Monty Powell: Hitman?
Monty Powell is a Hitman. Not in the literal, dictionary sense of the word - he doesn't off people at the request of others, but he is quite deadly in other harmless, less-criminal ways. Arm him with a pen, an idea and a guitar, and there's a good chance something deadly magnificent will be the result. The proof is virtually everywhere these days. Whether you turn on the radio, flip on a TV, or go to a movie, the odds are pretty dang good you'll be hearing one of his songs. That's just what happens when the culprit has multiple number one singles under his belt and powerhouses like Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts lining up to record them. So yes, Monty Powell is a Hitman. Or perhaps better-stated, Monty Powell is a hit, man.
Here's the thing: After over two decades as the music industry equivalent of the Swiss Army Knife and a list of awards and accolades that make War And Peace seem like a quick read, it would appear that writing a hit song is as simple for Monty as it is writing a bad one, but he knows better and that's precisely what separates him from the rest of the songwriting pack: Knowing better. Knowing better than to think that writing your first hit song means you're sure to write a second. Knowing better than to believe that shortcuts are ever an option. And knowing better than to rest on creativity as if it's the key to long-term success as a songwriter.
The characteristic of knowing better isn't isolated to the music industry. To sustain success at the top of any profession, you literally need to know better than the person working next to you. Know better and know more, and that's why even with the enviable resume and all the awards that help legitimize it, Monty knows better than to simply rely on the use of a pen, an idea and a guitar to stay at the top of the songwriting ranks.
So why would anyone who's reached the peak of any profession, especially one full of people lined up for an opportunity to steal their share of the market without thinking twice about it, be excited to teach and help create a potential competitor for themselves? The answer, according to Monty, is simple:
"Unlike most things that the world consumes, we will never stop needing music, especially good music - hit music. Those who are capable of writing it legitimately should have the opportunity to learn how to do it, and I want to help because I'll always have a debt to repay to music. There's no shortage of talented musicians and songwriters in America. I have an obligation to tell the ones who will listen - the ones who are serious enough to chase music as a career, that talent isn't enough. Not even close. Achieving real, long-term success in the music industry is literally a science. Musician Labs can help put the scientific formula for success into the hands of the most dangerous, the most willing and the most capable."
Joining Monty in the Lab is his wife - renowned Jazz artist, songwriter and producer, Anna Wilson with whom he just completed co-producing a new album with. Not just any album though - one that has particular importance within the songwriting community because it celebrates one of the best to ever do it: Billy Joel. The record is titled, "Nashville State of Mind" and features the likes of Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Hunter Hayes, Eli Young Band, Emmylou Harris, Lyle Lovett, Gavin DeGraw and others, all putting their own personal spins on Joel classics. The album is being released to celebrate and honor Joel's 50th anniversary as a songwriter.
Given that the duo trusted with putting together an album of this magnitude are the same two people behind Musician Labs, students who are serious enough to attend are in for a serious treat...and some serious learning.
What They’re Saying About Musician Labs:
“There are other options out there, but Monty is teaching from a level that no one else is. He has enough hits with Keith Urban alone to make a stellar career for most writers. You add in Grammy and Golden Globe nods, a SESAC Songwriter Of The Year award and a CMA Triple Play (three #1 songs in one year !), and you have a proven master of his craft. In the guitar world, it would be like taking lessons from Hendrix. I have seen Monty write, teach, produce, and perform live. If you want the real mountain top experience from a master teacher who can actually do what he teaches, this is it.”
