Lee Brice
Lee Brice grew up in rural Sumter, South Carolina where he began entertaining at the age of seven, His two dreams growing up were playing football for Clemson University and playing his music in Nashville. Now at the age of 26-he say’s he is blessed beyond compare to have accomplished both. In 2001 he pursued his musical dreams by leaving Clemson after four years to move to Nashville, where he was soon signed by Curb Music Publishing/Sweet Radical Music to be a full time staff writer. Within the next year, he was also signed as a performing artist to Curb/Asylum records. He has now cut tracks and has plans on releasing the debut single in the summer. His musical influences range all the way from Garth Brooks and Hank Williams Jr., to Cold Play and John Mayer. Lee has written the whole record so far, and is still collaborating with writers like Bob Dipiero, K.K. Phillips, Bobby Tomberlin, Walt Wilkins, John McCelroy, Billy Montana, and Kent Blazy in hopes of writing even more.

Chuck Cannon | View a video clip
“AMERICAN SOLDIER” – Toby Keith #1 (4-weeks)

"I LOVE THE WAY YOU LOVE ME"
#1 Country - John Michael Montgomery, ACM Song of the Year
#2 UK - Boyzone, BMI 2 Million- Air award
“ HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW” #1 (5 weeks) - Toby Keith
“ DREAMWALKIN” #1 - Toby Keith
“ WE WERE IN LOVE” #1 - Toby Keith

Chuck grew up in the low country of the South Carolina coast. His father and grandfather were both Pentecostal preachers, so his earliest musical influence was a unique strain of gospel music that was an amalgam of Appalachian folk and black spirituals. He started singing in church before he was five years old and it soon became clear that music would be the driving passion in his life.

Chuck’s first album was Johnny Cash’s “At Folsom Prison” and his influences include: The Beatles, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, the STAX stuff, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Jim Croce, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, and others too numerous to mention.

Chuck was a solo performer on the beach circuit for several years before moving to Nashville in 1984 to attend Belmont University, where he studied Music Business and Finance. In 1988 he met producer Marshall Morgan, who signed him as a staff songwriter to Taste Auction Music. In 1992 Chuck opened his own publishing company, Wacissa River Music, Inc. An active champion of songwriters’ issues, he served as President of the Nashville Songwriter’s Association International (NSAI ’02-’03)

His recent honors include BMI’s Two-Million-Air award for the Academy of Country Music’s 1993 Song-of-the-Year and international hit, “I Love The Way You Love Me,” and BMI’s Million-Air Award for the #1 hit “Me Too” written with Toby Keith. As well, Chuck received Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association nominations for the #1 hit “How Do You Like Me Now,” written with country artist Toby Keith. Chuck’s current single is “American Soldier” co-written with artist Toby Keith, and “Flies on the Butter (You Can’t Go Home Again)” recorded by Wynonna with Naomi Judd.

Jason Michael Carroll
In the summer of 2004, Franklinton, North Carolina native Jason Michael Carroll was singing country songs for an obscure cover band and performing a few gigs each month.  On a whim, he auditioned for a locally-produced television show in Raleigh, NC called Gimme the Mic, a singing contest fashioned after the hit show American Idol. 

Not only did Jason win the competition, but he caught the eye of Rusty Harmon, the manager who guided Hootie & The Blowfish from obscurity to stardom a decade ago.  

By the summer of 2005, Jason was becoming a regular along Nashville’s famed Music Row.  With talent, patience and perseverance, he established himself as a talented singer / songwriter, signed with the booking agency Monterey Peninsula Artists Nashville and entered a recording agreement with RCA Nashville. 

By autumn, good things were happening in quick succession.  He was performing with the likes of Montgomery Gentry, Dierks Bentley, Kenney Chesney, Gretchen Wilson and Robert Earl Keen on weekends, while collaborating weekdays with writers like Radney Foster, Jeffrey Steele, Terry McBride, Jim Beavers, Monty Powell, Tom Shapiro and Kelly Lovelace.

With a slew of songs produced by Don Gehman (Pat Green, John Mellencamp, Hootie, REM), Jason’s debut CD will likely drop in 2006.  His buzz is steadily growing among country music fans and industry insiders alike.   In an interview following some early studio sessions, Gehman predicted, “Jason is going to fill a niche in country music that will include the old guard, the people who have always loved country music, but he will also present a view that is going to include the new audience.

Robert Lee Castleman
There's not much that can prepare a listener for the songs of Robert Lee Castleman. It's a common place these days to talk about music that transcends genre -  so much so that the phrase is all but devalued - but nothing else will do for "Like Red on a Rose". Like Alison Krauss, who told CNN late in 1999 that she had built her "Forget About It" around the Castleman penned title track, is an artist whose work, much like the man himself, defies easy description. At a time when music is increasingly sorted by it's most immediately obvious characteristics into rigidly defined and guarded formats, that's a bold approach, but one listen to this profoundly original set makes it clear that it's the right, and indeed the inevitable one. Listen carefully, then; you are about to hear something new!

Cliff Cody
Cliff Cody grew up in the West Texas oil town of Odessa—the town that was featured in the movie, “Friday Night Lights”. He moved to Nashville in 1995 after a brief stint at Southwest Texas State, where he majored in keg parties and rugby. Coming home with a stellar 1.1 GPA one semester later. “Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life, son.”

After living in Nashville for 4 years with no success, Cliff went back to school and became an RN. Settling in Ohio, he soon realized that songwriting was still in his blood. He continued to write and hone his craft—never leaving songwriting far behind. While attending a songwriter’s retreat in Wyoming, he met one of his songwriting hero’s—D. Vincent Williams. His encouragement put Cliff back on the songwriting path and he began making the 6-hour journey to Nashville every other week. After logging over 50,000 miles in one year on his car and spending many nights sleeping at roadside parks, his persistence paid off. Cliff was discovered by EMI Creative Director, Tom Luteran at the 2004 Songwriter’s Symposium. He was signed by EMI in 2005.

Cliff’s first cut, “Chasin Whiskey” is on Julie Roberts’ album due out in June, 2006.

Cliff lives with his wife Amelia and daughter, Veronica (6) in New Albany, Ohio…and any couch he can find in Nashville.

Jim Collins
A native Texan and current Cal IV Entertainment songwriter, Jim Collins has become one of Nashville’s premier and most consistent hit makers. Jim has had a continuous series of singles on the chart such as “Love Working On You” recorded by John Michael Montgomery, “Hands of a Workin’ Man” recorded by Ty Herndon, the Kenny Chesney smash “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” the number one hit “Yes” from Chad Brock and “Then They Do” recorded by Trace Adkins. In 2002, “The Good Stuff,” a collaboration between Jim and Craig Wiseman and recorded by Kenny Chesney was number one for seven weeks on the Billboard chart and was name Billboard’s “Country Song of the Year,” ASCAP Song of the Year and the Academy of Country Music Single of the Year. Jim’s songs have also been recorded by such artists as Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, Josh Gracin, Dwight Yoakam, Mark Chesnutt and Kenny Rogers, to name a few. Most recently, Jim’s song “I Don’t Feel Like Loving You Today” was a hit single for multi-platinum artist Gretchen Wilson.

