(Photo : Universal Republic Records)
Eli Young Band
Last night, country music celebrated with Laura Veltz and Josh Osborne, the co-writers of the Eli Young Band's latest hit, "Drunk Last Night." Despite the severe weather, fans and industry folks gathered in the Country Music Association building in Nashville.

BMI and ASCAP, the performance rights organizations, co-sponsored the party since Veltz is a BMI member and Osborne is affiliated with ASCAP. "Drunk Last Night" is Veltz's first #1, Osborne's second and the Eli Young Band's third. For producer Frank Liddell, it is his 7th chart topping hit.

BMI's Jody Williams shared his his history with Laura Veltz with the crowd, saying that he had first met Veltz 15 years ago after she had been brought to his attention by songwriter Kye Fleming. He then asked the very pregnant Veltz, who is expecting twins, to join him onstage, calling her a "wildly talented force of nature" who has "never met a stranger."

Laura admitted that she is more comfortable behind the scenes than in front of the crowd, saying, "This speaking in public makes me want to hurl." She shared that her first co-writing session with Osborne made a her bit nervous since she'd heard he was "a fancy pants who had some [songwriting] things going on." She talked about how she and Osborne are a little on the picky side about how their songs ultimately sound when they're recorded and thanked the Eli Young Band for being "as particular as we are." It wasn't until she started thanking her husband and other family members that the tears came.

When Josh Osborne took to the stage, he grinned at his writing partner and said, "If I get emotional, I'm doing it to support Laura."

When he started to name the many people who'd helped him as a songwriter, there was a loud crash of thunder. Without missing a beat, he looked up at the skylight and said, "I'll wait." Then he went on with his remarks.

Eli Young was the last to one speak. With his band members standing behind him, he said, "We're songwriters, too. But [in choosing songs to record] the better song always wins."

See More Eli Young Band
Join the Discussion