With almost three decades in the music business Mark Sanders has forged a resplendent career from his innumerable successes and accomplishments as a songwriter.

As one of the most respected and honored songwriters in Nashville, Sanders has compiled an extensively impressive list of hits that have yielded a career that is nothing short of amazing. Since his beginnings on Music Row, Sanders has accumulated a multitude of awards from respected publications including Nashville Songwriter’s Association International, Billboard Magazine, Music Row Magazine and American Songwriter Magazine. In addition to these awards, Sanders has also received numerous industry honors including four Country Music Association Triple Play Awards (three No. 1’s in a twelve month period), ASCAP’s 1997 Song of the Year, “No News” and Writer of the Year awards, the 2000 CMA Song of the Year for “I Hope You Dance” and the 2001 Grammy for Country Song of the Year, also for “I Hope You Dance.”
 

 “Mark is the kind of writer who deserves to be worked for--through his unassuming ways, he pushes his team to work with him,” says Cox. “He has a distinctive way of motivating and guiding people…deliberately, yet subtly, challenging himself and those around him.”

Since joining Larga Vista, Sanders has been enjoying success with numerous cuts by major label artists including Josh Turner (“Loretta Lynn’s Lincoln”), 

Joe Nichols (“That’s What Love Will Get You”), Jeff Bates (“Hands On Man”), Shawn Camp (“Waitin’ For The Day To Break,” “Hotwired” and “Tulsa Sounds Like Trouble To Me”), Kathy Mattea (“Hurt Some”) and Lori McKenna (“Leaving This Life” and “Drinkin’ Problem”). 

Sanders has been able to expand upon his brilliance as a songwriter and allow it to translate, quite lucratively, to other mediums. The astounding success of “I Hope You Dance” inspired a book by the same name, penned by Sanders and fellow songwriter Tia Sillers. Sanders has since authored three more books, one of which is a children’s book, all focusing on themes of inspiration, hope and joy. 

As one of ASCAP’s and Nashville’s most celebrated songwriters and creative forces, Sanders is continuing to plug away as if the golden career he’s already achieved is something that is still looming on the horizon in front of him. He’s pushing on toward greatness while the title is already upon him.

“Mark is absolutely one of the most extraordinary songwriters I’ve ever had the privilege to work with,” Cox says. “I’ve had some great teachers and mentors, but he’s been the greatest.

It is a rare creative soul who can work at the highest artistic levels in two distinct disciplines. Ray Stephenson has just this kind of soul.

Wildly literate, utterly artistic, impossibly ambitious, absolutely a slave to his art, the South Georgian is completely committed to the truth. He is a world class  songwriter, recording artist, an intensely captivating live singer, guitar player, record producer & virtuoso painter. Add in the ability to express the uniquely personal in a universal way, and you have a true artist. 

Ray Stephenson does exactly that in his paintings, his songwriting & his performances. 

As a musician, Ray Stephenson is a Grammy Award winning, Platinum selling singer/songwriter from Nashville, TN. His successes include winning CCMA Songwriter of the Year in 2013, writing the title track of Kenny Chesney’s album Hemingway’s Whiskey, and writing the Blake Shelton/Miranda Lambert duo and album title track, Red River Blue. Both reached #1 on the Billboard Album Charts and were certified Platinum. Some of the most revered and iconic legends in Country Music have recorded his music, including Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Merle Haggard. He’s been a part of 4 Grammy nominated projects and 1 Grammy winning project (Guy Clark’s final recording, My Favorite Picture Of You, which brought home the Grammy “Best Folk Album” in 2015).

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As a painter, Ray's paintings are hanging in the homes of collectors like Willie Nelson and Oprah Winfrey.  In 2012, Ray became the Official Painter of the Monsters of Rock Tour. He’s been featured at the Bluebird Cafe, Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville Airport, the Country Music Hall of Fame ,Gaylord Hotels, Aloft Hotel, 3rd and Lyndsley, CMT and Two Old Hippies. He's had feature articles in Nashville Arts & Southwest Georgia Living magazines.

His paintings explore his love of color, texture, music & nature. Ray’s artistic influences are found in the paintings of Odd Nerdrum, Gustav Klimpt, Rembrandt and Andrew Wyeth. His fine art is highly sought after by art collectors & is a part of several prestigious private collections. He has exhibited his work in Nashville, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Atlanta, & the US Virgin islands.