Legendary Songwriter For Eric Church, Others Reveals Stories Behind Hits

Songwriter Michael Heeney , hailed a “Music Row legend” for his decades-long career penning hits for some of country’s most iconic artists, shared some stories behind the music when he met with Dan and Reid Isbell on a recent episode of God’s Country .

The brothers and podcast hosts credited Heeney as “the man behind some of your favorite songs, including ‘These Boots' and ‘Love Your Love The Most’ by Eric Church ,” among many others. Heeney also shared the inspiration behind “Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo,” which Tracy Byrd released in the early 2000s. “The guys dive in with Heeney on the current status of music row, an epic story that includes him passing out with a few country music legends, and what it has been like having a hit song, every decade, for the last five decades. The episode ends with the ‘Isbell Twin’ world debut, a song written by Michael Heeney himself honoring Reid and Dan.”

Dan and Reid — who have written music for Luke Combs , Miranda Lambert , Scotty McCreery , Jon Pardi , Lainey Wilson and others — started their weekly podcast this year. Guests appearing on the show so far include HARDY , Dustin Lynch , Colbie Caillat and others.

“One of our favorite things about country music has always been how intertwined it is with the outdoors,” Dan and Reid Isbell said in a statement when God’s Country launched . They hope to “bring the outdoor enthusiast or country music lover an up close and personal look into the minds of some of the best songwriters and artists of the genre — a place where they can be honest about struggles, relationships, their connection to the outdoors, the music business, family, whatever they feel comfortable talking about. We can’t wait to see where this partnership will lead and who this podcast will reach.”

The iHeartPodcasts/MeatEater show is available anywhere you listen to podcasts, including in the iHeartRadio app. Select country stations will broadcast the show between 7-11:30 p.m. local time on Sunday evenings. Find God's Country here .