Ella Langley, Riley Green and Morgan Wallen Among 2026 CMA Triple Play Standouts
- All Country News
- 20 minutes ago
- 3 min read
In this town, a No. 1 hit is a reason to celebrate. Three in a single year? That’s legacy territory.
On Monday, April 13 in Nashville, the Country Music Association will shine a spotlight on the writers who didn’t just visit the top of the charts in 2026, they practically built a summer home there. Hosted by composer and CMA Board member Jim Beavers, the CMA Triple Play Awards will honor 16 songwriters who each scored three No. 1 hits within a 12-month period, the kind of streak that turns a hot year into a historic one.
And in a genre powered by storytelling, this night belongs to the storytellers.
The Hat Trick Heard ‘Round Music Row
The CMA Triple Play Award recognizes writers who land three chart-toppers across the Country Aircheck, Billboard Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts in a single year. It’s an achievement that requires instinct, work ethic, timing and a little bit of lightning in a bottle.
This year’s class reads like a who’s who of contemporary hitmakers: Andy Albert, Louis Bell, John Byron, Jessie Jo Dillon, Ashley Gorley, Riley Green, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Ella Langley, Chase McGill, John Morgan, Blake Pendergrass, Taylor Phillips, Austin Post, Ernest Keith Smith and Morgan Wallen.
Eight of them, Albert, Bell, Green, Kasher Hindlin, Langley, Morgan, Pendergrass and Post, are celebrating their very first Triple Play wins.
Meanwhile, industry titan Ashley Gorley continues to operate in a league of his own. This year’s ceremony will mark his 27th CMA Triple Play Award, extending his status as the most decorated recipient in the honor’s history. In Nashville terms, that’s not just prolific, that’s dynasty.
When Writers Become the Headliners
If there’s a connective thread through this year’s winners, it’s range.
Take Morgan Wallen, who earns a Triple Play as a songwriter for “I’m The Problem,” “What I Want” (feat. Tate McRae) and “Just In Case.” Wallen’s pen continues to shape his own blockbuster career while fueling hits across the format.
Or consider Ella Langley, whose breakout year includes “you look like you love me” with Riley Green, alongside “weren’t for the wind” and “Choosin’ Texas.” In an era hungry for sharp-tongued authenticity, Langley delivered three times over.
Genre-blurring force Post Malone, credited here under his given name Austin Post, notches three No. 1s with “I Had Some Help” (feat. Wallen), “Pour Me A Drink” (feat. Blake Shelton) and “Guy For That” (feat. Luke Combs). The songs didn’t just top charts; they underscored country’s increasingly porous borders.
And that’s just the surface. Writers like Jessie Jo Dillon, Chase McGill and Ernest Keith Smith continued to thread emotional precision into radio-ready anthems, while Louis Bell and Charlie Handsome helped architect some of the year’s most commercially dominant collaborations.
In total, more than 40 additional songwriters will also be recognized for earning their first-ever No. 1 since the last ceremony, a reminder that for every established hitmaker, there’s a newcomer having their first champagne moment on Music Row.
The Heartbeat of the Format
“Songwriters are the heartbeat of Country Music,” said CMA CEO Sarah Trahern in announcing the awards. And the metaphor fits.
Artists may wear the spotlight, but it’s the writers who frame the stories, craft the turns of phrase and find the melody that lingers long after the last chorus fades. The Triple Play Awards don’t just measure chart dominance; they measure cultural impact, the songs that became soundtracks to weddings, breakups, road trips and ordinary Tuesdays.
On April 13, Nashville won’t just celebrate success. It will celebrate stamina, collaboration and the quiet grind of chasing the perfect line.
Because in country music, three No. 1s in a year isn’t just a streak.
It’s proof that the pen is still mightier than ever.
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