Here’s a little New England bragging material for country fans.

You know Tim McGraw’s “Humble and Kind.”

You know Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush.”

And there’s a very good chance you’ve heard plenty of other songs written by Lori McKenna without realizing the woman behind them didn’t build her career by moving to Nashville.

Lori McKenna is a Massachusetts native who was born and raised in Stoughton—and made the unusual decision to remain there even as she became one of the most respected songwriters in country music.

In other words, Nashville came to her.

McKenna spent years raising five children while writing songs and performing around the Boston area. Eventually those songs began finding their way south.

Faith Hill recorded several of them. Then came cuts by artists including Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Hunter Hayes and others.

And then came two enormous ones.

McKenna co-wrote Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush,” which won the Grammy for Best Country Song in 2016.

One year later, she won the exact same award again—this time for writing Tim McGraw’s “Humble and Kind.”

That song has an especially great backstory.

McKenna wrote “Humble and Kind” as a message to her five children—a combination of a lullaby, life advice and a reminder about the kind of people she hoped they would become.

The rest of the country apparently needed to hear it, too.

McKenna later became the first woman to win the ACM’s Songwriter of the Year award, and she has earned three Grammys for Best Country Song. Her credits even extend outside country music: she co-wrote “Always Remember Us This Way” for A Star Is Born.

Through all of that success, her home base has remained the Boston area.

Country music may call Nashville home.

But every once in a while, one of Nashville’s best songs comes from Massachusetts.