Meet the Troubadours
Marla Cannon-Goodman
Marla Cannon-Goodman, a talented songwriter from Kingston Springs, Tennessee, grew up surrounded by the pulse of country music. Inspired by her father’s (Buddy Cannon) work, Marla soon found her own voice in the country music scene and quickly became one of the genre’s most respected hit-makers.
Her songwriting credits include George Strait, Eddie Arnold, Eric Church, Billy Currington, Mindy Smith, Kenny Chesney, and Sara Evans, among others. Her chart-topping hits include Lee Ann Womack’s number-one smash “The Fool,” Tracy Byrd’s “Ten Rounds With José Cuervo,” and Rodney Atkins’ “Cleaning This Gun,” which also reached the top spot on the charts. Marla also co-wrote Blake Shelton’s top-15 hit single “Don’t Make Me.”
Marla’s success has extended beyond commercial hits, as her work has appeared on notable albums such as the Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard duet album *Django and Jimmie*, where her song “Unfair Weather Friend” was featured. This recognition highlights her ability to craft songs that resonate deeply within the country music community, earning her a place among the genre’s most-beloved songwriters.
Brice Long
Brice has enjoyed a successful 25+ year music career. As a songwriter he has had over 175 of his songs cut with artists such as Garth Brooks, George Strait, Chris Stapleton, Hank Williams Jr, Randy Houser, Josh Turner, Reba McEntire, Gary Allan, Cody Johnson, Chris Young, Jon Pardi, Lainey Wilson, Casey James, Randy Travis, John Michael Montgomery, Porter Wagoner and many more.
Brice’s songwriting hits include the #1 singles “Heartache On The Dance Floor” by Jon Pardi and “Nothing On But The Radio” by Gary Allan. Randy Houser’s “Like a Cowboy”,a song that also garnered Brice a CMA nomination for Song of the Year. Other recent hits include Randy Houser’s debut single, “Anything Goes”, “Today” from Gary Allan, Casey James’ “Let’s Don’t Call It A Night” and Jon Pardi’s, “What I Can’t Put Down”.
Brice Long is signed to Sony Music Publishing. He is a native of Hopkinsville, KY. His music is available wherever digital music is streamed and sold.
Pam Tillis
As the daughter of Country Music Royalty, Pam Tillis was determined from a young age to find her own way in music as a singer and songwriter. After many false starts with her own recording career, including a pop single on Elektra and 1984’s “Above And Beyond The Doll Of Cutey” for Warner Brothers, Tillis came to the attention of Tim Dubois who headed up the Nashville office of Arista records. After much soul searching, Tillis made the commitment to make an honest country record. The album “Put Yourself In My Place” yielded 2 number ones, 2 top five singles, and one top twenty hits and in its first year the album was certified gold. Tillis followed with 3 platinum albums on Arista “Homeward Looking Angel” in 1992, “Sweethearts Dance” in 1994 and an Arista “Greatest Hits” in 1997. Tillis achieved 6 number 1 songs during this time including “Shake the Sugar Tree”, “Mi Vida Loca”, “When You Walk In The Room”, “In Between Dances” “Don’t Tell Me What To Do” and “Maybe It Was Memphis” while 14 of Pam’s other singles landed in the top ten and top twenty.
Aaron Raitiere
Aaron Raitiere is a lyricist, performer, and visual artist from Central Kentucky. He is highly sought after in the Nashville songwriting community for his unique ability to coax coherent and focused creative output from his co-writers.
Raitiere is a 2023 Grammy Nominee (Lindeville, Ashley McBryde) and 2019 Grammy winner for his song “I’ll Never Love Again” performed by Lady Gaga in the movie “A Star Is Born.” He has also successfully collaborated with artists such as Lainey Wilson (“4x4xU), Ella Langley (“you look like you love me” feat. Riley Green and “Country Boy’s Dream Girl”), Bob Weir from The Grateful Dead, Paul Cauthen, Anderson East, Colby Acuff, Wyatt Flores, Luke Grimes, Maggie Antone, The Steel Woods, Randy Rogers, Wade Bowen, Red Shahan, The Oak Ridge Boys, Robert Randolph, Whiskey Myers, Midland, Montgomery Gentry, Miranda Lambert, Travis Tritt, Brent Cobb, Ashley Monroe, Randy Rogers, Lori McKenna, Shooter Jennings, Natalie Hemby, Ed Sheeran, Avicii, and many others.
