A brilliant songwriter and innovative producer, Gordie Sampson is no stranger to the music scene. Raised in the community of Big Pond (pop. 47), near the rugged, edge-of-the-world coastlines of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Sampson’s songwriting has taken him across the globe. But besides the island he hails from, there might be no place in his story more important than Nashville, Tennessee, where he lives now with his family. He moved to Music City in 2005, and in less than a year Carrie Underwood had recorded his own “Jesus, Take The Wheel,” which wound up at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for six weeks in a row and won Gordie a Grammy for Best Country Song of the Year. Since then, Sampson’s songs have been cut by a long list of established artists that includes Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, Rascal Flatts, Hunter Hayes and Scott Helman and by young up-and-comers like Carly Pearce, Caylee Hammack and Tenille Townes. It was a winding road to get here. He tore up the stage in high school and afterwards with his early bands, did time playing and producing for fiddlin’ phenom Ashley MacIsaac, toured with The Rankin Family, and was part of Canadian folk music icon Rita MacNeil’s group on her weekly CBC show Rita and Friends. Sampson’s straight-to-the-heart tunes benefit from the weight of his expressive voice on his own records, and his 1999 album Stones garnered a Juno Award nomination for Best Roots & Traditional Album. Although he doesn’t often take on outside projects, he’s also recently served as producer for records by The East Pointers and Port Cities. Gordie heads back home to Canada every summer to spend time with family and friends in his beloved Cape Breton and to perform in the Maritimes, where enthusiastic audiences welcome him, year after year. Since 2010-2019 he ran The Gordie Sampson Songcamp, a retreat that gives young songwriters the opportunity to develop their skills and build relationships with their peers, and promotes learning in pursuit of artistic excellence. Numerous Songcampers, including Mo Kenney, T. Thomason, and the members of roots/pop group Port Cities have gone on to build their own successful musical careers. A brilliant writer, an innovative producer, a dynamic on-stage presence, and a mentor to emerging writers, Gordie’s musical genius and generosity is applauded by audiences and industry players alike.    

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). ​ 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. 

Julia Hutchinson is an 18 year old singer/songwriter from Boston that loves making music. She now attends Belmont University.