Greg Crowe
You can tell by the way that Greg Crowe cradles his beloved Fender in his arms as he plays it that he has a true passion for the music he creates. There's also a mischievous gleam in those baby blue eyes of his that tells you he probably has stories that will never see the light of day, much less be made into a song.

The backwoods bayous of Shaw, Mississippi are where Greg Crowe got his start. “My dad gave me my first guitar when I was about eleven, leading me to write my first song in the third grade. From that point on I knew music was going to be my life."

Crowe began hitting the road with his own band early in his teenage years, and by the time he was 17, was regularly touring the clubs of the Southeast. The travel allowed Crowe to develop his musical talents and diversify his repertoire. After several years of playing in the deep south and blending his own mix of rock, blues, and country, Crowe was ready to make the big move to Nashville.

The desire he showed for songwriting and honing his craft, along with his obvious passion for playing and singing, caught the attention of music legends such as Dave Gibson, Blue Miller, and Bill McCorvey. The fruits of Crowe's labor greatly benefit country music fans today. With songs such as "Little Did I Know" by Sammy Kershaw, and "Lonely and Gone" by Montgomery Gentry, Crowe has just begun to make his mark in the music world.

D-Tox
Born in the coal country of Hinman, Kentucky, D-Tox has lived his life. He’s a no-bullshit kind of man. You may not like what he has to say but at least you’ll know where he stands. He’s a study of contrasts: Abrasive yet soft. Country-sensible but wide-eyed wild. “Crack you up” funny but serious as a heart attack. He’s all of that and a great singer and songwriter to boot.

He’s often asked, “What’s D-Tox about?” “Buy me a beer and I’ll tell you about it” is what you’re likely to hear in a snappy comeback that leaves you amused, intrigued and motivated enough to buy that beer and talk a while. “D-Tox is actually just a play on my initials (DT) that a good friend of mine from back home laid upon me that has stuck through the years. You might get the impression from the name that my music may be a little rowdy at times! A little rowdy is a good thing but that ain’t all you’ll get out of me.” With influences as wide-ranging as Garth Brooks, Bon Jovi, Travis Tritt, George Jones and Aerosmith, you can imagine what kind of living he’s done to gain the nickname D-Tox.

Since moving to Nashville in 1998 to pursue a dream of being a recording artist, D-Tox has made a name for himself within the Music Row songwriting community. He knows who he is and having that focus and confidence in himself as a writer has afforded him the good grace to collaborate with some of Nashville’s greatest writers including Kent Blazy, John Wiggins, Jon Randall and Shane Minor to name a few. Signed to a publishing deal with EMI Nashville, D-Tox writes everyday to gather material for the new album he’s working on with Universal.

With up-beat rocking songs like “Raw, Ragged and Real”, “Southern Rock”, and “My America” and ballady mid-tempo’s like “Nothing To Go On”, “The Devil And The Cross” and “Where I Am”, D-Tox has a repertoire of songs that makes for an energetic and entertaining show.

Dallas Davidson
Dallas Davidson arrived in Nashville in January of 2004. In September of the same year the Albany, GA native landed a writing deal with Big Borrassa Music. Dallas was influenced by artists such as Waylon Jennings, Otis Redding, hank Williams Jr., Wilson Pickett and Kris Kristofferson. His first cut in Nashville was a song called "kiss my country ass" recorded by Rhett Akins and none other than hank Williams Jr. The song is Rhett’s current single off his brand new album. Dallas has also had cuts by Tim McGraw, Trace Adkins, Jamey Johnson and others. Right now he is enjoying a huge hit he co wrote with friends Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser called "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk".

Brian Davis
Brian is an artist/writer, originally from North Carolina, who for the past 7 years has lived in Nashville, TN. Brian is currently signed with BMG Publishing Nashville.

His high-energy honkytonk/country style is mostly attributed to his “love for the live show”. His influences range from traditional sounds such as Waylon and Willie all the way to Matchbox Twenty, and almost anything in between. In Brian’s opinion “Music is something that you can touch, taste, smell, see, and HEAR if it’s done right. My intention is to give anyone holding a twenty dollar ticket, a hundred dollars worth”. You can find out more about Brian Davis at www.briandavislive.com.

Patrick Davis
“ Soulful.”“A self-possessed writer and performer.”“A young artist on the cusp of a serious career". Words written to describe a 27-year-old singer and songwriter who has made it his business to adamantly write, tour, play and sing, and as a result, take a chance on generating one hell of a debut record.

Patrick Davis ’first full-length LP, appropriately titled Chances Are, which recently earned the Top 5 best-seller status on Awarestore.com, chronicles Davis ’determination to take the necessary risks that define his Tom Petty meets Lyle Lovett-singer-songwriter meets old-school rock-n-roll-music style. Performing Songwriter Magazine hails Davis debut effort as “a natural blend of Springsteen style working-class rock and from-the-gut alternative country … a notable debut from a young artist on the cusp of a serious career..”

Patrick Davis,the son of blues guitarist and vintage guitar shop owner,Rusty Davis,was raised in Camden,SC on a healthy dose of electric guitar and classic rock-n-roll.As a young teenager,alongside his father ’s hometown classic rock band,Davis stepped on stage to experience his first live performance-and wouldn ’t you know-he ’s been playing live music ever since.

In the fall of 2002,with his own brand of Americana-Rock,Davis,along with a handful of top-notch southeastern-bred musicians,took a trip to Nashville ’s Omnisound studios to record his first full-length album.Mixed in Los Angeles by engineer Nick Brophy (Rolling Stones,Avril Levine),Davis ’first LP proves unafraid to explore the
diversity that encompasses American music and includes10 tracks penned by Davis with one high-energy cover of the famous Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris tune “Ooh Las Vegas.” Among those taking notice of Davis ’musical development is Hootie and the Blowfish guitarist,Mark Bryan,who produced and performed on Davis ’full-length debut,as well as his 4-song introductory EP entitled “The Demos,” which Davis self-released in January of 2002.

Since the October 21,2003 independent release of Chances Are,Davis has supported national acts Edwin McCain and Hootie and The Blowfish,and continues to perform throughout venues in the southeast.In addition to touring,AAA radio has also taken notice of the release as “This Life,”the first airplay single,began garnering airplay on stations throughout the US in early October.

“ Chances Are ”was independently released on October 21 st 2003 on Destination Unknown Records in partnership with Redeye Distribution.

For more information, please contact Virginia Hunt Davis of The Media Room PR
615-293-4457.

Dede Day
All the way from Chehalis, Washington........living now in Nashville, Tennessee. Currently shopping a project produced by Ron Chancey and Jeffrey Steele.

Dillon Dixon
Originally from Englewood Colorado; Dillon Dixon left the comforts of home in 1988 to pursue a career as a singer and songwriter. Having cut his teeth on the Greenwich Village, NY and Boston folk circuits, Dillon is quite at home on any kind of stage.

Dillon signed a new publishing contract with Ash Street Music and continues to sing jingles and demos all over the United States. He has had his voice and songs placed in major motion pictures such as: "Mimic," "Scream," and recorded a song that he sang and wrote for the Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines soundtrack.

