Meet The Headliners

Singer-songwriter Aaron Barker is best known for the string of hits he wrote for country superstar George Strait, but Barker’s long career has many other highlights. Long before his success as a songwriter, he made his mark as a charismatic entertainer.

Born in San Antonio, Barker got his first guitar at age six, taught himself to play it and was soon singing at school and church events. He also began to write songs at an early age. When asked to create a grade-school art project, Barker turned in poetry rather than work within the visual limits of his red-green color blindness. Those poems eventually became the basis for his first songs.

As a young man, he joined a show band called The American Peddlers as its bass player and lead singer. During his decade-plus tenure in the group, it played hundreds of clubs and military bases, marketed its own albums and amassed a large fan club. Barker was regarded at the time as a top stage entertainer in the Lone Star State.

But away from the band’s flashy smoke machines and laser lights, he played solo gigs, trying out his original material on audiences in small clubs and cafes. He left his successful band in 1988 with the aim of finding songwriting success.

A tape of his tunes found its way to George Strait’s manager. Strait recorded Barker’s song “Baby Blue” and scored a #1 hit with it in 1988. Strait repeatedly returned to the songwriter’s catalog for such successes as “Love Without End, Amen” (1990), “Easy Come, Easy Go” (1993), “I’d Like to Have That One Back” (1994), “I Know She Still Loves Me” (1996) and “I Can Still Make Cheyenne” (1996).

Meanwhile, Atlantic Records signed Aaron Barker as an artist. He charted with his CD’s title tune “The Taste of Freedom” in 1992 and reestablished his reputation as an entertainer. He issued further solo albums in 1998, 2002 and 2006, but Barker’s biggest “hits” as a singer remain the widely heard radio and TV jingles he wrote and recorded for Blue Bell Ice Cream.

Other artists clamored for his songs. Doug Supernaw’s record of “Not Enough Hours in the Night” (1995), Lonestar’s version of “What About Now” (2000) and Clay Walker’s renditions of “You’re Beginning to Get to Me” (1998) and “Watch This” (1997) all became Top 10 hits.

Others who have recorded Aaron Barker songs include Tyler Farr, Trace Adkins, Aaron Tippin, Tracy Lawrence, Neal McCoy, The Oak Ridge Boys, Granger Smith, Willie Nelson, Chris LeDoux, Dean Dillon and Trent Tomlinson. Barker was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007 and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame 2016.

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.

Though Leslie is primarily known as a country singer and songwriter, her talents cross all genres. She has written or co-written songs that have been recorded by everyone from Willie Nelson to Ariana Grande; Vince Gill to Sheila E.; George Strait to Sheryl Crow; Martina McBride to Keb’Mo; Blake Shelton to Bonnie Raitt and many, many more. She has received multiple BMI “Million-Air” awards recognizing a song’s one millionth airplay and her incomparable vocals contribute to an astounding number of Grammy, CMA & ACM award winning projects.

Leslie’s next two albums, “Creation” and “Gypsy Boots” were recorded independently and truly exhibit the diversity of her Texas roots and Delta soul. They are available on iTunes, CDBaby and every other major digital distributor.

She was signed to a 2015 publishing deal with London powerhouse Notting Hill Music and a recording contract with NHM’s Los Angeles based innovator of digital distribution; Notting Hill Music Masters (NHMM) label. Her debut NHMM release, “2 Days In Muscle Shoals” features her All-Star band “The Electric Honey Badgers” and includes vocals by Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow, Trisha Yearwood and more. This amazing project landed her on the First-Round GRAMMY ballot in multiple categories for the 2018 & 2019 awards seasons. Recently, Leslie has seen her songs recorded by the likes of Reba McEntire, Sheryl Crow, Maren Morris, Stevie Nicks, Joe Walsh, Vince Gill and many, many more.

Aside from writing hit songs for some of music’s most iconic artists; Leslie is in high demand as a performer known for her angelic voice, funny stories, the unique playing style and sound of her guitar; but mostly, her uncanny ability to connect with audiences of any size or demographic. Her typical year will include more than 150 songwriting sessions and 65 live performances all over the U.S., U.K. and Canada.

In an ever-changing music world fraught with people trying to be something they are not, David Lee is nothing but himself, a Wichita Falls born Texas native and a third-generation musician. The songwriter cut his teeth in the Texas honkytonks. Playing a mix of blues and country music is where he first found his own songs.

In 1993 David moved to Nashville to chase his dream of performing and writing music. Within weeks of arriving in Nashville, David put away his idea of performing and focused on honing his craft of songwriting. After a few years as a staff writer David landed his first cut with Terri Clark’s “This Old Heart". He went on to write “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t” by Leann Womack, “19 Somethin” by Mark Wills, “Hello World” by Lady A, “Letters From Home” by John Michael Montgomery, “Roll With It” by Easton Corbin, “Lucky Man” by Montgomery Gentry, “Better Rain” by George Strait, “I wanna Fell Something” and “This Ain’t No Love Song” by Trace Adkins, “Me and My Kind” and “Cowboy Like Me” by Cody Johnson and the riveting love song “I Need You” for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, amongst many others. In 2015 the legendary band Alabama cut two of Lee’s songs, “Come Find Me” and their first radio single in over 14 years, “I Wasn’t Through Lovin’ You Yet”.

His first album “The Wichita Kid” debuted in early 2016.“The Wichita Kid” is a non-commercial concept record that chronicles David’s life musically and without boundaries. The labor of love showcases his genuine love of the blues, swing, and traditional country music.

In June of 2015 David and his family relocated back to the Texas Hill Country to be closer to friends, family, to share his love for great music as a performing singer/songwriter and away from the forever-changing corporate music industry. He is back to the basics, back to what he loves, inspiring and mentoring other songwriters, singing, and performing great music.