Chris Tompkins | |
|---|---|
| Born | Christopher G. Tompkins |
| Genres | Country music |
| Occupation | Songwriter |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Big Loud |
| Website | Tompkins at Big Loud Shirt |
Christopher G. Tompkins (bornMuscle Shoals, Alabama) is an American songwriter based inNashville.[1] Since 2002 he has co-written songs for pop, rock, andcountry artistsJimmy Buffett,Blake Shelton,Keith Urban,Carrie Underwood,Jason Aldean, andNickelback and has written charting singles for artists such asKenny Chesney,Florida Georgia Line, andTim McGraw.[2][3]
Tompkins has won twoGrammy Awards for Best Country Song, first for "Before He Cheats" sung byCarrie Underwood in 2007,[4] and also for Underwood's 2012 song "Blown Away".[4] Tompkins has written 16 number one hits,[5] and he won Songwriter of the Year by theAlabama Music Hall of Fame in 2007.[citation needed]
Chris Tompkins was born and raised inGreen Hill, Alabama and attended Rogers High School.[1] As a teenager Tompkins started playing in a garage band withJason Isbell.[6]
Tompkins signed his first publishing deal at age 22, moving toNashville, Tennessee. In 2004 Tompkins had his first top 20 hit on theBillboard charts, co-writing "Me and Emily" byRachel Proctor.[7] He started working withBig Loud Shirt Industries during the summer of 2006 as a songwriter.[1]
He and songwriterJosh Kear wrote the multi-platinum seller "Before He Cheats", sung byCarrie Underwood and released in 2007. It was named 2007 Single of the Year by theCountry Music Association. Tompkins won the 2007MusicRow "Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year" award and was honored as theAlabama Music Hall of Fame songwriter of the year.[8] The following year "Before He Cheats" won several categories at the50th Grammy Awards, includingCountry Song of the Year. While at the awards Tompkins befriendedTom Higgenson of the indie rock groupPlain White T's. They soon began to collaborate, and Tompkins has since co-written several songs on their albums, including "Welcome To Mystery" featured in the motion pictureAlmost Alice starringJohnny Depp.
In 2010 he co-wrote the song "Ain't Back Yet" withKenny Chesney. The song reached No. 2 on the country charts, and also appeared in Chesney's movieSummertime in 3-D. Also in 2010, He worked on a number of charting singles in 2011, including theChris Young single "Voices."[1] He co-wrote the duet "I Feel Like a Rockstar" in 2012, performed byKenny Chesney andTim McGraw[1] and landed his firstJimmy Buffett cut "Bama Breeze".[9]
He collaborated with Underwood once again on her 2012 albumBlown Away, notably on thesecond single of the same name. The single was co-written with his frequent collaboratorJosh Kear, and as noted by interviewer Kurt Wolff, "the melody and overall sound of the song also stand out as something fresh and very different."[10] Tompkins explained to Wolff that "Blown Away" was an "attempt at 'melodic pop' that was 'unique' yet still 'country.'"[10] Tompkins also commented that "Blown Away" is "It's a completely different type of song for Carrie. She's got a lot of pop elements, and I listen to a lot of pop, but I listen to everything fromRandy Newman toMozart toRihanna toSteely Dan. I think all that stuff shows up in my music, and I think it showed up in 'Blown Away.'"[10] The single peaked at No. 2 onBillboard'sHot Country Songs chart and No. 1 on Billboard'sCountry Airplay chart and won aGrammy Award for Best Country Song in 2013.
In 2013, Tompkins penned five songs including the number one hits "Round Here" and "Get Your Shine On" onFlorida Georgia Line's debut albumHere's to Good Times. Following the album's massive success, Tompkins collaborated again with Florida Georgia Line on number one hits like "Dirt" and "Anything Goes", contributing a total of eleven cuts to the band.
Released in April 2014, He also co-wrote the song "Drunk on a Plane", recorded byDierks Bentley which peaked in the top 3 onBillboard'sHot Country Songs and number one on theCountry Airplay chart. The song later went on to be certified 3×Platinum by theRIAA.[11]
| Year | Award | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | MusicRow Awards | Chris Tompkins | Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year[8] | Won |
| Alabama Music Hall of Fame | Chris Tompkins | Songwriter of the Year | Won | |
| Country Music Association Awards | "Before He Cheats" | Single of the Year | Won | |
| Academy of Country Music Awards | Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Single of the Year | Nominated | |||
| ASCAP Country Music Awards | Song of the Year | Won | ||
| 33rd People's Choice Awards | Favorite Country Song | Won | ||
| 2008 | 50th Grammy Awards | Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2013 | 55th Grammy Awards | "Blown Away" | Country Song of the Year[12] | Won |
| ASCAP Country Music Awards | "Drunk on You"[13] | Song of the Year | Won |
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