RCA recording artist Restless Heart recorded one of Dillon's songs for their Greatest Hits album, "For Lack Of Better Words." He has a cut on Mindy McCready's latest record entitled "If I Feel Your Hand" and a song entitled "Put Your Best Dress On" on Neal McCoy's new record. A highlight of Dillon's career came last year with a song entitled "Honey Hush," cut by George Jones on his current release "The Rock."

His performances are dynamic and stirring. His lyrics are from the heart, melodies from the mind. It's the kind of music that commands you to stop and listen.

Scotty Emerick
Most recording artists toil for years before earning the respect of their fellow musicians. A rare few, however, get an early nod of approval from the crowd that can't be fooled by studio tricks and stage lighting. So it is with Scotty Emerick, who already wears a "real deal" badge bestowed by those in the know.

This is a man who's held in high regard by folks like Willie Nelson, Lee Ann Womack and Toby Keith, among others. This is a musician who's slogged through five years of hard touring and kept a smile on his face. This is a songwriter with five number one hits to his credit, dozens of major album cuts and a prestigious Songwriter of the Year award. This is Scotty Emerick. Born in Vero Beach, Florida, Emerick has always loved country music, be it listening to early influences like Hank Williams, Emmylou Harris and Glen Campbell...or making it. "I've been carrying around a guitar for as long as I can remember," says Emerick, who first picked up the instrument at the age of six.

Even before his teen years, Emerick was performing local venues, and by the time high school rolled around he had his sights set on Nashville. Moving here in 1993, Emerick quickly moved into the ranks of successful songwriters, earning album cuts with artists including Kenny Chesney, Bryan White, George Strait, Ronnie Milsap and Sawyer Brown, who took his "I Don't Believe In Goodbye" to No. 2.

His most successful collaboration has been with Toby Keith. Their co-writes have included the smash hits "I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight," "Beer For My Horses," "I Love This Bar," "Whiskey Girl," and "As Good As I Once Was." Not to mention a couple dozen album cuts. He was honored as Songwriter of the Year by the Nashville Songwriters Association International in 2004.

"I've been on the road with Toby for five years," Emerick says. "That's where we do most of our writing. I also come out in the middle of the show and we do a little acoustic set, playing some funny songs we've written." Among the "bus songs" are titles like "Weed With Willie" and "The Taliban Song."

As an artist, Emerick had a top 20 single on DreamWorks ("I Can't Take You Anywhere") before his project got lost in corporate politics. Shortly thereafter, DreamWorks was folded into Universal. "I'm just glad all that's over and I'm finally getting my shot," he says.

And what a shot it is. He's the second artist signed to Show Dog Nashville, the first naturally being Toby Keith who signed himself when he launched the label in September of 2005. His debut album, already in progress, is expected to include duets with both Willie and Womack. "The first single's called 'What's Up With That,'" Scotty says. "Toby and I wrote it."

Expected at radio in early 2006, the song will introduce the public to an artist who's already got some pretty high profile fans. Unlike many of the new acts coming out of Nashville, there's no smoke and mirrors where Scotty Emerick's concerned. Just good country music from an immensely talented guy.

Rob Hatch
Born in Cross City Florida, Rob is one of those people who beat the odds. Having not even considered songwriting until his freshman year of college Rob took a chance and it has paid off in what some might call a Cinderella story. But let’s not call it that…this boy is as country as country gets and “Cinderella’s” just don’t hunt around here!!! Rob moved to Nashville in June of 2002 and got his break and signed with BMG MUSIC PUBLISHING group in June of 2005. In no time at all Rob was beating the odds and beginning his long “expected” career as one of the top backwoods, in your face country music songwriters.

In 8 short months Rob has had his songs recorded by: Jamey Johnson- “Saving Grace”; “Keepin Up With The Jonesin’”; “Rebeliscious” Rhett Atkins- “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away”; John Pierce- “I’ve Been In Love”. And you can bet... More is a coming!!!!

Morgane Hayes
Morgane Hayes, a singer/songwriter, hails from Jefferson, Georgia. She signed with BNA records in 2004 and plans to have her first single out later this year.

James Dean Hicks
At the age of 10, country music artist James Dean Hicks began making the trip from his home on a farm near Bardstown, Kentucky, to the big-city streets of Nashville. There he appeared regularly on the "WSM Midnight Jamboree" with the Grand Ole Opry greats, including Ernest Tubb and Hank Snow. By the time he was 13, James had opened concerts for Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, George Jones and Tammy Wynette.

From this almost legendary beginning, James has traveled on to success as one of America's premier songwriter/artist!

Two of James' compositions -- "It Takes a Little Rain (To Make Love Grow)" and "This Crazy Love" -- became #1 hits for the Oak Ridge Boys. Then came "Goodbye Time" for Conway Twitty, and "Jesus and Mama", recorded by Confederate Railroad which became James' third #1 hit, followed closely by Sammy Kershaw's chart-topper "National Working Woman's Holiday." James' song "Grandpa Told Me So" soared up the charts for Kenny Chesney, "The Hole" was a hit by Randy Travis and "God Gave Me You" was a recent hit for Bryan White. He also has written the title cut "Sweet Kisses" for new pop sensation, Jessica Simpson, as well as, "Life is a Party" by the new teen heartthrob, Aaron Carter.

The list of artists who have recorded James Dean Hicks' songs is long. It includes Crystal Gayle, Charlie Daniels, Linda Davis, and Conway Twitty. Some of country's hottest young performers are also well-represented on that list -- John Michael Montgomery, Neal McCoy, Collin Raye, Lorrie Morgan, Bryan White, Skip Ewing, and pop superstars, Aaron Neville and Tony Rich. (See the Discography page for the all-inclusive list.)

James was named after the actor James Dean. "It was always kind of hard living up to that name," James says. "One of my brothers is named after John Wayne, another one is named after Ernest Tubb. So I guess it could have been worse. They could have named me after Doris Day."

"I always wanted to sing and write songs," James recalls. "I used to sit on my swing on the farm, and make up songs. Daddy gave me a guitar and I learned to play by ear and from a chord book."

From age 10 until he was 16, James performed regularly at weekend jamborees. Then he decided he was missing out on a regular childhood, so he laid his music performance career aside to enjoy a normal teenage life. "One night some of my high school buddies tossed me in the back seat of their car and started blasting AC/DC on the radio. I had never heard that kind of music before. I really got into Journey, AC/DC and Bob Seger, and those artists have influenced my music. I literally went from Conway Twitty to AC/DC overnight. It was the best shock my music career could have had."

After earning a music degree in college, the next logical step for James was to move to Nashville to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a professional artist/songwriter. "Staff writing helped me learn my craft," James explains. "It helped me learn the basics and how to knock the rough edges off, and taught me how to write from the heart about real life. The good thing is now I know how to put those rough edges back on."

But there are no rough edges in James Dean Hicks' music. His voice is as smooth as the fine Kentucky bourbon distilled in his hometown. His songs recall the purity of sound and emotion found in the best recordings of Dan Fogelburg, the down-home simplicity of Merle Haggard and the creative edge of Don Henley. His live concerts are both captivating and riveting, as he takes the listener on a musical journey through heartfelt ballads, traditional country themes, and rocking anthems. "If anyone had to pick one word to describe my music, I hope it would be 'honesty'. I want my work to have integrity."

