Tia Sillers’ landmark song “I Hope You Dance," initially recorded by Lee Ann Womack, struck an emotional chord with listeners and received national exposure on Oprah and through articles in Newsweek and the New York Times. It was even performed at the Nobel Prize awards ceremony and eventually went on to win every conceivable award including the Grammy, CMA, ACM, NSAI, ASCAP, and BMI Song of the Year. The song also enjoyed success in Europe and South America in a version recorded by popular international artist Ronan Keating, and a version by Gladys Knight was featured in the Tyler Perry film The Family That Preys. However, Tia is far from a one-hit wonder having penned hit songs for numerous other artists, including the #1 smashes "That'd Be Alright," recorded by Alan Jackson, and "There's Your Trouble," recorded by The Dixie Chicks.

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Crossing genres, Tia has achieved success with a variety of artists including established rocker Kenny Wayne Shepherd, with whom she has written multiple hits, including the top five songs "Last Goodbye”, "Was" and the #1 smash "Blue On Black", which not only held the top spot on the rock charts for seventeen weeks but was also the 1998 Billboard Rock Song of the Year. Tia was nominated for ten Canadian CMA awards in 2009 for her work with Canadian artistsJohnny Reid, Crystal Shawanda, and Victoria Banks. Other artists who have recorded Tia's songs include Martina McBride, Randy Travis, Trace Adkins, Trisha Yearwood, Diamond Rio, Wynonna, Patty Loveless, and Sister Hazel.

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.

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 earned 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, Dan + Shay, Hunter Hayes and Caitlyn Smith 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, - his 1999 album Stones garnered a Juno Award nomination for Best Roots & Traditional Album and he has won numerous East Coast Music Awards.   Although he doesn’t often take on outside projects, he has appeared as a 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.  From 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, the members of roots/pop group Port Cities, Dave Sampson and Kyle Mischiek (Sunsetto)  have gone on to build their own successful musical careers.