Paul Worley

Paul Worley (born February 16, 1950 in Nashville, Tennessee) is an American record producer and session guitarist, known primarily for his work in country music. Formerly a vice president at Sony BMG, he later joined the staff of Warner Bros. Records' Nashville division as chief creative officer. Since leaving Warner in the early 2000s, Worley has worked mainly as a record producer for other acts, such as Big & Rich, as well as an occasional session guitarist. He is most widely known as the co- producer (with Victoria Shaw) of the self-titled debut album of Lady Antebellum (2008) and as one of the producers of their second album, Need You Now (2010). He also discovered the Dixie Chicks and, with Blake Chancey, co-produced their first two albums.

Early life

Worley was born in Nashville in 1950. He graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in philosophy.

Musical career

Producer and Session Musician

Paul Worley began his career in the late 1970s as a session guitarist in Nashville, Tennessee. On the recommendation of record producer Jim Ed Norman, he first played guitar on albums by Janie Fricke, Eddy Raven, and Mickey Gilley. Worley's first production credits included Riders in the Sky's Three on the Trail (1976) and Gary Morris' Why Lady Why (1983). Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Worley has produced or co-produced several country music albums, primarily by country music artists.