore’s VMA-nominated ‘Brunette’ and Jordan Davis and Thomas Rhett’s ‘Ain’t A Bad Life’.
The hits are still coming. Pendergrass’ recent work includes Morgan Wallen’s ‘Been By Now’, which currently sits in the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100, along with Dan + Shay’s ‘The Old Guys (feat. Cody Johnson)’ and Wyatt Flores’ ‘Scared of Heights’, the title track of Flores’ latest album.
His creative partnership with Wallen has been one of the most productive in modern country music. Pendergrass earned eight cuts on Wallen’s album One Thing At A Time, including ‘Dying Man’ and ‘Ain’t That Some’.
He then landed 15 cuts on Wallen’s latest album, I’m The Problem, including ‘The Dealer (feat. ERNEST)’, a song he wrote entirely on his own.
Away from Wallen, Blake Pendergrass has built an impressive record with the GRAMMYs. He is a writer on three GRAMMY-nominated albums, contributing ‘Broken Hearts Still Beat’ to Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind, ‘Who Needs You’ to Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion and Conner Smith’s ‘Steal My Thunder (feat. Tucker Wetmore)’ to Twisters: The Album.
He also co-wrote seven songs on Jelly Roll’s GRAMMY-winning album Beautifully Broken.
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Earlier this year, the ACM-nominated songwriter celebrated his first CMA Triple Play award in April 2026. The award recognises songwriters who have written three No. 1 songs within a 12-month period, and his came for ‘Just In Case’, ‘Heart of Stone’ and ‘I Got Better’.
His songs have also been recorded by Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, HARDY, Chase Rice and Dustin Lynch, among others.
Next up is another Nashville milestone. Pendergrass is set to make his Grand Ole Opry debut on 29 September, just days after collecting his Songwriter of the Year award at the Ryman, the Opry’s former home.
It is a remarkable turnaround for a songwriter who, eight years into his career, was asking his parents whether he should keep going. Now, with chart-topping hits and one of the industry’s most respected honours behind him, Blake Pendergrass has his answer.
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