Bobby Braddock says Brett Eldredge is one of the country greats

By CHELSEA HUANG

Legendary country songwriter Bobby Braddock was inducted the Songwriter's Hall of Fame Thursday night, and took a moment to chat with AOL about how country music has changed through his 50-year career.

"It's always been an evolving process, but it's certainly changed a lot in the past few years. A lot of it I like, and a lot of it I don't like," he said.

With scores of young artists flooding Nashville, Braddock was quick to identify one of his new favorites.

"There are a bunch of young artists that I admire. Brett Eldredge is kind of a soul singer. He would have been great 10 years ago, and if he were alive 40 years ago, he would have, too."

Jennifer Nettles, who honored Braddock at the ceremony, weighed in on the tradition of songwriting in country music.

"Obviously, country music has a beautiful tradition of songwriting and celebrating everyday life and telling stories that people can relate to," she said. "Tonight I'm here to honor Bobby Braddock, who is one of the best classic country writers, who wrote so many iconic songs."

The singer had the privilege of performing one of her favorites at the event: Braddock's famous song "He Stopped Loving Her Today," which is widely considered one of the best country song's of all time and received a standing ovation.

Despite the tons of accolades Braddock has collected throughout the years, the songwriting legend remains humble.

"Sometimes, it just comes from out of nowhere, you know. I just feel like I've been lucky to make a living just making stuff up."