This honesty shines through James' compositions and touches universal emotions: lost love, religious faith, single parenthood, straying children, enduring love. His lyrics are complex and witty, poetic, yet simple.

James performs over 100 shows each year opening for many diverse acts, from Merle Haggard to Bryan White, from the Romantics to the Lynns. He has performed from coast to coast and in many European countries, as well. He does numerous radio and Television shows, in support of his live concerts.

"To me, the hope of creating a classic is why I write and sing. It's the chance to create something that will out last your days on this earth. Finishing a great song is the biggest thrill of all and then to see the emotion of that song mirrored in the face of an audience brings it full circle.

Randy Houser
Hailing from Lake, Mississipppi, Randy can’t remember a time he didn’t have a guitar in his hand. With influences ranging from Otis Redding to Willie Nelson, Randy’s voice is seasoned with blues, soul and country. Once you hear his unique and soulful voice, you’ll know your listening to raw star power.

With a Trace Adkins cut under his belt, Randy continues to turn out incredible songs. His recent co-writes include Kent Blazy, Al Anderson and Bob DiPiero. With his vocal skills and musical insight, Randy is simply a success story in the making.

Brett James  | View a video clip
In the past five years Brett James has had over one hundred and fifty of his songs recorded by major label artists and has had multiple hit singles including “Who I Am” by Jessica Andrews (#1 for 4 weeks), “Blessed” by Martina McBride (#1 for 2 weeks), “When the Sun Goes Down” by Kenny Chesney/Uncle Kracker (#1 for six weeks), two #1 pop songs in Europe and the top five latin international pop hit “Todo Mi Amor” recorded by Paulina Rubio.

Success didn’t come overnight, though, for this native Oklahoman and father of four. Upon completing the first two years of medical school in his home state, Brett moved to Nashville to pursue a recording contract. Seven years later, after recording two albums for Arista records, he found himself again without a record deal. When Brett allowed his love of music to take a back seat to his desire to support his growing family, in a twist of irony, his songwriting career took off.

In 1999, Brett returned to the University of Oklahoma medical school. In the nine months that he was back studying medicine, he had 28 of his songs recorded in Nashville and was offered another recording contract from Arista records. Brett finished a third year of school and then dropped out again, this time for good. His songwriting career has kept up that pace ever
since.

He now lives with his family in Brentwood, Tennessee and credits God’s sense of humor and his patient wife, Sandy, with his success. http://www.brettjames.com

Ken Johnson
Most people that have opened for the likes of Keith Urban, The Flatlanders, and Stone Temple Pilots didn’t leave a job as a stockbroker to do so. However that is exactly the case with Birmingham native Ken Johnson. Since leaving the corporate world for the music business in 2003, Johnson has had his songs recorded by a range of artists including Las Vegas legend Wayne Newtown, and John Rich protégé Katoorah Jayne. Johnson signed to Windswept Pacific Publishing in 2006 and has been writing with hit-makers and rising stars alike. Ken is currently in the studio recording an artist project with famed songwriter/producer Jeffrey Steele.

Brett Jones
Originally from near Macon, Georgia, Brett first started writing songs at age 16. His first major cut was "God Made Woman," on Tracy Lawrence's I See It Now album, which went multi-platinum. Brett has had 10 top ten country records in the past ten years including four .. 1 hits,"You Gotta Love That," by Neal McCoy, "A Little Past Little Rock," by Lee Ann Womack, "Better Man Better Off," by Tracy Lawrence and "You Won't Ever Be Lonely," by Andy Griggs. He had several recent top 10's such as "Good Little Girls," by Blue County and "Dont Ask Me How I Know," by Bobby Pinson. Be on the look out for a few new ones such as "If I Don't Make It Back" singled on Tracy Lawrence's Now and Then Greatest Hits Album and "I Wanna Be a Hillbilly" on Billy Currington's current album.

Tammi Kidd
Tammi Kidd was born and raised in rural Kentucky. Influenced and fascinated by the music played and sung by several members of her family, Tammi began singing at regional jamborees and festivals at an early age. From age six to fourteen, Tammi started making routine trips to Nashville to perform on The Ralph Emery Show. The encouragement she received from many major label recording artists only fueled the fire to move to Nashville to seek her own professional career in the music industry.

After moving to Nashville in the fall of 1998, Tammi started singing publisher demos within the first week of her arrival. Soon after, she began entertaining exclusive writing deals from many of the top publishing houses. In 2001, she committed to Almo Irving Music Publishing which was recently merged with Universal Music Publishing Group.

As of late, Tammi’s compositions have been covered by a wide range of artists including Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes and Josh Gracin to name a few.

David Lee
David Lee was born in Wichita Falls, Texas. David a third generation musician grew up with a range of influences from Jimmy Rodgers, Hank Williams Sr. and Jr., Willie and Waylon, Merle Haggard and Ray Charles. Most of his early repertoire included his mom’s old 33 records and his dad’s worn out, battle scared and beer stained song book that he used to learn many lyrics of the old honky-tonk classics.

David wrote his first song when he was thirteen, “Ghost in a Songwriter’s Dream.” After graduating from Lampasas High School in 1987 he started a band in Dallas, Texas and for the next few years he played every night club he could book.

In May of 1993, David married his wife Stacie. They made the move to Nashville the next month on four bald tires, $300 bucks and blind faith. David began working odd jobs, writing and playing writers nights around Nashville as much as possible. In 1997 David signed an exclusive songwriting agreement with Estill Sowards at Ken-Ten Publishing, a small start up company in association with Hallmark Direction Co. Shortly afterwards David landed his first cut by Terri Clark with “This Ol’ Heart”. Over the next few years he had cuts by John Michael Montgomery with “This One’s Gonna Leave A Mark”, Clay Davidson with “Rain Or Shine” and a top ten single by LeAnn Womack with “Now You See Me Now You Don’t”. In 2001, Chris Ogelsby signed David to BMG Music Publishing. He soon had a hit with Brad Martin on “Before I Knew Better”. Shortly thereafter came David’s first #1 hit with Mark Wills’ “19 Somethin’”, and in 2004 John Micheal Montgomery sang the smash hit “Letters From Home”. David’s recent cuts are Trace Adkins’ “Comin’ On Strong”, Lee Ann Womack’s “The Last Time”, Billy Currington’s “That Changes Everything” and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s new duet “I Need You” which was debuted on the Oprah Show and seen by thirty million viewers.

He attributes his success to his faith in God and the undying support of his loving wife, Stacie and daughter Jesse.

Kendell Marvel
Growing up in Thompsonville, IL, Kendell began playing guitar at five and in the bars when he was 10. Instead of tips, he was allowed to eat all the pickled eggs he wanted. Sounds like a Merle Haggard or a Hank Jr. song, doesn’t it? Well, that would be about right since Kendell’s influences are exactly that. Country is something Kendell knows by heart and it shows when you hear the grit in his voice and the twang in his soul.

With songs like Gary Allan’s “Right Where I Need to Be” and cuts by Travis Tritt, Tracy Lawrence, Joe Diffie and Jeff Bates, Kendell Marvel is riding tall on the shoulder of success.

