Cole Swindell

It was Cole Swindell’s songwriting talent that found him a place in Nashville, but it was his natural charm as a singer and his knack for blending old and new elements that made him a bona fide country star. Born in the tiny town of Bronwood, GA, in 1983, he befriended fellow Georgia boy Luke Bryan in advance of making his way to Music City in 2007. Before busting out as a recording artist, Swindell got a gig with a publishing house and wrote tunes such as Scotty McCreery’s “Water Tower Town,” Craig Campbell’s “Outta My Head,” and Luke Bryan’s “Shore Thing.” The year 2013 brought a new chapter to Swindell’s story, when his DIY release of the unmastered demo recording “Chillin’ It” earned enough attention for Warner Nashville to snap him up. An easy-rolling, good-time tune that mixed programmed beats and R&B-inflected vocals with banjo and twangy guitar, “Chillin’ It” was his first single for the label, and it became a No. 1 country hit. It started a long march of hit singles on the country charts, like the bittersweet power ballad “Ain’t Worth the Whiskey,” the tender romantic plea “You Should Be Here,” and the driving, danceable “Love You Too Late.”