Mark Nesler
Mark Nesler writes honest, heartfelt country songs in the spirit of the country music greats. Artists that have benefited from his songwriting talent are George Strait and Tim McGraw in particular. McGraw had a six week #1 single with the Nesler penned song “Just to See You Smile” on his multi-platinum selling “Everywhere” album. George Strait has two #1 singles, thanks to the songwriting talent of Mark Nesler: “Go On” and “Living And Living Well.” Nesler also co-wrote Darryl Worley’s #1 hit, “I Miss My Friend.” Other hit singles include: “For You I Will”- Aaron Tippin, “Heaven In My Women’s Eyes” and “Just Let Me Be In Love”- Tracy Byrd, “Why, Why, Why”- Billy Currington, American Idol finalist Bucky Covington’s debut single, “A Different World,” and Keith Urban’s #1 single release, “You Look Good In My Shirt.” He also wrote Billy Currington’s #1 hit, “Let Me Down Easy” and Josh Turner’s hit, “Time Is Love”, Billboard’s most played country single of 2012. Mark continues to write every day and is one of Nashville’s most successful and respected songwriters and artists.
Josh Phillips
Josh Phillips is a multi-platinum songwriter originally from Sanford, NC. Voted one of Music Row’s 2022 “Songwriters To Watch”, Josh has been on a roll ever since he moved to Nashville in 2015. With songs like “Small Town Small” and “Over You” (Jason Aldean), “Outlaw” and “Angels Working Overtime” (Luke Combs), the nationally praised “Dirt Cheap” (Cody Johnson) that he wrote by hisself, and almost 100 other songs recorded by todays biggest artists, Josh is full steam ahead. Today, Josh, his wife, and their 3 children reside outside of Nashville, in a small town. where they get to live out the words in the songs he writes.
Erik Dylan
A frequent collaborator to Luke Combs and Riley Green, Dylan contributed to Combs’ record-breaking album What You See Is What You Get & “Joe” featured on Combs’ current album, Gettin Old. He also co-wrote Green’s No. 1 hit “There Was This Girl”, most recent radio single “If It Wasn’t For Trucks” & current single “Damn Good Day to Leave”. The Kansas native also has songs recorded by Parker McCollum, Brantley Gilbert, Elvie Shane, Ashland Craft, Warren Zeiders, Eric Paslay, Kip Moore, Trisha Yearwood, Dustin Lynch, Justin Moore, Eli Young Band, Josh Abbott Band, Hailey Whitters, Brent Cobb, Cody Johnson and more.
Wyatt McCubbin
Wyatt McCubbin is a Nashville-based singer-songwriter from Ohio whose music blends classic country, blues, and soul into a modern yet timeless sound. As a former teen radio DJ, he built early ties to the traditional country scene before moving to Music City and signing a publishing deal with Tape Room Music and 50 Egg Music . He’s penned songs recorded by established artists like Dustin Lynch, Cody Johnson, Tracy Lawrence, Riley Green, Brent Cobb, and Zach Top , and has opened for legends such as Merle Haggard, George Jones, Charlie Daniels, and Lainey Wilson . Wyatt’s storytelling is rooted in soulful authenticity—drawing from his years on the radio, his songwriting craft, and formative experiences on the road—and shows through in fan-favorite singles like “I Can’t Count That High” and “Honky Damn Tonk”
Phillip White
Phillip White is an Academy of Country Music award winning and Grammy winning songwriter and producer that has spent the last 20 plus years writing songs for some of the biggest artists in the business. George Strait, Luke Bryan, Chris Ledoux, Vince Gill, Darius Rucker, Reba, Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts, and Jake Owens are some of the artists that have recorded Phillip's work. Among these include the 2003 ACM Song of the Year "I'm Movin' On", The Theme song for Reba's self titled hit TV show "I'm A Survivor" and Blake Shelton's "Nobody But Me."