Jim McCormick
Jim McCormick, born and raised in New Orleans, is a staff writer for Generator Music in Nashville. His songs have been recorded by Tim McGraw, Ronnie Milsap, Blue County, Luke Bryan, Bobby Pinson, Laren Lucas, Anders Osborne and many others. He has performed at clubs and festivals throughout the South, including the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the South By Southwest Music Conference in Austin, TX. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of New Orleans and is a lecturer at Loyola University.

Jon McElroy
Jon McElroy is a unique combination of Mississippi roots, classical training and a rock-’n’-roll soul. For more than 20 years he has used his varied musical influences and wicked sense of humor to craft some of pop and country’s most eclectic hits.

He began his writing career in Los Angeles with Screen Gems Music and in a karmic twist of fate, the curmudgeonly McElroy garnered unlikely success by landing a cut on the debut, quadruple-platinum album of ’80s mall diva Tiffany only to switch gears and move to Nashville in 1987 to write for legendary producer Harold Shedd.

In bringing his own personal brand of quirkiness to country, McElroy broke through with what is possibly the first “surf song” to ever come out of Nashville. Neal McCoy’s “The Shake,” featured on his Greatest Hits album, was one of BMI’s Most Performed Songs of 1996. McElroy scored another top-five single with “She Drew a Broken Heart” off Patty Loveless’ CMA-nominated Album of the Year, The Trouble with the Truth.

McElroy has two cuts, “Tequila Loves Me” and “In a Small Town,” on Kenny Chesney’s latest CD, The Road and the Radio, and the current Hal Ketchum single, “Just This Side of Heaven.” He also has three cuts on the soon-to-be-released debut album of Curb artist Lee Brice (songs co-written with Brice) and a cut on the premiere album of Sony artist Ashley Monroe (co-written with Monroe), due out in 2006.

Steve McEwan
Brooks and Dunn “That’s What It’s All About” single (Arista)
Tim McGraw “My Old Friend” Single from the album “Live Like You Were Dying” (Curb)
Kenny Chesney “Young” single taken from the album “No Shoes, No Shirt No Problems” (BNA)
“Summertime” on newest Kenny record “The Road And The Radio”
Faith Hill “If This Is The End” and “Wicked” taken from the album “Cry” (Warner)
Carrie Underwood “Young And Beautiful” on the first release, “Some Hearts”, from the American Idol winner
UnAmerican “UnAmerican” album (Universal) – Steve’s own band
Holly MacNarland “Watching Over You” (Universal)
Miriam Makeba “Eyes On Tomorrow” and “I Still Long For You” taken from the album “Eyes On Tomorrow” (Verve)
Lucky Dube “Khululeka” taken from the album “Lucky Dube Live” (Shanachie)

Shane Minor
Shane Minor's music includes a mix of many of his early musical influences like Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and even Southern gospel. With a blend of music that includes the influences of such vast musical styles and artists, it's easy to recognize that Shane Minor appeals to the masses. Minor's journey to Nashville recording artist was anything but a short one. Before he recorded his self-titled debut album with famed session guitarist and producer, Dan Huff, he'd taken roads that ventured far from the music scene, including raising cattle on his family's ranch and riding bulls on his high school's rodeo team. Minor even spent seven years in law enforcement including five with the Los Angeles Police Department. As an escape from the violence and the tragedy, coupled with his adoration and appreciation of music, Minor was spending his nights working small gigs and jamming with some friends at local clubs and parties. One of Minor's demo tapes made its way to manager, Bud Prager, who'd worked with renowned groups like Foreigner and Bad Company. Prager sent the tape to Dann Huff who at the urging of Shania Twain's husband/producer, Robert John "Mutt" Lange was making his way into record production. Huff and Minor worked together for a few years before they'd developed the sound that Mercury Nashville president Luke Lewis liked enough to offer Minor a record deal. In April of 1999, Shane Minor was born. Minor opened for Shania Twain on her 1999 tour and is making waves in country's top 40 with two releases from Shane Minor, "Slave to the Habit" and "Ordinary Love." Since then, Shane’s made a big splash on the Nashville songwriting scene. Some of his hits include a number one with Diamond Rio’s “BEAUTIFUL MESS” and Andy Griggs “She Thinks She Needs Me.” He’s also had many cuts by country music’s finest including Trace Adkins, Trick Pony, Tracy Byrd, Craig Morgan.

Cory Morrow
Cory Morrow was born in 1972 in Houston, Texas. He started playing guitar while he was a cheerleader at Memorial High School, in west suburban Houston. Cory graduated from Memorial and attended Texas Tech until 1993 when he decided to move to Austin, Texas to write and play music full-time. Cory has played almost every significant venue in every major market in Austin, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, College Station, Lubbock and several other smaller markets in addition to numerous festivals, private parties and weddings. Some of the better known venues are Luckenbach, Gruene Hall, Shadow Canyon, The Library, Stubb's (Austin & Lubbock), Satellite Lounge, Blanco's and Billy Bob's Texas. Cory has had the chance to open for dozens of Texas greats like Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Jerry Jeff Walker, David Allen Coe and Chris Wall. Cory has also opened up for many of his contemporaries like Robert Earl Keen, Pat Green, Todd Snider and Charlie Robison. Cory has also played with Reckless Kelly, Owen Temple, John Evans and Adam Carroll. Since 1995, Cory has sold close to 14,000 copies of his 3 independently produced and recorded CD's.

Frank J Myers
Frank J Myers is from Dayton, Ohio. He moved to Nashville in 1981 with wife Belinda. Frank has two sons Joshua, and Nicholas.

Frank got his start in Nashville as band leader, road manager and lead guitarist for Eddy Raven in “81” and worked with Eddy for 9 years. It was with Eddy that Frank started writing, playing and co-producing sessions. They had 2 number ones, 5 number twos and 3 top tens. It was in 1982 though, that Frank had his first single (a song he wrote by himself) with “You and I” for Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle which stayed number one: four weeks country, number two for six weeks AC and number 6 for four weeks Pop.

It was during his time with Eddy Raven that Frank met Gary Baker. They had their first number one together in 1993 with “Once Upon A Lifetime” by Alabama. Their greatest accomplishment as writers together came when John Michael Montgomery recorded “I Swear” which was number one for 4 weeks on the Country charts. The song was then recorded by All 4 One and went to number one on the pop charts and stayed there for 11 weeks.

Frank is currently writing with artists & producers for various projects Frank has a list of artist and producer co-writes that include Clif Magness, Adam Anders, Andy Marvel, Peter Zizzo Richie McDonald, Ronnie Dunn, David Lee Murphy,Travis Tritt, Uncle Kracker, Nick Lachey, Jessica Simpson, Kenny Loggins Howie & Kevin of BSB, among others. His is also a member Leadership Music’s class of “05”

Tim Nichols
“If you're going to hunt tigers, you have to go where the tigers are”. It was that bit of advice from music publisher Si Siman that convinced Tim Nichols to leave Springfield, Missouri for Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a music career. Once in Nashville, Tim discovered that song writing was one of the keys that could unlock the doors to the major record labels.

