GOLD STAR MENTORS™
Changing Lives, One Guitar at a time.
Mentors
Brett Jones
With 150 major label recordings overall, Brett Jones has recently achieved rare status in country music by having number one records in each of the past three decades. Milestones include writing credits for fourteen top 10 singles and seven #1 songs to date. Over 300 songs writing credit belong to Brett Jones and he has recorded multiple albums as an artist in his own right. Billy Currington, Jason Aldean, Montgomery Gentry, Neal McCoy, Tracy Lawrence, Reba McEntire, Lee Ann Womack have all recorded Brett Jones’ songs throughout the decades.
Brice Long
Brice has enjoyed a successful 25+ year music career. As a songwriter he has had over 100 of his songs cut with artists such as Garth Brooks, George Strait, Chris Stapleton, Hank Williams Jr, Randy Houser, Josh Turner, Reba McEntire, Gary Allan, Cody Johnson, Chris Young, Jon Pardi, The Grascals, Casey James, Darryl Worley, Randy Travis, Gretchen Wilson, John Michael Montgomery, Porter Wagoner and many more.
Chris Parker
With a sound best described as live-in-your-head melodies driven by big pop/punk guitar riffs all living in an old acoustic guitar, his songwriting style has both the familiar story-telling craft of a country song, while racing through the free thought and melodic pulses of pop radio. In the CD player of his old 1980 Dodge Powerwagon you’ll still find a burned CD with Jimmy Eat World next to George Strait, and The Used next to Tim McGraw, a fitting tribute to all his unique influences.
Danny Wells
Danny Wells is recognized for the #1 hits, Check Yes or No recorded by George Strait, These Days recorded by Rascal Flatts and Couldn’t Last a Moment by Collin Raye. Some of Danny’s other hits include This Everyday Love and While You Loved Me, both recorded by Rascal Flatts, Craig Morgan’s Little Bit of Life and Hello L-O-V- E, a hit single for John Michael Montgomery. He has also had cuts by numerous other artists, including JoDee Messina, Joe Diffie, Scotty McCreery, Crystal Gayle, Sara Evans, Tracy Byrd, Trent Tomlinson, James Bonamy, Billy Ray Cyrus, Chris Young, Julie Roberts, Wade Hayes and Confederate Railroad.
David Allen
As a musician, David has performed all over the United States and has played stages on tour in Europe, South Asia, The Middle East and Africa. He’s entertained our military onboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf and the U. S. S. Harry S. Truman in the Arabian Sea. In addition to playing music live onstage, David has been “in & out” of acting since 1992. His first feature film appearance was in the last “Gambler” movie installment starring Kenny Rogers and he’s been seen in numerous feature films as an actor, stunt man and stunt/photo double. David was thrilled to appear in the Coen Brothers’ adaptation of “True Grit” starring Jeff Bridges.
Frank Myers has celebrated 12 No. 1 hits and 20 Top 10’s; he has written and produced songs recorded by more than 50 country and pop artists. Artist co-writes and productions feature work collectively with Kenny Loggins, Richie McDonald, Lonestar, Vince Gill, Billy Ray Cyrus, All-4-One, Pam Tillis, The Gatlins, Andy Griggs, Eddy Raven, John Rich, Dave Fenley, Angie Keilhauer and more.
During their highest point, Heath and Ricochet made numerous television appearances on Country Music Awards shows (as performers, presenters and nominees), the Grand Ole Opry, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Heath has become involved in what he says would have been his other career path had he not chosen music (being a rodeo cowboy) by becoming a board member of the Old Fort Days Rodeo Committee in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
James Dean Hicks
James grew up on a farm in Kentucky and began coming to Nashville as a 10 year old to perform with Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff and many others. Since moving to Nashville, he has written songs for many many diverse artists. Charlie Daniels, Crystal Gayle, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Miley Cyrus, Aaron Neville, Reba McIntyre, Kenny Rogers, Alison Krause, Conway Twitty, The Oak Ridge Boys, Vince Gill, Lonestar & Wynonna just to name a few.
Few female Nashville singer-songwriters are more respected or more revered than the stunning talent that is Leslie Satcher. At the age of 26, the native Texan made the move to Nashville in pursuit of a singing career and was quickly recognized for her gift with lyric and melody. After being mentored at a smaller publisher by many of the music industry’s legendary songwriters, she made the move to Sony Music Publishing where she would stay for nearly 15 years. During this time, she was also signed as an artist at Warner Brothers. While recording her critically acclaimed debut album, “Love Letters”, her songs were growing in demand.
Phillip Lammonds
Phillip Lammonds is a songwriter. And like the very best in the business, he has a way of elevating life’s ordinary moments into soulful, poetic perfection, full of grit and authenticity with the turn of a phrase and the lift of a just-right melody. He’s earned the reputation for being just that good through years of honing his craft. “I don’t like to waste words,” Lammonds says, and when you listen to his songs, you know he’s telling the truth.
Tony Arata
While studying for a journalism degree from Georgia Southern University, he began performing his original songs in local bands. In 1986, he and his wife Jaymi moved to Nashville where his unique, soulful style began to get the attention of people like Allen Reynolds and Garth Brooks. Garth, to date, has recorded seven of Tony’s songs, and “The Dance” won song of the year at The Academy of Country Music and received both a Country Music Association and a Grammy nomination, as well as a most performed song in Radio and Records Magazine.