- Bruno Pirecki
Entertainment Relations, Gibson Brands
Monty on Songwriting & Toontrack
“Sweet Thing” by Keith Urban – 2009 SESAC Song of the Year




Monty Powell Songwriting Credits
SONG TITLE | ARTIST |
Pete’s Music City | Alabama |
I Didn’t Think It Would Hurt | Amanda Norman Sell |
New York City Subway Rider | Anna Wilson |
It’s Got Me | Anna Wilson |
Always The Same | Anna Wilson |
I Will Never Know | Anna Wilson |
Angels | Austin’s Bridge |
Times Like These | Austin’s Bridge |
Straight And Narrow | Barbra Mandrell |
Hey Love | Better Than Ezra |
Cowboy Band | Billy Dean |
Could Have Been Me | Billy Ray Cyrus |
Words By Heart | Billy Ray Cyrus |
Damn The Whiskey | Brad Martin |
I Am That Man | Brooks&Dunn |
That’s Another Song | Bryan White |
Radio Romance | Canyon |
Brand New Me | Chad Brock |
The Love That We Lost | Chely Wright |
Miss Me Baby | Chris Cagle |
What A Beautiful Day | Chris Cagle |
I Love It When She Does That | Chris Cagle |
Night On The Country | Chris Cagle |
It Takes Two | Chris Cagle |
Growin’ Love | Chris Cagle |
Just Love Me | Chris Cagle |
Look At What I’ve Done | Chris Cagle |
All I Ever Wanted | Chuck Wicks |
Good Time Coming On | Chuck Wicks |
My Kind Of Girl | Collin Raye |
Between A Rock And A Heartache | David Slater |
That Wasn’t Me | Davis Daniel |
SONG TITLE | ARTIST |
Norma Jean Riley | Diamond Rio |
Nowhere Bound | Diamond Rio |
Finished What We Started | Diamond Rio |
They Don’t Make Hearts Like They Used To | Diamond Rio |
The Ballad Of Conley & Billy | Diamond Rio |
Pick Me Up | Diamond Rio |
Calling All Hearts | Diamond Rio |
Down By The Riverside | Diamond Rio |
I Was Meant To Be With You | Diamond Rio |
Kentucky Mine | Diamond Rio |
Old Weakness | Diamond Rio |
Potrait Of An American Family | Dusty Drake |
This Is Me Missing You | James House |
You Don’t Act Like My Woman | James Otto |
Damn Right | James Otto |
Someone Else’s Tears | James Prosser |
Faces Of Love | Jeanette McCurdy |
With Or Without Me | Jeff Wood |
If A Man Ain’t Thinkin | Jerry Kilgore |
I'm Done | Jo Dee Messina |
My Last Word | Kathy Mattea |
Who Wouldn’t Want To Be Me | Keith Urban |
It’s A Love Thing | Keith Urban |
For You | Keith Urban |
Days Go By | Keith Urban |
Tonight I Want To Cry | Keith Urban |
She’s Gotta Be | Keith Urban |
These Are The Days | Keith Urban |
Shine | Keith Urban |
Tu Compania | Keith Urban |
Raise The Barn | Keith Urban |
Sweet Thing | Keith Urban |
Kiss A Girl | Keith Urban |
Til Summer Comes Around | Keith Urban |
SONG TITLE | ARTIST |
If I Knew Then | Lady Antebellum |
Stars Tonight | Lady Antebellum |
When You Gonna Run To Me | Lee Ann Womack |
One of These Days | Marcus Hummon |
Straight As The Crow Flies | Marcus Hummon |
I Do | Marcus Hummon |
Why Not Colorado | McBride & The Ride |
I’m Not Afraid | Michelle Wright |
Luckiest Man In The World | Neil McCoy |
Tender Moment | Oak Ridge Boys |
The Chain Just Broke | Paulette Carlson |
Don’t Let Go Of My Heart | Phil Keaggy |
Pieces | Rascal Flatts |
She Goes All The Way | Rascal Flatts & Jamie Foxx |
Love Won | Ray Kennedy |
Easy Goin’ | Ray Kennedy |
Dancy’ Dream | Restless Heart |
He Said, She Said | Richie Havens, Anton Figg |
I’m Ready When You Are | Robert Ellis Orral |
Fancy Things | Royal Bliss |
I’ll Go Down Loving You | Shenandoah |
Let Me Be Wrong Again | Sons of the Desert |
Ten Paces, Turn Around | The Ministers |
Perpetual Emotion | The Ministers |
Crying In Paradise | The Ministers |
To Whom It May Concern | The Ministers |
One Of These Days | Tim McGraw |
Love Lessons | Track Byrd |
When The Party's Over | Trent Tomlinson |
Courage Of Daniel | Wade Kimes |
Friday Night | Western Flyer |
Straight And Narrow | Wild Rose |