Nashville/Grammy Award Winner Songwriters

Let us stage a "Nashville" Comes to Your Town" Songwriters Gathering with Grammy Award Winners!


Our songwriters can come to your corporate, charity, or private event and entertain by telling stories and playing the hit songs they have written for the top stars in country music. Click on any of their photos to link to their fan pages.

For additional details and information on booking your very own Songwriters Gathering, click and contact Brent Maher or John Reger, Jr., PGA 



Mark Selby and Tia Sillers

It’s hard to imagine a happier or more successful musical couple than the husband-wife team of Mark Selby and Tia Sillers. As songwriters they’ve penned over twenty hit singles, including the Dixie Chicks’ Grammy-winning #1 “There’s Your Trouble” and Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s “Blue on Black,” which spent 17 weeks at number one and was named Billboard Magazine’s Rock Track of the Year.

Tia’s discography also includes hits for country icons like Alan Jackson and Trisha Yearwood, but she’s perhaps best known as the writer of the life-affirming anthem “I Hope You Dance,” a multiple award-winning country and pop hit in North America and Europe; she’s also written several best-selling books based on the song.



Clay Mills

Mississippi Delta native Clay Mills’ list of accolades is quite impressive. Ten-time ASCAP awards winning songwriter/producer, penning #1 hits for Darius Rucker (“Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It”), Diamond Rio (“Beautiful Mess”), and Kimberley Locke (“Fall”). Along the way collecting Grammy Nominations for “Beautiful Mess” and Trisha Yearwood’s “Heaven Heartache and the Power of Love”.

Clay has had over 75 songs recorded by artists such as Lady Antebellum, Trisha Yearwood, Clay Walker, Reba McEntire, Easton Corbin, Andy Griggs, and many other. Clay’s most recent hits include Darius Rucker’s “History In The Making” and “I Got Nothing”


Billy Montana

Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Billy Montana’s talent for tapping into powerful emotions in the songs that he writes has led to a string of hits and awards for some of country music’s biggest stars. 
Montana’s "Number 1" credits include Garth Brooks’ record-breaking single, “More Than A Memory”, Sara Evans’ smash “Suds in the Bucket”, the Grammy-nominated “Bring On the Rain”, recorded by Jo Dee Messina, and his most recent chart topper "Hard To Love," the title cut from Curb recording artist Lee Brice's 2012 CD. 



J. Fred Knobloch

His list of cuts include artists such as Faith Hill, George Strait, Delbert McClinton, Etta James, Ray Charles, The Wilkinsons, Lorrie Morgan, John Anderson, Trisha Yearwood, Larry Stewart, Neal McCoy, Confederate Railroad, Sawyer Brown, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Kenny Rogers. J. Fred has also composed for TV and movies with songs appearing on Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210, as well as the feature films "Next of Kin" and "In Country". Well, you get the picture....he's finally found a job!

J. Fred Knobloch, a Jackson, Mississippi native, has been performing since the age of thirteen when he and some friends formed a band to play at school "sock hops." After a few more bands, vans, night clubs, managers, agents, motels, demo sessions, night clubs, jam sessions, hotels, night clubs,....well, you get the picture--he finally found a job.

In 1973, J. Fred left school to play music full-time; he began performing solo at night clubs across the south and landed a few dates as a session guitarist at MALACO Studios in Jackson. While working for such R&B notables as Dorothy Moore, Eddie Floyd and Anita Ward, he met drummer James Stroud and pianist Carson Whitsett; it was Whitsett who encouraged his writing and performing and in 1980 it all paid off with "WHY NOT ME". Co-written with Whitsett and produced by James Stroud, J. Fred reached #1 on the Billboard AC chart and # 18 on HOT 100.

On the heels of that success, Fred moved to Los Angeles and over the next two years had two Top Ten country singles with "Killin' Time", a duet with Susan Anton, and a re-make of the Chuck Berry classic, "Memphis". But it wasn't long before the South started calling him home and he relocated to Nashville in January of 1983.



