Nominated in 2019 for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Salley is the 2018 & 2019 IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Songwriter of the Year and was named the 2003 SESAC Country Music Songwriter of the Year. Salley has had over 560 different songs recorded, and his songs have sold in excess of 19 million records worldwide. Writing and singing in Nashville since 1982, he has written multiple hits in country, bluegrass, and Gospel music.
He has appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, Regis and Kathy Lee, and NBC’S Today Show, where he was honored to sing as background vocalist for the legendary Linda Ronstadt. Jerry was a 2020 Grammy-nominated producer in the Gospel Roots category for producing the multi-artist project, “Gonna Sing, Gonna Shout,” on Billy Blue Records. He also produced the popular Dolly Parton single, a new version of the old Gospel Hymn, “In The Sweet By And By,” released as part of the “Country Faith Bluegrass” project in 2021, which received two 2022 IBMA Awards and the 2022 Dove Award for “Bluegrass/Country/Roots Song of the Year.” He currently has a popular song, “It Takes A Woman,” on Chris Stapleton’s latest album Higher. Stapleton’s recording of this song won the 2025 Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance.
Countless country music stars have recorded his songs, including Reba McEntire (“I’m Gonna Take That Mountain”, “Close To Crazy”), Chris Stapleton (“Outlaw State Of Mind” on the Grammy Award-winning quadruple-platinum album Traveller), John Anderson (“I Fell in the Water”), and many more.
In 2007, Jerry released his first solo project, New Songs, Old Friends, on the Mountain Home Record Label, a Bluegrass CD of all new songs written by Jerry. The project was one of the final nominees for the 2007 IBMA “Recorded Event of the Year.” Since then, he has released Showing My Age (2012), Gospel From My Grassroots (2015), Front Porch Philosophy (2017), All God’s Children Sing (2019), Bridges And Backroads (2020), and A Very Jerry Family Christmas (2021). Salley’s latest album, The Songwriter, released in 2024, is his most personal collection of songs to date as each song on the project was written solely by Jerry.
Word of South is excited to welcome Jerry Salley back to the Festival! This year, he is appearing in collaboration with Alex Miller.