Sometimes we must take opportunities into our own hands. Songwriter Rivers Rutherford did just that when he climbed the fence of producer Chips Mormon so that he could get his demo heard. That demo turned out to be the song "American Remains" which was recorded by Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson, a.k.a. "The Highwaymen." Rivers also was asked to play guitar on the session. From there Rivers became an increasingly in-demand songwriter and guitarist. By 1996, Rivers signed with Universal Publishing and has gained cuts on albums from artists like Collin Raye, Van Zant, Mark Wills, Ronnie Milsap, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Gretchen Wilson, Gary Allan, Faith Hill, LeAnn Rimes, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton, Jamie O'Neal, Montgomery Gentry, Andy Griggs, Tim McGraw, and Brooks & Dunn.
It was that cut with Brooks & Dunn which gave Rivers his first Billboard No. 1 Hit. "Ain't Nothing 'Bout You" is a rock-influenced love song that also was the song that Brooks & Dunn used to gain momentum back in their career. Since that song, Rivers has seen many of his songs become big hits, including Tim McGraw's "Real Good Man," Montgomery Gentry's first No. 1 hit, "If You Ever Stop Loving Me" (Which Rivers also produced), Josh Gracin's first hit "I Want To Live," and the recent award winning song Brad Paisley's "When I Get Where I'm Going." It too was a No. 1 hit.
Since producing Montgomery Gentry, Rivers has had a hand in producing tracks for upcoming albums for artists like Jamie O'Neal, Terri Clark (Her new BNA album) and new artist Sarah Buxton (with John Rich and songwriter Craig Wiseman). Rivers also has recorded his own CD and plays in clubs around Nashville to support it. Just Another Coaster features his own version of hits like "Heavy Liftin'" (Recorded by Blake Shelton), "Ain't Nothing 'Bout You" and "Real Good Man."
With hits still flowing from his mighty pen, Rivers Rutherford shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. His new venture into production also guarantees that he will become more recognizable to the average fan.
