Jelly Roll, Elle King Booked for 2023 Key West Songwriters Festival

Jelly Roll and Elle King are among the multi-genre acts set to perform at the 2023 Key West Songwriters Festival.

The 27th annual festival brings some of the biggest songwriters and artists working in country and Americana music down to the island of Key West, Florida. The five-day festival takes place May 3-7. Chart-topping country singers Michael Ray and Mitchell Tenpenny are also part of the lineup, along with hit songwriters Lori McKenna, Liz Rose and Hillary Lindsey (known as “The Love Junkies”), who’ve collectively penned hits for Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw and many others.

Jack Ingram, who co-wrote Miranda Lambert’s “Tin Man” and all the tracks on the 2021 collaborative album The Marfa Tapes, will perform at the San Carlos Institute on May 3. Jeffrey Steele, who’s written several country hits including “The Cowboy in Me” by McGraw, “Every Day” by Rascal Flatts, Zac Brown Band’s “Knee Deep” and “Raise ‘Em Up” by Keith Urban, will help open the festival on May 3 at the Key West Theater. Luke Laird, Bob DiPiero and Emily Shackelton are among the other hit songwriters who will perform at venues across the island.

“Since 1997, BMI and The Florida Keys Tourist Development Council have brought Music Row to Duval Street and beyond, creating a unique environment where industry professionals, songwriters, locals and tourists experience the best of Nashville in the most intimate of venues,” explains a press release. “Over the years, this highly anticipated festival has become a breeding ground for new talent and one of the most sought-after invites within the Nashville songwriting community.”

Proceeds from the festival will benefit the BMI Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 1985 that supports music education and creation through various grants and scholarships, and Michelle’s Foundation, a Key West-based nonprofit that helps children and families in need.

Photo Credit: Patrick Tohill / Courtesy of Lime Tree Music