Over the past couple decades he's been published by some of music row's most respected publishers including stops at Murrah Music, Disney, Universal, Sea Gayle, and Spirit Music.
As a performer, White has played some of the most legendary venues in the nation, including the Ryman Auditorium,The Grand Ol Opry House, The Station Inn, The Louisiana Hayride, The Bluebird Cafe, The Disney Theater, and The Florida Theater just to name a few.
Emma Zinck
Emma Zinck is a dynamic force in the world of “Electric Country,” and an artist on the rise in the Nashville music scene. Known for her powerhouse vocals, magnetic stage presence, and genre-blurring style, Emma is making waves with her bold approach to country music.
Her talent didn’t go unnoticed for long—she signed her first production deal with Tatum Town through #1 hit songwriter Bridgette Tatum (“She’s Country” by Jason Aldean), who recognized Emma’s potential as both an artist and a collaborator.
In addition to her own artistry, Emma has had the unique opportunity to perform alongside some of the biggest names in country music. She has played guitar and sung backup vocals for Lainey Wilson, the 2022 ACM Entertainer of the Year, further cementing her place within the industry as a sought-after talent.
Her ability to connect emotionally with her audience, coupled with her unique vocal ability, has made her a standout in the country and crossover music scenes.
a girl named jo
a girl named jo was named to Rolling Stone’s 10 New Artists You Need to Know in 2017 and CMT’s Next Women of Country 2018, making her Grand Ole Opry debut in 2013, and becoming a Highway Find on Sirius XM’s The Highway in 2017. jo was the opening act on Blake Shelton’s All About Tonight Tour, Chris Young and Thomas Rhett’s Liquid Neon Tour, and Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley’s Locked and Reloaded Tour. After moving to Montana in 2020, jo released her first independent project Wyoming, featuring Vince Gill on the title track. As “Wyoming” attests, jo has “been able to keep ahold of that traditional timeless thing that makes music last.” Her music possesses a timeless beauty that grows out of uncanny ability to tell stories that balance the emotional depths of traditional country and soul with a deep desire to deliver songs passionately to fans searching for songs that express universal feelings of longing, loss, hope, and love.
Jordyn Shellhart
Like a coming-of-age novel chronicling the heroine's passage from childhood to womanhood, singer/songwriter Jordyn Shellhart's 12-track Primrose ventures from joyful to introspective, providing intimate yet vivid glimpses into the Wyoming-native's most formative moments and milestones. Although her first full album for Warner Music Nashville, its refinement and sophistication stems from more than a decade as a signed writer, earning cuts by Little Big Town, Kelsea Ballerini, Cody Johnson and Don Williams. Whether asking "Who Are You Mad At," crooning over not the loss of a lover but of their mother in "Tell Your Mother I'm Fine" or the retrospective "Maybe Someday You'll Have A Daughter," Shellhart's Primrose is the first chapter in what is sure to be a storied career.
Stephanie Chapman
Stephanie Chapman is a singer and songwriter whose lyrics employ many of the scenes from her pastoral childhood in rural West Virginia to form a painterly landscape in story and song. Stephanie credits this fertile soil and her dad’s eclectic taste in music with shaping her song style.
In 2001 a fortuitous meeting in Normandy, France led to 22 years of marriage and musical collaboration with her husband Nathan Chapman. A Nashville-born son of Steve and Annie Chapman, revered and celebrated Christian singer songwriters, Nathan had decided to leave the music industry in his past until he met his wife and they formed a duo, got a record deal and started recorded music together.
