Years Broke in Nashville: How I Finally Wrote a #1 Radio Hit | 100% WILD Podcast Ep. 479

Years Broke in Nashville: How I Finally Wrote a #1 Radio Hit | 100% WILD Podcast Ep. 479

In this episode of the 100% WILD Podcast, Matt Drury and Tim Kjellesvik sit down with hit country music songwriter Josh Dunne. Originally from Missouri, Josh shares his incredible 12-year journey through Nashville's publishing machine. From writing Brantley Gilbert's hit "What Happens in a Small Town" to collaborating with Morgan Wallen and driving ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons to Carrabba's in a beat-up Pathfinder. The guys break down the evolution of modern country music, "bro-country," and how hunting culture, backroads, and 20-pound fishing line constantly inspire mainstream lyrics.

Beyond songwriting secrets, Josh dives into his passion for public land whitetail hunting in Tennessee. He recounts how a DeerCast "Green Light" prediction convinced him to head to the woods leading to an incredible public land buck harvest using the Mad Growl call. Josh then sings a live acoustic performance of an unreleased song dedicated to his late father, honoring the emotional bond of missing your primary hunting partner when fall arrives.

00:00:00 – Welcome to Bass Pro Studios: Pre-Season Prep & Country Music

00:00:32 – Introducing Hit Country Songwriter Josh Dunne

00:02:40 – Writing "Give Away the Farm" Inspired by Drury Outdoors

00:04:05 – "What Happens in a Small Town": Scoring a #1 Hit with Brantley Gilbert

00:05:10 – Inside the Nashville Songwriting Machine: Writer Shares vs. Publishing

00:08:45 – The Evolution of "Bro-Country" & Mainstream Country Music

00:13:30 – How Hunting, Fishing, and Mono Line Inspire Country Lyrics

00:16:10 – Writing Rooms with Morgan Wallen & ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons

00:18:25 – The Carrabba's Story: Driving Billy Gibbons in a Beat-Up Pathfinder