KENT BLAZY

Kent Blazy is an American country music songwriter from Lexington, KY who now calls Nashville, TN home. His credits include several singles for Garth Brooks, as well as singles by Gary Morris, Diamond Rio, Patty Loveless and Chris Young. Blazy has a total of seven number one hits to his credit. Kent Blazy was raised in Lexington, Kentucky. At an early age, he played rhythm guitar and sang in various local bands, citing The Byrds, Rodney Crowell and Joe Ely as influences. He later played for Canadian singer Ian Tyson. Later on, Blazy met former Exile member Mark Gray, who suggested that Blazy move to Nashville, Tennessee.

Eventually, he signed to a publishing contract, but the publishing company closed; despite the loss of contract, Gary Morris sent Blazy's "Headed for a Heartache" into the top 5 on the country charts. By the late 1980s, Blazy met with a then-unknown Garth Brooks, who gave him the idea for a song entitled "If Tomorrow Never Comes." He and Brooks co-wrote the song, which went on to become Brooks' first number one hit. Brooks continued to record Blazy's material throughout the 1990s, including the singles "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)," "It's Midnight Cinderella," "She's Gonna Make It," "Somewhere Other Than the Night" and the George Jones duet "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)." He also co-wrote "That's What I Get for Lovin' You" by Diamond Rio and "Can't Get Enough" by Patty Loveless in the late 1990s. Blazy, along with songwriters Pat Alger, Tony Arata and Kim Williams, recorded an album entitled A Songwriters' Tribute to Garth Brooks, which included their renditions of songs that they had written for Brooks. This album was released in 2001 via VFR Records. Other songs that Blazy has co-written include "You Can Let Go" by Crystal Shawanda and "Gettin' You Home (The Black Dress Song)" by Chris Young from 2008 and 2009 respectively, as well as American Idol season 8 finalist Danny Gokey's debut single "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me."

2018 Bliuebird Alive Hospice promo pic.jpg

Highlights

  • To be inducted into the Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame in 2021

  • Current CD - Authentic released on July 28, 2020 

  • FUN FACT  Feb 1, 2021 is 34th anniversary of writing the song “If Tomorrow Never Comes” with some kid selling cowboy boots aka Garth Brooks

  • Recent CD - Kent Blazy “Songwriter” Released January 2019

  • Blazy was a spirited musician born in Woodstock, NY, and raised in Lexington, KY

  • As a boy, he would put his transistor radio up to his ear before bed and listen to Roger Miller to Sinatra to the Beatles to the Four Tops on WVLK AM.

  • At age 16, Blazy got a guitar for Christmas and started putting the poetry he wrote to music. 

  • He bought packs of Marlboro's for an older boy down the street in exchange for a few lessons on guitar licks, and he saved all his weekly lunch money to buy picks and strings.

  • At age 24 years old and making a go of it as a professional artist.

  • Hit songs recorded by Garth Brooks, Gary Morris, Diamond Rio, Patty Loveless and Chris Young. The Forester Sisters, T. Graham Brown, Donna Fargo and Moe Bandy and more have recorded his tunes.

  • A total of seven number one hits with Garth Brooks to his credit including,"If Tomorrow Never Comes." He and Brooks co-wrote the song, which was Brooks' first number one hit.

  • Philanthropic interests include Alive Hospice, in honor of his wife who passed away from cancer. Read The Tennessean article online here.