NMPA Honors Vince Gill, Charlie Handsome at Gold & Platinum Gala

The National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) hosted its 8th annual Gold & Platinum Gala at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville.

The event honored over 150 Nashville songwriters whose hits have achieved RIAA Gold, Platinum, and Diamond certifications in the country genre within the July 2025 – June 2026 eligibility period.

NMPA President and CEO, David Israelite, presented the inaugural Legacy Songwriter Icon award to Nashville legend, Vince Gill, who received new certifications in the past year for his 90s hits, Go Rest High on That Mountain and One More Last Chance. The award celebrates songwriters like Gill whose work has spanned generations and whose songs are still achieving Gold & Platinum certifications decades later.

Israelite signified the importance of the honor saying, 'His awards are countless. His talent is extraordinary. His humility is legendary. But perhaps his greatest achievement is that, after all these years, his songs aren't just standing the test of time. They're making history.'

Gill closed the show with unforgettable acoustic performances of his certified titles and said, 'I love writing songs, I always have. It kind of came last - the songs did... It took a while for people to believe I was a decent songwriter but I sure was grateful when that changed.'

Charlie Handsome took home the Top Songwriter of the Year award as he earned a phenomenal 35 new certifications – more than any other songwriter. Included in Handsome's new certifications are some of the most recognized songs in music: Wasted On You, Last Night, You Proof, and Heartless. When accepting his award Handsome said, 'Thanks everybody who helped. I want to thank my family - my mom's here, my brother, my wife. All the guys I write with... it's the same crew every time but without them I'm not here.'

The Platinum Anthem award, which honors the highest certified song of the year, was accepted by Rob Williford, who co-wrote Luke Combs' massive 2018 hit, Beautiful Crazy. The song, which was cowritten by Combs and Wyatt Durrette, reached an amazing 15x Platinum status in December 2025. Diamond-certified country artist Brett Young performed an emotional tribute, and upon accepting the award Williford said, 'I'm still trying to chase this passion of pulling lyric and melody out of thin air and that's what inspires me... but it's the people who you write the songs with, the people who you want to send the songs to - that's the magic of it. And now more than ever, please cling to the joy of that.'

In addition to these honors, songwriting plaques were presented on stage to over 80 Multi-Platinum hitmakers highlighting the unmatched musical talent in the Nashville community.

Up-and-coming writers like Carrie K, Blake Pendergrass, and Micah Carpenter, as well as songwriting legends like Craig Wiseman, Ashley Gorley and Ben Hayslip, among many others, were recognized.

Rising star Laci Kaye Booth opened the show with a stunning acoustic performance of her 2025 single, Daddy's Mugshot, cowritten by Australian singer-songwriter, Morgan Evans.

About the NMPA G&P Program

NMPA's Gold & Platinum Program, in partnership with RIAA's Gold & Platinum Program, identifies and honors the songwriters behind today's biggest hits. NMPA confirms songwriters with their music publishers to ensure all appropriate songwriters are recognized for their contribution to an RIAA certified single. Certifications count both sales and on-demand streams towards gold (500K), platinum (1M) and multi-platinum (2M+) thresholds. Thousands of songwriters have been certified since NMPA's program began in 2007. For more information and to view the Gold & Platinum database, visit www.nmpa.org/gold-platinum-program.