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The Hits Start Here - Music City's songwriter industry is revealed and revered in the June issue of Spirit magazine. Read it here.

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FEATURED SONGWRITERS

Leslie Satcher
Leslie Satcher is a fifth generation Texan. The daughter of a strong-hearted single mother and granddaughter of cotton sharecroppers, she is no stranger to hard work and perseverance. Born in 1962 where the Chisolm Trail and the Red River cross, Leslie grew up singing in the churches and schools of Paris, Texas. In 1989, during a short trip to Nashville, a friend prompted Leslie to record her voice over the tracks of country standards at The Barbara Mandrell Museum. That was all it took. Just four weeks later she moved to Nashville. After several "day jobs" in Music City, Leslie's talent as a songwriter was recognized by a friend from church who encouraged her to show her work to friends Larry Strickland and Naomi Judd. It was Naomi who helped her hone her skills. After a Sunday night show at the world famous Bluebird Cafe, Leslie teamed with father and son songwriters Max D. and Max T. Barnes. A writing contract with Island Bound Music ensued. Seven years of cuts by artists such as Joe Diffie, Sara Evans, Lee Ann Womack, Wade Hayes, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Pam Tillis, and Willie Nelson helped Leslie take the next step in her career. Jim Ed Norman of Warner Brothers Records Nashville gave her the chance to record her first project Love Letters. The critically-acclaimed album established her as one of the leading singer/songwriters in country music today. Leslie recently released her second album Creation and is continuing to pen songs for other artists at Sony Tree ATV, including George Strait's current hit single "Troubadour."

 

James Dean Hicks
At the tender age of 10 James Dean Hicks began performing with Grand Ole Opry greats like Ernest Tubb and Hank Snow, and by age 13 he had opened shows for Conway Twitty, George Jones and Tammy Wynette. But, Hicks laid his music performance career aside at age 16 to enjoy his youth. After graduating college he then moved to Nashville to pursue his dream of becoming a professional artist and songwriter.

Hicks has had five No. 1 hits and numerous awards since that time. Over 160 of his songs have been recorded by some of country music's legends, including Charlie Daniels, Crystal Gayle, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and Conway Twitty. He's also had songs cut by John Michael Montgomery, Neal McCoy, Collin Raye, Lorrie Morgan, Bryan White, and pop superstars, Aaron Neville and Tony Rich.

Hicks wrote "Sweet Kisses," the title cut for Jessica Simpson's recent album, as well as "Life is a Party" by teen heartthrob Aaron Carter. He has current cuts by Lonestar, Kenny Chesney, John McLaughlin, Jon Wolf, Emerson Drive, Rissi Palmer, a Reba/Vince duet, and is completing work on a new song for the musical American Mall. He's also had songs featured in the films "Rugrats Go To Paris," "Deep Impact," "Killer Movie" and the British short film "STAR."

As a recording artist, he has had a No. 1 video in Australia and has two critically-acclaimed CDs. He performs over 230 shows each year and has produced many other artists, for both indie and major labels.

Marv Green
A Southern California native, Marv Green moved to Nashville in 1993 and captured his first No. 1 hit in 1998 with "True," recorded by George Strait. The following year he scored his second No. 1 with "Amazed" recorded by Lonestar which spent a record-breaking eight weeks at the top of the Billboard chart. Green was honored by BMI with their Song of the Year award in 2000 and honored again in 2001 as BMI Songwriter of the Year. Marv also claimed the ACM Song of the Year for "Amazed" as well as a Grammy nomination.

Recently, Green collected his third No. 1 song with "It Just Comes Natural" recorded by George Strait and his fourth No. 1 with the Carrie Underwood single "Wasted." He currently has a single out with Brooks & Dunn titled "Proud Of The House We Built."

Marv, who is published by Warner Chappell, has written for several other country artists including Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Andy Griggs, Mark Chesnutt, Jo Dee Messina, Sara Evans, Martina McBride, Kellie Pickler and Brad Paisley.