Scotty Emerick

Since the 1990s, singer/songwriter Scotty Emerick has amassed a substantial catalog of country hits for artists like Ronnie Milsap, George Strait, and longtime collaborator Toby Keith. More than any other, his songwriting partnership with Keith has yielded a string of chart-topping hits, including "I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight," "Beer for My Horses," and "I Love This Bar." Emerick made his own album, The Coast Is Clear, in 2003 and a year later earned Songwriter of the Year status from the Nashville Songwriters Association. He charted a couple more singles of his own, including 2006's "What's Up with That," and continued to serve as Keith's creative foil and occasional touring partner. Over the coming years, Emerick's songs were recorded by a range of artists, from Alan Jackson, Del McCoury, and Eric Church to Sammy Hagar. In 2022, Emerick's song "Dusty Bottles" was recorded by Willie Nelson for his Grammy Award-winning album A Beautiful Time. Born in Hollywood, Florida and raised in Vero Beach, Emerick caught the music bug early and began playing guitar as a child. By his teenage years, he was performing locally and writing his own songs. By age 19, he was in Nashville working at a local restaurant and shopping his songs on Music Row. He teamed up with another new arrival, Bryan White, and found some early success writing songs for Sawyer Brown, including the mid-'90s hits "I Don't Believe in Goodbye" and "Round Here." He also found an early mentor in Country Hall of Fame songwriter Dean Dillon, best known for his work with George Strait. While White went on to a successful career as a recording artist, Emerick preferred to continue plying his trade as a songwriter and landed songs with Kenny Chesney, Ronnie Milsap, and George Strait. He eventually struck up a successful writing partnership with Toby Keith that took his career to a new level. In the early part of the 2000s, Emerick and Keith sent a string of catchy singles to number one, including "I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight," "I Love This Bar," "Whiskey Girl," and the Willie Nelson duet "Beer for My Horses." Around this time, Emerick stepped into the spotlight with 2003's The Coast Is Clear, his own debut album for Dreamworks. The album featured a duet with Keith, "I Can't Take You Anywhere," which enjoyed some chart success, as did follow-up singles like 2004's "The Watch" and 2006's "What's Up with That." In addition to his own work, he maintained both his friendship and working partnership with Keith, and the two frequently toured together sharing bills. Over the coming years, Emerick also toured internationally as part of the USO, performing at military bases in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf. Throughout the late 2000s and 2010s, his songs also continued to find homes with big artists like Billy Currington, Alan Jackson, Rascal Flatts, and Eric Church. Heading into the 2020s, one of his songs, "Dusty Bottle," was pegged by Willie Nelson, who recorded it for his 2022 album, A Beautiful Time, which went on to win Country Album of the Year at the 2023 Grammys.
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