In 1986 Ronnie Milsap recorded a Nichols composition that lead to his first publishing deal with Milsap-Galbraith Music Group. Other hits soon followed. Keith Whitley recorded “ I'm Over You ” and “ Brotherly Love ”, both reaching #1 on the charts. Milsap scored a top 5 hit with “ All Is Fair In Love And War ”. Co-writing with Capitol artist Billy Dean, Tim wrote “ Tryin' To Hide A Fire In The Dark.”

Jerrod Niemann
Rest easy all you true lovers of country music, the gentry is alive and well, and it’s future is bright with the promises of one new talent named Jerrod Niemann. His depth and versatility as both a singer and a songwriter are apparent from the very first note, the very first line. Steep in the rich traditionalism of country music’s masters, Jerrod’s voice has honesty and power that turns his singing into persuasive storytelling. Listening to his songs, the audience is taken on a train ride where country’s traditional music landscape collides with Jerrod’s ability to apply the modern realities of here and now.

Born and raised in Kansas, Jerrod cut his teeth on country and popular music while still a small child thanks in part to a small ‘honky-tonk’ and later a skating rink that his parents owned. Exposed to everything from Merle Haggard to Bruce Springsteen, the definitive moment of country music gaining an upper hand when Jerrod heard George Strait’s 1986 Christmas album Merry Christmas Strait To You. From that moment on, his passion for the gentry was ignited, and Jerrod spent the majority of his college years in Texas performing in local clubs.

Jerrod’s road to Nashville began as a trip back in time has he started to explore the roots of country music and came under the spell of artists such as Lefty Frizzell, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, and George Jones. He realized the new traditionalists like Randy Travis, Keith Whitley, and Alan Jackson had drawn upon the wealthy inheritance of those who had come before them. It was also about this time Jerrod discovered “Liner Notes” and subsequently the wonderful songs penned by Whitey Shafer, Dean Dillon, Paul Overstreet, and Aaron Barker. These were some of the men who would become his ‘heroes,’ and his dream became not only that he would become a recording artist, but that other artists would record his songs as well.

Writing songs since the age of eight, Jerrod’s material exhibits a refined musical maturity that extends well beyond his years. Whether listening to his lamented words drenched in a tremendous, heartbroken refrain or to one of his loud rollicking honky-tonk stories delivered with sheer, unabashed delight, it’s not hard to imagine his ‘heroes’ nodding their approval. In fact, one of Jerrod’s first co-writers upon arriving in Nashville was one of those he had so admired, Whitey Shafer. Since then, the young songwriter has had the opportunity to collaborate with Dean Dillon, Paul Overstreet, Aaron Barker, Larry Cordle, and Garth Brooks among others – writers who personify what Jerrod believes is the true heart of country music.

Niemann’s latest hit is “Good Ride Cowboy” cut by Garth Brooks.

James Otto
Born on the Fort Lewis Army Base in Washington State, James Otto’s musical odyssey began when he started singing at age 4. The natural musician played violin briefly and spent five years playing saxophone, but what he really wanted was a guitar.

He moved to Nashville in 1998, he attended every writer's night he could find and was overwhelmed by the talented songwriters he heard. "Those writers shaped me," he says. "By watching them, I figured out how they mesmerize a crowd with their words and the way they deliver a song. That changed me from being a club singer that does covers and tries to write on the weekend to someone who really strives to create their own art."

Eventually people started coming to see Otto at those writers' nights, and before long, he had inked a deal with Mercury records Nashville. James recorded his debut album and found his way on tour with Shania Twain, who asked him to open shows on the U.S. leg of her 2003-2004 Up! tour.

Realizing that he had evolved as a musician, James put the first record behind him. With this new perspective he set out to show his wares live every Tuesday night with what is now known at The Muzik Mafia. James played every Tuesday night with his friends Big and Rich, Gretchen Wilson, John Nicholson and others. He collaborated with his friends and tried his new material on the growing crowds that the Muzik Mafia had started to draw. Soon James came to a place of clarity about his musical direction and the new music reflected just that! Now on tour with The American Revolution Arena tour featuring Big and Rich and Gretchen Wilson, Jon Nicholson and, of course, James Otto.

James is currently writing the songs for his new record entitled "The Otto Show" to be recorded this December-January with John Rich as producer. "The Otto Show" will spawn a single to radio in Feb-March. James will be seen nationally on CMT's new series, The Muzik Mafia Show, starting in late January. He will also be a part of the 60 minute special in December. 2005 is looks very promising for this musician who, with the help of his extended family, has become one of Nashville's most likely to succeed.

Hugh Prestwood
Hugh Prestwood has been writing hits for two decades. He was discovered in 1978 by Judy Collins, who gave him his first hit (Hard Times For Lovers), and subsequently recorded five more of his songs.

A staff songwriter for BMG music, Prestwood has penned #1 hits for Randy Travis ("Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart"), Trisha Yearwood ("The Song Remembers When"), Michael Johnson ("The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder"), Shenandoah ("Ghost In This House"), Crystal Gayle ("The Sound Of Goodbye"), and Collin Raye ("On The Verge"). He has also composed hits for Highway 101 ("Bing Bang Boom"), Anne Murray ("Feed This Fire"), Michael Johnson ("That's That"), Ty England ("Smoke In Her Eyes"), and Kathy Mattea ("Asking Us To Dance"). Other artists who have recorded his songs include Conway Twitty, Lee Greenwood, Don Williams, Jackie De Shannon, Verne Gosdin, Maura O'Connell, Tanya Tucker, and The Judds.

Three of Prestwood's songs have been nominated for Grammys in the "best performance" category:
"Sound Of Goodbye" performed by Crystal Gayle.
"Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart" performed by Randy Travis.
"Ghost In This House" performed by Shenandoah.
Born and raised in El Paso, and a graduate of the University Of Texas At El Paso, Prestwood currently resides on Long Island, New York. Since 1982 he has taught advanced songwriting at The New School in Manhattan. Additionally, each year Prestwood teaches songwriting workshops for the NSAI in various locations throughout the country.

Eddy Raven
Eddy Raven’s kind of music is rich in lyrical imagery and strong in artistic roots. He has been writing and playing a mixture of rocks, country, Cajun and blues since he was a Louisiana teenager. In fact, his first single release for the Georgia-based Cosmos label, “Once A Fool”, was one of his own compositions.

He gained a huge amount of all-around knowledge working at Lafayette’s La Louisianne label selling records and working in the facility’s sound studious. Once in Nashville, Eddy continued writing songs for other artists. When Don Gant moved to ABC Records he signed Raven as an artist. What followed was a string of charted songs which didn’t bring him stardom, but made him an interesting prospect to fans and labels alike. Five years later he signed with Elektra Records. Eddy then went on to start his own publishing company and kept writing hit songs for others as well as for himself.

Eddy’s attention to quality has paid off. He’s consistently at the top of the charts with music that often defies classification and is never run-of-the mill. This is an artist who, without sacrificing any musical integrity, has had No.1 songs such as “Bayou Boys,” “I Got Mexico,” Shine, Shine, Shine,” “I’m Gonna Get You,” “Joe Knows How To Live,” “Till You Cry,” and “In A Letter To You.”. Even his songs that did not hit No.1 went on to become country classics. In short, he has 30 ASCAP songwriting awards, 7 #1’s, 14 Top 10’s, and 22 albums to his credit.

