Ten Year Town

Jake Worthington is a country music artist and songwriter raised in La Porte, Texas. He first gained national attention as the runner-up on Season 6 of NBC’s The Voice before spending years developing his sound playing dance halls and honky-tonks across Texas. His latest record, When I Write The Song, was released in 2025, and he is currently signed to Big Loud Texas. Worthington has shared stages with artists including Stoney LaRue and Post Malone, and is currently an opener on Luke Combs’ Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old stadium tour.
In this episode, we discuss Jake’s journey from garage bands in Texas to national touring stages, growing up on George Strait and Keith Whitley records, his early years in Nashville, the call from Seth England that helped change the trajectory of his career, and many other stops along the way.
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This episode is sponsored by The Graphic Guitar Guys (https://thegraphicguitarguys.com) They create custom guitar wraps used by artists and festivals across the industry. A great option for pre-sale bundles, VIP packages, or one-of-a-kind gear.

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Troy Cartwright (troycartwright.com) is a Nashville-based artist and songwriter originally from Dallas, Texas. His songs have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of streams, and he is currently signed to Big Machine Music for publishing. Cartwright has written songs recorded by Cody Johnson, Lee Brice, Nickelback, Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, and has upcoming cuts with several A-list artists.
#JakeWorthington
 #TexasCountry
 #TraditionalCountry
 #LukeCombs
 #CountryMusic
 #BigLoudTexas
 #GeorgeStrait
 #Nashville
 #TenYearTown
 #TroyCartwright
New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

In this bonus episode, we take a look at the songwriting and philosophy of Tom Petty—what made his songs work, why simplicity matters, and what artists can learn from the way he approached music and career.

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If you want to read the Mundanity of Excellence you can find the PDF here:
https://academics.hamilton.edu/documents/themundanityofexcellence.pdf

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This episode is sponsored by The Graphic Guitar Guys (https://thegraphicguitarguys.com) They create custom guitar wraps used by artists and festivals across the industry. A great option for pre-sale bundles, VIP packages, or one-of-a-kind gear.

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Troy Cartwright (troycartwright.com) is a Nashville-based artist and songwriter originally from Dallas, Texas. His songs have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of streams, and he is currently signed to Big Machine Music for publishing. Cartwright has written songs recorded by Cody Johnson, Lee Brice, Nickelback, Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, and has upcoming cuts with several A-list artists.

#TomPetty
#Songwriting
#Songwriter
#RockAndRoll
#MusicTheory
#CreativeProcess
#TenYearTown
#TroyCartwright
#AmericanMusic
#WriteSongs
New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

Randy Montana is a songwriter and artist raised in Nashville, Tennessee. He has written songs recorded by artists including Luke Combs, Parker McCollum, Justin Moore, Riley Green, and many others. His No. 1 hits include “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” “I Hope You’re Happy,” “Pretty Heart,” and “Sleepless In A Hotel Room.” On March 16, 2026, Montana claimed the No. 1 spot on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.

In this episode, we discuss Randy’s path growing up in Nashville, the stories behind some of his biggest songs, his approach to songwriting, and many other stops along the way.
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This episode is also sponsored by The Graphic Guitar Guys. They create eye-catching custom guitar wraps for some of the biggest artists and festivals in the music industry. Their work is perfect for adding a unique touch to album pre-sale bundles or VIP package items—check them out and discover how they can transform a guitar into a show-stopping work of art.
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Troy Cartwright is a Nashville-based artist and songwriter originally from Dallas, Texas. His songs have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of streams, and he is currently signed to Big Machine Music for publishing. Cartwright has written songs recorded by Cody Johnson, Lee Brice, Nickelback, Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, and has upcoming cuts with several A-list artists.

New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

Zach Abend is a songwriter and producer originally from Syracuse, New York. He has co-written songs for artists including Morgan Wallen, HARDY, LOCASH, Kenny Chesney, and Blake Shelton. His #1 songs include writing Kenny Chesney’s “Take Her Home,” LOCASH’s 2025 single “Hometown Home,” and most recently as a writer on HARDY’s “Favorite Country Song.” He is currently published by Relative Music Group.
In this episode, Zach talks about his path from Syracuse to Nashville, his approach to songwriting and production, and his philosophy behind creating songs that connect with artists and audiences.
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This episode is also sponsored by The Graphic Guitar Guys. They create eye-catching custom guitar wraps for some of the biggest artists and festivals in the music industry. Their work is perfect for adding a unique touch to album pre-sale bundles or VIP package items—check them out and discover how they can transform a guitar into a show-stopping work of art.
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Troy Cartwright is a Nashville-based artist and songwriter originally from Dallas, Texas. His songs have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of streams, and he is currently signed to Big Machine Music for publishing. Cartwright has written songs recorded by Cody Johnson, Lee Brice, Nickelback, Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, and has upcoming cuts with several A-list artists.
New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.

Mitchell Tenpenny is a singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. He broke through with his multi-Platinum No. 1 hit “Drunk Me” and has since earned additional chart success with songs like “Truth About You,” “At The End Of A Bar” (with Chris Young), and “We Got History.” He has released multiple albums including Telling All My Secrets and This Is The Heavy, and has toured with artists like Jason Aldean, Luke Combs, and Jordan Davis. He is currently on his Speed Of Light Tour.
In this episode, Mitchell talks about growing up in Nashville, his path to his first No. 1, the reality of sustaining success in country music, and how he approaches songwriting in a town built on great songs.
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This episode is also sponsored by The Graphic Guitar Guys. They create eye-catching custom guitar wraps for some of the biggest artists and festivals in the music industry. Their work is perfect for adding a unique touch to album pre-sale bundles or VIP package items—check them out and discover how they can transform a guitar into a show-stopping work of art.
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Troy Cartwright is a Nashville-based artist and songwriter originally from Dallas, Texas. His songs have collectively garnered hundreds of millions of streams, and he is currently signed to Big Machine Music for publishing. Cartwright has written songs recorded by Cody Johnson, Lee Brice, Nickelback, Ryan Hurd, Josh Abbott Band, and has upcoming cuts with several A-list artists.
#MitchellTenpenny #CountryMusic #Songwriting #Nashville #TenYearTown #Podcast #CountryArtist #MusicIndustry #DrunkMe
New Episodes every Tuesday.

Find the host Troy Cartwright on Twitter, Instagram. 

Social Channels for Ten Year Town:

Youtube

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

TikTok

This podcast was produced by Ben VanMaarth.

Intro and Outro music for this episode was composed by Troy Cartwright, Monty Criswell, and Derek George. It is called "Same" and you can listen to it in it's entirety here.  

Additional music for this episode was composed by Thomas Ventura. 

Artwork design by Brad Vetter. 

Creative Direction by Mary Lucille Noah.