Luke Combs’ And His Frequent Co-Writer Ray Fulcher Share Something With Only 4 Other Artists
By kncitom on February 9, 2023
Imagine being in a very exclusive club that includes some of the most influential names in country music, and some dude named Eric Church. Ray Fulcher can, because he’s in it.
Fulcher is no stranger to writing successful country songs. He helped his buddy Luke Combs write his first two albums, and has a significant hand in Luke’s next album. Among the hits he helped write? “When It Rains It Pours”, “Lovin’ On You” and the Eric Church duet, “It Does To Me”.
But, as an aspiring singer himself, Ray is not opposed to recording a song written by someone else. Especially if that someone else is his idol, the aforementioned Eric Church. Like Luke, Ray credits seeing “Chief” live while in college for inspiring him to give country music a try.
In the next episode of my podcast, Write You a Song, Ray says he was looking for songs for his first full-length album, “Spray Painted Lines” and so, on a whim, asked his publisher if there were any songs from Eric Church that he never recorded.
They found a few, and “…this one song kept poking out” he said. “The Battle For Betty’s Love” is a first-person narrative of 2 friends who’s love of the same girl drove them apart…but then also brought them back together. It was one of the earliest songs Eric had written upon arriving in Nashville and nobody had ever touched it. Ray couldn’t believe his luck.
“The reason I love that song is it’s so quintessential Church“, he says. So, he recorded it. But before going any further, and at the urging of his producer, Ray called Eric.
“He said, ‘remind me of the song again?’ And we sent it to him to listen to and he goes ‘yeah man, I’d be honored. Tell him to cut it’”
What’s really cool about that, Fulcher says, “Is Only 5 people have got to record Church songs: Eric Church, Terri Clark (The World Needs a Drink), Keith Urban (We Were), Morgan Wallen (Quittin’ Time), and me“.
But, wait, hold on.
Since Fulcher made that statement in early February, it turns out one more artist has now been added to that very short list: Ray’s buddy, Luke Combs. He released the track list for his next album, due out March 24, and of the 18 songs, one was co-written by Travis Meadows, Jonathan Singleton and Eric. It’s called “My Song Will Never Die”.
So make that six artists.
Regardless, it’s a pretty cool club to be in.
Take a listen to Ray’s take of “Battle of Betty’s Love”, here
And listen for the full interview with Ray on the Next Write You a Song, due out February 17