The Redneck Rockstars
Imagine a bus with Hank Williams Jr., The Black Crowes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Garth Brooks and Bon Jovi riding down the highway listening to Led Zeppelin doing George Jones' covers when they get hit directly by an 18 wheeler driven by Bryan Adams and Travis Tritt drinkin' a 5th of Kentucky's finest Bourbon while playing movie trivia. When you uncover the wreckage you will find us and our guitars.

The Redneck Rockstars are David Tolliver (aka D-tox) and Chad Warrix. Both hail from the coal-country of Eastern Kentucky, just outside of Hazard, yeah that’s right HAZARD. They’ve been friends since grade school, each performing, making music and raising hell all of their lives. The duo was formed while D-tox, a solo artist who was writing songs for industry giant EMI and Warrix, who was coming off a major label recording deal of his own, decided it would be interesting to take the stage together. Now three years later, they find their talents combined to form a duo signed to Mercury Records. Recording of their debut album is set to begin in February ‘06 with an anticipated release later that summer. The Redneck Rockstars’ A/R is directed by Brian Wright of UMG Nashville with representation by Christopher Washko of Fundamental Management and booking by Rick Shipp and Kathy Armistead of the William Morris Agency.

Geoffrey Rutledge
An award winning singer/songwriter, Geoffrey Rutledge has been playing professionally for over two decades. A favorite at the Texas Kerrville Folk Festival. Geoffrey's keen ability to convey his interesting perspective on life through his songwriting, in combination with his rich, smooth voice and sardonic wit, charms audiences from coast to coast.

Geoffrey will be accompanied by his longtime musical partner John Tindel, guitarist and pianist extraordinaire and local favorite musician Joel Nelson.

Kylie Sackley | View a video clip
Think "outside the square" think "fresh, new, unique ". Add up these elements, weaved with velvet vocals, soulful sounds and youthful appeal, and you may encircle the surface of all this vivacious and talented 20yr old has to offer the music industry, both nationally and internationally.

The Country Music Association of Australia obviously agree's with the promise of this talented young artist, as 2002 saw Kylie take home "Best New Talent" at the "Country Music Awards of Australia", following the success of her debut single "Love's like a train" (ABC/Universal). Former winners of "Best New Talent" include the likes of Adam Brand, Sara Storer and Nashville based Aussies - Sherrie Austin and Keith Urban.

Kylie Sackley is undoubtably driven. "I grew up touring the country music circuit in Australia". "While most normal kids were playing sport, partying and sharing their youth, I was practicing, preparing, touring, writing charts, learning lyrics…". "I don't regret a moment of this, music gave me an outlet to express myself, my thoughts, and I've always felt heard because I've been given the opportunity and gift in life, to be the messenger for people". Years on the circuit saw kylie climb her way to the pinnacle of country music competitions, and awards including "Star Maker" allowed her avenues to persue a professional career in country music and furthermore hone her skills on the business side of the industry.

Part of the Star Maker prize package included a C.D single release through a ABC/Universal Music, various performances throughout Australia's largest music festivals and the sponsorship of a brand new Toyota Camry for the course of the Star Maker year. "Star Maker opened the doors to many great things for me". After working with Toyota for the year, impressed by Kylie's dedication to the company, Toyota decided to resign her as the 'youthful face' for Australia, targeting the younger demographic and featuring in a series of advertising campaigns and participating in various promotional events for motor corporation.

Back in Australia following 3 "life changing" months songwriting in Nashville, Tennessee, Kylie is currently juggling tours/shows with the likes of Adam Harvey, Brendan Walmsley, James Blundell, as well as her own solo performances, Toyota commitments, songwriting sessions, and hectic preparation for a return to music city, Nashville - for yet another 3 months of songwriting in September. "I made a lot of great friends within the industry and found writers and people I really click with over there", "the opportunity to go back means living and learning a whole lot more about the biz and writing in general". The coming months will see kylie getting together with Savage Garden's own Daniel Jones to pen some songs, along with a dance track produced by INXS's Kirk Pingilly also duo for release later in the year, and writing commitments with kirk also in the pipeline. "I'm super grateful to be given the chance to learn from these people, who have been there and done it all".

Its easy to forget Kylie Sackley is still just a teenager, although her personal maturity and positive attitude don't allow for compensating when this is brought to the attention of people.

"I am who I am, I work hard, I love what I do, I search for new paths and try to set the scene for my own thing".

Spoken like a true artist, and judging from Kylie's accomplishments it's apparent she's on the right path, indeed.

Chris Stapleton
Chris Stapleton was born in Lexington, KY and grew up in Staffordsville, KY. Chris taught himself to play guitar on his father’s Gibson B25. After attending a couple colleges and various jobs Chris began pursuing his music career. Chris came by Sea Gayle with a co-writer and Liz O’Sullivan asked him to send her a CD. Liz heard Chris’s potential and asked to meet with him. Chris then moved to Nashville in October, 2001 and signed a publishing deal with Sea Gayle Music that December. Less than a year later he had his first cut with “Higher Than The Wall” recorded by Patty Lovelace. Chris recently earned his first #1 song with “Your Man” recorded by Josh Turner. Chris also has had songs recorded by artists such as Gary Allan, Brad Paisley, Diamond Rio, Travis Tritt, Darryl Worley, Terri Clark, Montgomery Gentry, Julie Roberts, Trent Willmon, Jill King, Josh Turner, Lee Ann Womack, and Morgane Hayes.

Jeffery Steele
As a die-hard rockin’ performer, hit songwriter and producer, Jeffrey Steele is just getting started. With his current album ”Hell On Wheels” releasing March 2006, Jeffrey is hitting the ground running. Among his many accolades over the past few years Jeffrey has been named BMI Songwriter of the year for 2003 and NSAI writer of the year for 2003 and 2005. If that wasn’t enough BMI recently awarded Jeffrey for over 17 million airplays for hits on such artists as Montgomery Gentry, Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Trace Adkins, LeAnn Rimes, VanZant and many others.

If Jeffrey is not writing a hit song, he is probably producing or performing one! Jeffrey lent his producing skills on the Montgomery Gentry album My Town, and the recent Keith Anderson album XXL. Jeffrey is slated to produce both Keith Anderson and Montgomery Gentry’s upcoming projects for ’06. Jeffrey also spends time on the road promoting his own material and playing dates with such artists as VanZant, Delbert McClinton, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. While he is back in Nashville writing he is also running his publishing company 3 Ring Circus Music and it’s 5 hit writers who have recently enjoyed such cuts as “Help Somebody” and “Everytime I Hear Your Name.”

As Jeffrey continues to crank out the hits, whether it is on paper, behind the glass, or on stage, he is constantly looking for what’s next, “Constant friction is what it’s all about. Constant friction.” – Jeffrey Steele

Keith Stegall
Although the average country music fan may not recognize the name Keith Stegall, chances are, they’ve probably listened to, bought and enjoyed a record with Keith Stegall’s name on it. And that is just fine with Keith. As a producer and a songwriter, Keith has consistently been providing listeners with some of the best music in the world for over the past 25 years. The bare numbers are staggering: Producer and/or songwriter of over forty number one hits including a number one song in each of the past 15 years. Producer of eighteen platinum and multi-platinum albums plus seven gold albums. Producer of over 45 million records sold. Four CMA awards. Ten ACM awards. Six Grammy nominations. The list goes on . . . and on . . .

