Chris Tompkins was born and raised in Green Hill, Alabama and attended Rogers High School.[1] As a teenager Tompkins started playing in a garage band with Jason Isbell.[6]
In 2010 he co-wrote the song "Ain't Back Yet" with Kenny Chesney. The song reached No. 2 on the country charts, and also appeared in Chesney's movie Summertime in 3-D. Also in 2010, He worked on a number of charting singles in 2011, including the Chris Young single "Voices."[1] He co-wrote the duet "I Feel Like a Rockstar" in 2012, performed by Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw[1] and landed his first Jimmy Buffett cut "Bama Breeze".[9]
He collaborated with Underwood once again on her 2012 album Blown Away, notably on the second single of the same name. The single was co-written with his frequent collaborator Josh Kear, and as noted by interviewer Kurt Wolff, "the melody and overall sound of the song also stand out as something fresh and very different."[10] Tompkins explained to Wolff that "Blown Away" was an "attempt at 'melodic pop' that was 'unique' yet still 'country.'"[10] Tompkins also commented that "Blown Away" is "It's a completely different type of song for Carrie. She's got a lot of pop elements, and I listen to a lot of pop, but I listen to everything from Randy Newman to Mozart to Rihanna to Steely Dan. I think all that stuff shows up in my music, and I think it showed up in 'Blown Away.'"[10] The single peaked at No. 2 on Billboard'sHot Country Songs chart and No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart and won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 2013.
2013–2017: Recent Projects
In 2013, Tompkins penned five songs including the number one hits "Round Here" and "Get Your Shine On" on Florida Georgia Line's debut album Here's to Good Times. Following the album's massive success, Tompkins collaborated again with Florida Georgia Line on number one hits like "Dirt" and "Anything Goes", contributing a total of eleven cuts to the band.