Stephanie’s songs seem to keep finding homes with some of the best artists in music and now she has had songs recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Ricky Skaggs and Sharon White, Eric Church, Mickey Guyton, Martina McBride, and Lady A and more. After a long absence on music row to tend to her three children she is set to release a full-length album called Under An August Sky on May 24th.
Nathan Chapman
Three-time Grammy awarding winning producer and songwriter Nathan Chapman is a rarity in Music City. He produced a multi-platinum selling album on a brand new artist, Taylor Swift, his first time at bat. All five of Taylor's albums (Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, and 1989) have solidified Nathan's place among the great producer/artist combinations in music history. Mickey Guyton, Shy Carter, Thompson Square, The Band Perry, Lionel Richie, Shania Twain, Keith Urban, and Lady A are just some of the artists Nathan has worked with. He's had 17 number ones as a producer. Nathan has written songs recorded by Lady A, Kesha, Avicii, Michael Bublé, Phillip Phillips, Kylie Minogue, Michael Ray, Dan and Shay, Eric Paslay, Martina McBride, Colbie Caillat, Lauren Alaina, Sara Evans, Shy Carter, Karley Scott Collins, Rascal Flatts, Lea Michelle, Jake Owen, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Darius Rucker to name a few. His first number one as a songwriter was "Homegrown Honey" by Darius Rucker, cowritten with Darius Rucker and Charles Kelley.
Jason Reeves
Jason Reeves is a Grammy nominated mulit-platinum singer-songwriter, musician and producer. He has co-written 40 songs recorded by Colbie Caillat, most notably the international hits “Bubbly”, “Realize”, “I Never Told You” and “Try”. Jason was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammys for Cailatts second album “Breakthrough”, which also debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart.
Other notable collaborations include “The Show” by Lenka (which was featured in the film Moneyball as well as being Sony/ATV’s most synched song in 2009), “Terrified” the duet with Katharine McPhee that Reeves wrote with Kara DioGuardi, “Imagine If” by gnash, “Always You” by Louis Tomlinson from One Direction, and the song “Higher” from Michael Buble’s Grammy winning album “Higher.”
As a solo artist Reeves has released 7 albums and 3 EPs and was also in the pop duo High Dive Heart with his wife Nelly Joy and the Nashville based band Gone West.
Nelly Joy
Grammy nominated singer/songwriter/producer Nelly Joy has had songs recorded by Kelly Clarkson, Big & Rich, Colbie Caillat, Jesse & Joy, Kylie Morgan, Leah Marie Mason, Rachel Wammack, The Mowglis and more. As a songwriter she broke records with the song "That's Why I Pray" recorded by Big & Rich (Highest debut by a duo in the Nielsen BDS era, at No. 24 with the Hot Shot Debut). Nelly Joy was nominated for “Song Of The Year” at the Latin Grammy’s for “Ecos De Amor” by Jesse & Joy which has over 800 million streams worldwide. Nelly Joy has also had songs featured on ABC’s “GCB”, NBC’s “The Chase”, “The Today Show”, “CNBC”, “Hart Of Dixie”, “Jimmy Kimmel”, “Bunheads” and Hallmark’s “Branching Out”.
As an artist, Nelly is most recently part of the band Gone West, which has accumulated over 100 million streams world wide. Their debut album “Canyons”, which she co-produced and engineered, debuted at #1 on the Country iTunes Charts as well as #3 out of all genres on the iTunes Charts.
Greg Bates
Greg Bates is a rare find these days in the music business. A Nashville native, Greg is a multi-talented songwriter, producer, singer, and guitarist with a resumé that includes songs cut by Chase Rice, Justin Moore, Montgomery Gentry, Tyler Booth, and William Michael Morgan.
His time as an artist on Republic Nashville, highlighted by his Top 5 hit “Did It For the Girl”, gives Greg a perspective that few writers possess. His deep roots in traditional country music, as well as his love of hit, contemporary radio has led to amazing collaborations with some of the best young talent in Nashville today.