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Donny Kees has written No. 1 songs before. But it's a little unusual for the West Virginia native to have two songs in the top 10 at the same time.
"I've been writing all my life," the 55-year-old songwriter and businessman said in a telephone interview from a recording studio in Nashville, Tenn. "I don't even remember my first one."
"Brokenheartsville," written by Kees and recorded by Joe Nichols, recently hit No. 1 on the country music chart. His song "I Believe," recorded by Diamond Rio, is in the top 10. The writer's secret?
"The number one thing people want to hear in a song is themselves," Kees said. "People relate to it."
Kees has always loved music. Friends and family knew the East Bank High School graduate would eventually end up with a musical career.
"He's always had that dream," said his sister, Peggy Gunter of Cross Lanes. "I think for a while...