Ben Hayslip
Early life[edit]
Born in Evans, Georgia, Hayslip was a freshman quarterback for the 1984 state and national champion Valdosta Wildcats of Valdosta High School in Valdosta, Georgia. Hayslip’s family moved to Evans, Georgia, in January 1985, where he would become a four-year starter on the Evans Knights baseball team in Evans, Georgia and capture a 1987 State runner-up, a 1988 State Championship. Hayslip participated in the 1988 Georgia North/South All-State game. Hayslip attended Georgia Southern University to play baseball and was a member of the 1990 team that participated in the College World Series in Omaha Nebraska.
After graduating from Georgia Southern University in 1994, Hayslip moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a career in country music.[1]
Career[edit]
Hayslip has co-written many hit songs including "Gimmie That Girl" and "The Shape I'm In" by Joe Nichols[2] and "Chicken and Biscuits" by Colt Ford.[3] Hayslip also co-wrote Martina McBride's single "I'm Gonna Love You Through It", Luke Bryan's "I Don't Want This Night to End", and Thomas Rhett's Star of the Show. Hayslip often collaborates with fellow Georgia natives Rhett Akins and Dallas Davidson. The trio of songwriters are known as The Peach Pickers.[4] In April 2010, "Gimme That Girl" went to number one on the country music singles charts, the first Hayslip written song to do so.[5] "All About Tonight", "All Over Me", "Honey Bee", "I Don't Want This Night to End" and "The Only Way I Know" all reached number one on the country music charts also.
Hayslip won ASCAP Songwriter of the Year in 2011 and 2012. Hayslip has won twenty ASCAP awards and two song of the year Awards for "Honey Bee" and "It Goes Like This."
In 2011, 2013 and 2014 and 2018, Hayslip received the CMA Triple Play Award for having three #1 songs in a twelve-month period. Hayslip was also named ASCAP'S 2011 and 2012 Songwriter of the Year.
In 2009, Hayslip had twenty-nine cuts by various artists.[6]