A country way of life, Episode 26 (Josh Matheny, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz)
Author: Jonny Brick.
Player: Josh Matheny
When Carly Pearce played Country2Country 2024, she was accompanied by her dobro player Josh Matheny. A dobro is a resonator guitar with a steel body that adds a country sheen to country songs like Carly’s, and Matheny is her longtime player. His Instagram handle is appropriately DobroJosh, and he wrote a post in appreciation of his employer: ‘Nothing fits a dobro better than your voice and your well written, emotionally powerful songs.’
The son of bluegrass players who was raised in Magnolia, Arkansas, Matheny first joined his family onstage at the age of three. Starting out on the mandolin and guitar he moved to the dobro and took it with him to Nashville to attend Belmont University. He was part of the band KingBilly alongside Charlie Worsham and John Osborne, and Matheny played on Brothers Osborne’s debut album Pawn Shop.
He has also added his prowess to songs in Sam Hunt’s catalogue including Kinfolks and 23, as well as on albums by Kelsea Ballerini, Cole Swindell, Dustin Lynch and Kenny Foster.
Songwriters: Jimmy Robbins & Laura Veltz
The Bones by Maren Morris won awards for its warmth and tenderness. A hit on country and Adult Contemporary radio formats, as well as a number 12 Hot 100 hit, it was the most successful collaboration between Maren and her co-writers Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz. The trio also wrote I Could Use A Love Song, The Feels and Better Than We Found It.
Robbins produced the album GIRL, which stands as an example of how he brought a pop sensibility to country music. He started out as an artist and featured in the documentary It All Begins With A Song, but has become one of the most in-demand producers in Nashville. As well as working on recent albums by Brett Young, Robbins co-produced Love You Like That by Canaan Smith, and building on his work with Maren he has produced albums by several other female singers. They include Kimberly Perry, Maddie + Tae, RaeLynn and Kelsea Ballerini.
As a writer Robbins copyrights include some massive number ones from the mid-2010s: We Were Us for Miranda Lambert and Keith Urban, It Goes Like This by Thomas Rhett, Whatever She’s Got by David Nail and Sure Be Cool If You Did by Blake Shelton. He also worked with Sam Fischer on This City.
He told American Songwriter: ‘I think the ticket is to write with your friends, and then you all start having success together. The people I used to write with, we wrote with each other because other people wouldn’t write with us…I always try to make it fun. I don’t care if you’re super successful. If the day is bad, I’m not likely to do it again. Most of the songs I’ve had success with are from good days.’
Laura Veltz is certainly one of those friends. Like Josh Matheny, she grew up on the road with a family band, and she has been a secret weapon in writer’s rooms around town. Having helped Maren write the song Rich, Veltz co-wrote five tracks on GIRL including To Hell And Back. Her other copyrights include Speechless for Dan + Shay, Drunk Last Night for Eli Young Band, What If I Never Get Over You for Lady A and Lonely Eyes for Chris Young.
Veltz has also worked with pop artists like Demi Lovato, Idina Menzel and Kelly Clarkson, and co-wrote four songs on Madeline Edwards’ album Crashlanded. She currently hosts the Songwriter Soup podcast to tell listeners ‘how not to lose your mind and your money in the songwriter business’.
All Episodes can be found here
For more country music evangelism, go to countrywol.com where you can read Monday essays, Friday reviews and Sunday Hymn Sheets. Follow Jonny’s Country Music Calendar at the Country Way of Life Facebook page (facebook.com/acountrywayoflife).