Keni Thomas

“Use the gifts you have been given. Do what feeds your spirit, because when you do, the world around you becomes a better place. And you have made a difference.” You can see it in his eyes, you can hear it in his music; Keni Thomas can’t hide his passion for living,and his mission in life is crystal clear.Whether standing on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry or entertaining the troops on a tiny outpost in the Afghani mountains, the southern country-rocker is indeed using his God-given gifts to deliver a message through his words and his music. His undeniable charisma and tremendous talent as a singer, songwriter and performer have firmly established him as one of country music’s brightest new stars.
A dynamic live performer, Keni and his band, Cornbread, tour steadily both nationally and abroad opening for top artists like Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Trace Atkins, Montgomery Gentry and Wynonna. They have traveled for years to the Middle East, volunteering their time as part of the USO’s “Hope and Freedom” holiday show. Keni and Cornbread even made the jump to Hollywood as the featured band in the Disney/Touchstone blockbuster, “Sweet Home Alabama”. Recently, Keni co-starred with Louis CK on the hit sitcom “Louie” in a critically acclaimed episode called “The Duckling”
More than a gifted musician, Keni possesses an exceptional personal story that is uniquely inspiring. He is a decorated combat veteran of the elite 75th Ranger Rgt special operations unit. As a military analyst, he has made numerous appearances on every major television network including a featured story on Good Morning America and specials on The History and Discovery channels. He is regularly booked as a keynote speaker for corporations and organizations around the nation sharing his motivating story of teamwork and leadership.

Keni’s dedicated work on behalf of our veterans has been recognized by Congress and the National Defense Foundation.  Keni Thomas is the recipient of the American Patriot Award, The Carlton Sherwood Media Award and the bronze star for valor.



Brent Maher

 A six-time Grammy Award winner, Brent Maher has become one of Nashville’s most successful and critically acclaimed producers and hit songwriters. Maher’s accomplishments include over 20 number one singles, numerous top ten singles and a wide array of platinum and multi-platinum selling albums. His credits read as a “Who’s Who” of recording artists including The Judds, Shelby Lynne, Nickel Creek, Wynonna, Kenny Rogers, Jo Dee Messina, Kathy Mattea, Ray Charles, Olivia Newton-John, Dave Loggins, Dottie West, Ike & Tina Turner and many more. Recently, Maher engineered the Grammy award-winning album “The Last of the Breed” with Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard & Ray Price.

One of Maher's many successes as a producer came as a result of his discovering The Judds and developing their now famous acoustic country sound. He produced all ten of The Judds’ records, with additional production credits including Kathy Mattea’s Grammy winning release Good News and Shelby Lynne’s critically acclaimed big band project “Temptation”. Teaming up again with Wynonna, Maher produced her platinum album, The Other Side. He also produced the Kenny Rogers’ come back hits, “The Greatest” and “Buy Me A Rose.” Brent also mixed the Oscar-winning soundtrack for the Robert Duval film “Tender Mercies” and produced the title track, which was nominated for an Oscar.
On the International music scene, records that Maher produced on Canadian artist Johnny Reid have received wide acclaim and international awards. In 2009, Reid received CCMA awards for Album of the Year and Best Selling Canadian Album. In 2010, Reid took home CCMA awards for Single of the Year and Best Selling Canadian Album. And, in 2011, Reid again won a CCMA award for Best Selling Canadian Album. In addition, he also won a Juno award for Album Of The Year. Maher also produced the current independent release from Irish artist Gareth Dunlop, who recently received the 2011 Young Songwriter of the Year award from the Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival. Maher developed and produced the Grammy nominated debut from Bering Strait, a young band comprised of seven Russian musical prodigies. The band’s music and story was covered by 60 Minutes and inspired an award-winning documentary.

As a songwriter, Maher’s accomplishments include numerous number one singles. Maher has received over thirty awards from ASCAP and the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). He received Song of the Year by the Academy of Country Music for the Judds’ career making single, “Why Not Me.” Maher’s bluesy, country songs became a signature sound for The Judds as he went on to write a string of hits, including “Girls Night Out,” “Rockin’ With The Rhythm Of The Rain,” “Born To Be Blue” and many others. His other hit singles include “Some Kind Of Trouble,” (Tanya Tucker), “Lesson In Leavin’ (Jo Dee Messina), “When Love Starts Talkin’” (Wynonna) and many other recordings by artists including Tina Turner, Kenny Rogers, Dottie West, Carl Perkins, Jo Dee Messina, Wynonna, Collin Raye, and Shelby Lynne.

Brent Maher’s engineering credits include all of the projects he has produced along with a diverse group of artists that include Ike & Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary,” Roy Orbison, Diana Ross & the Supremes, Faces, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Sammy Davis Jr., Gladys Knight, Merle Haggard and the Strangers, Glen Campbell/ Tanya Tucker, Sly and the Family Stone and many others. Maher also engineered Elvis’ last number one hit “Way Down.”









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