In late summer of 2003, the Stegall produced, “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett spent a staggering eight weeks at number one, making it the biggest hit of Alan Jackson’s career and Buffett’s first number one record. The song propelled Jackson’s Greatest Hits Volume 2 album to go platinum in less than three weeks and earned Keith two ACM Awards in 2004. Currently, Keith is devoting his time to songwriting and new productions from Catherine Britt (RCA Records), Whitney Duncan (Capitol Records), Alan Jackson, George Jones and others.

Billy Joe Walker, Jr.
The name Billy Joe Walker, Jr. has now become synonymous with great musicianship, great production, great song selection and success on the charts. In previous years, Billy was in high demand in the studio as a master session player both in Los Angeles and Nashville, putting his unique and powerful imprint on many gold and platinum selling albums for industry legends Glen Campbell , the Beach Boys, Ray Charles, Sir George Martin, Merle Haggard, and Hank Williams, Jr. As a producer, Billy continues to put his impressive mark on numerous gold and platinum projects from the other side of the glass.

The session work was always good, but Billy found himself wanting to stretch wanting to stretch his musical creativity even further; he wanted to produce. He began by writing, performing and producing his own new age/jazz instrumental albums for several labels including MCA, Geffen and Liberty Records. Out of seven jazz projects, Billy garnered two number one albums and four top five albums, one of which Painting Music, produced two #1 NAC singles.

Giving each project his undivided attention is not easy, but Walker is determined to carefully craft each album and remain true to the artist’s talent and sensibilities. Amazingly, he also manages to contribute as a musician to the majority of projects he oversees as a producer whether it’s an acoustic or electric guitar part, vocals or even a sitar. It’s no wonder that this consummate music professional is carving out a niche for himself as one of the industry’s most prolific producers.

Phillip White
Phillip originally from North Alabama and Amber Leigh a native Texan girl met up in Nashville, TN and became friends and co-writers. Soon after married and have become partners in their country music careers.

Fred Wilhelm
Fred Wilhelm is an award winning Songwriter / Singer now living in Nashville, Tennessee. His humorous and insightful songs have been recorded by numerous country and pop artists including Faith Hill, Rascal Flatts, Trace Adkins, The Oak Ridge Boys, Little Big Town, and American Idol’s Josh Gracin.

Originally from New England, Fred started his musical career as part of the seminal New York pop/punk band “The Astorians”. When the band disbanded, Wilhelm and guitarist Richard Pearce soldiered on as the acoustic duo “The Rails.” They put out several well-received independent albums and eventually were signed to the major label, Elektra Records/NY. After recording half an album Elektra dropped the duo.

Ready for a fresh start, Wilhelm moved to Nashville. Shortly there after he put out his acclaimed solo album “amidlife” and got his first song recorded by the then unknown, unsigned country band Rascal Flatts. Rascal Flatts have gone on to sell over 7 million albums and Fred’s songs have been recorded by numerous country and pop acts. His work also appears in a number of syndicated television programs and major motion pictures including Sundance favorite “Scotland, PA” starring Mara Tierney and Christopher Walken; “Oxygen” with Oscar winner Adrienne Brody, and “Dead Broke” with Paul Sorvino and Jill Hennessey.

In concert Fred is engaging, funny and very personal. Southeast Performer describes his performance as “poignant and soul baring.” He is the winner or a New York Music Award, Billboard Songwriting Award, BMI New Songwriter Award, and Fifth Grade Fire Prevention Poster Award.

D. Vincent Williams
A Proud Texas native, D. moved to Nashville in 1994 and, in what most would consider a short time, was signed to a major recording contract in February of 1995. While writing songs for his own project, those around him noticed a unique and undeniably identifiable style that has become a ten year success story. He has had cuts and hit records by the likes of: 

2002 “Song of The Year” I’m Movin’ On By Rascal Flatts
Randy Travis’s “Four Walls”
The new single by Steve Holy “Put Your Best Dress On” due out May 1st

Also, his many hits include:
Ty Herndon/Hands of a Working Man
Billy Gilman/Oklahoma
John Michael Montgomery/Look at Me Now
Jimmy Wayne/Just a Dream and You’re The One I’m Talking Too
The Kinleys/You’re Still Here
Reba McEntire/Room To Breathe
Mark Willis/Rich Man
John Berry/Rescued Me
Diamond Rio/You’ll Find Me

Craig Wiseman
40 million albums, 300 released songs, 90 charted singles and 13 number ones.

Even with my overactive imagination I never dreamed I would write a sentence like that when I dropped out of college and came to Nashville from Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 1985 at age 21 wanting to be a songwriter.

I spent my first few nights in town sleeping in my van while looking for the cheapest apartment in town. I had been playing drums six nights a week in the local clubs back home since just after high school and I was lucky enough to get a gig with a band in a few weeks. 25 bucks a night, 7 nights a week. All the while, trying to get someone to listen to my songs on music row.

In 1988, I wrote a song that was on Roy Orbison's triple platinum last album, Mystery Girl. By 1990 our band had worked our way up to one of the "in" night clubs, (35 bucks a night!) and Almo/Irving-Rondor music publishing offered me my first real writing deal. I tore down my drums and spent my last night in a bar.

In 1994 I began the most rewarding creative collaboration of my life, marrying my amazing wife, KK and I had my first #1 on Tracy Lawrence, "If The Good Die Young".

In 1997 I was named the Nashville Songwriters Association's writer of the year. I have had the honor of having such stars as Trisha Yearwood, Diamond Rio, Confederate Railroad, Randy Travis, Deana Carter, Trace Atkins, Lonestar, Phil Vassar, Montgomery Gentry, LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill, Kenny Rogers, Don Henley, Rascal Flatts, Brooks and Dunn, Kenny Chesney, and Tim McGraw record my stuff. Wow, another amazing sentence.

In 2004 I was in tears as I accepted the awards for ASCAP songwriter of the year and song of the year, Kenny Chesney's "The Good Stuff". A few weeks earlier I had opened my own publishing company "Big Loud Shirt Industries". This new exciting chapter began with Tim McGraw recording one of my company's first songs "Live Like You Were Dying". God is great.

LLYWD went on the win 2004 CMA song and single of the year- 2005 ACM song and single of the year and 2005 Grammy for best country song. (whew!)

Needless to say, I'm one of the luckiest people in the world and most of the time I try to be the happiest. I'm looking forward to being a publisher working with young writers and watching as this amazing town takes them on their own impossibly crazy journeys.

I'm going to quit talking about myself now and go look for another rhyme for love.

God Bless

Andi Zack
A British Columbia native, Andi Zack, left Canada in 2001 to pursue a career in music in Nashville, leaving behind a job as a cartoon voice-over. Since then, Andi has garnered cuts with Danielle Peck, Cory Ryan, Susan Gorman and is writing with major and independent artists across the board. In February 2006, Andi signed her first publishing deal with Ash Street Music. Look for Andi in the not to distant future.