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MEET THE SONGWRITERS

This year, the Hope Town Songwriters Festival is proud to feature a talented lineup of award-winning songwriters from Nashville and Charleston. These renowned artists, known for their powerful lyrics and unforgettable melodies, are bringing their craft to Hope Town for an exclusive series of performances. Prepare to be inspired by the stories and songs of some of the most celebrated voices in the music industry.

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Don Francis

Founder & CEO

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Ashley Jones

Tech Lead

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Tess Brown

Office Manager

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Lisa Rose

Product Manager

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PHILLIP LAMMONDS

Phillip Lammonds is a songwriter and talented instrumentalist from the musically rich mountains of North Carolina. From his

childhood in the mountains to his time in the South Carolina Lowcountry, it was this melting pot of sounds and rhythms that formed his musical sensibilities. After college, Phillip was a founder of The Blue Dogs, a beloved and critically acclaimed bluegrass and rock inspired jam band. He then started his family in Pawley’s Island, South Carolina while working as a fishing guide, a falconer, and the co-owner of

the islands Sotheby’s real estate company. All the while, Phillip wrote songs and traveled to Nashville to pitch them. After many years, lots of miles traveled to Nashville, and cuts on major artist--Phillip moved to music city to pursue songwriting full time. He stepped onto the scene with a publishing deal from Curb

Entertainment. Phillip’s songs have been recorded by artists like Hootie and the Blowfish, Josh Turner, Lee Brice, Charles Esten,

Kellie Pickler, Craig Morgan, Edwin McCain, Jerrod Niemann, Mo Pitney, and Dylan Scott.

After more than 15 years of writing literally hundreds of songs Phillip released his first solo album Cowboy Things in April 2024, the Lee Brice-produced project features heartfelt, plainspoken tracks from across Lammonds’ career. He boils the big picture down to bite-sized chunks of truth with help from buddies

including Brice, Darius Rucker, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Pam Tillis and actor Bill Murray.

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JAMIE BELUSHI

JamieBelushi is an actress, singer, and songwriter based in Nashville, TN. Alongside her acting career—with new projects set to release in 2025 and 2026—she is carving out her own path in music, blending pop, country, acoustic, and soulful influences. This past summer, she made her festival debut at Windy City Smokeout and is currently writing and recording her debut EP, due out next year.

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DAVID TOLLIVER

Kentucky native David Tolliver has been a fixture in Music City for over 15 years.

Tolliver broke out into the Country music scene with his country-rock duo,

Halfway To Hazard, in 2007 with their debut Top 40 Billboard Hot Country hit and

iTunes single of the week, “Daisy”. That same year they hit the road opening for

Country superstars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill on the Soul2Soul tour. In May

2008, Halfway To Hazard was nominated by the Academy of Country Music for

their “Duo of the Year” award. Halfway To Hazard toured again on the “Live Your

Voice” tour with Tim McGraw and Jason Aldean. Tolliver is now embarking on

the newest chapter of his 15-year career in the Nashville music scene as a solo

artist. David has had cuts by Tim McGraw, Lee Brice, Chris Young, Brantley

Gilbert, Jerrod Niemann, Wynonna Judd, Edwin McCain, Joe Diffie, Neal McCoy

and many others.

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TAY BARTON

Tay Barton is a dynamic singer-songwriter from the beautiful landscapes of Alpine, Utah and Laguna Beach, California. With a passion for storytelling woven into her music, Tay’s journey began at the age of 12 when she first picked up a pen and starting writing songs that echoed her dreams and experiences.

Her talent caught the attention of Disney, leading her to participate in the popular show “Radio Disney’s Next Big Thing.” This experience solidified her desire to pursue a career in music and it wasn’t long before she decided to immerse herself in the heart of country music by moving to Nashville. Recently, she signed a co-publishing deal with Losers Publishing and Lady Luck Songs, an achievement that marked a significant milestone in her career. Now, with a collection of her best songs yet, Tay is excited to share her unique blend of country and pop influences with the world.

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TRENT TOMLINSON

Trent Tomlinson is an American singer-songwriter with over two decades of hits. As a

country artist, he has amassed over 100 million streams with songs like

"One Wing in the Fire" and

"Drunker Than Me." As a songwriter, his work has earned over 2.5 billion streams,

writing for artists such as George Strait, Chris Young Lainey Wilson, Lee Brice,

Parmalee, Sara Evans and many more. Trent also won BMI'S "Song of the Year" for the

10X platinum

"In Case You Didn't Know" and Scotty McCreery's hit "Damn

Strait."

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NICOLE WIT

Nicole Witt is a nationally-touring, award-winning songwriter and multi-

instrumentalist known for her soaring melodies and clever turns of phrase.

As part of EMI Music Publishing, Curb Records, Capitol CMG, Dreamlined

and Wittsong Entertainment, she has written songs for artists such as

George Strait, Lee Brice, Rodney Atkins, Aaron Goodvin, Meghan Patrick,

Terri Clark, Lauren Alaina, Balsam Range, Mandisa, Ellie Holcomb and

many more. In 2011, Witt received the International Bluegrass Song of the

Year Award for Balsam Range’s “Trains I Missed.” In 2014, she was

nominated for a Dove/GMA award for Country Song of the Year. Her song

Brothers of the Highway, cut by George Strait was on his CMA & Grammy

winning Album of the Year, Troubadour. She has written for TV and film

writing with song credits on shows like “Reign”, “American Idol” and the

short film score called Black Mountain.

Witt is the founding member of the super star act Six One Five Collective.

Their song “Kindness” was featured on American Idol in 2023. They just

released their 11th single as the 615, a band-penned song called Doozies.

They are on the Good Vibes tour in 2025 taking them all across the country.

In the past 5 years Witt has played over 200 dates opening for artists like

Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion, Trace Adkins, Billy Currington, Bacon Bros

& many more.

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CAROLINE COTTER

Caroline Cotter’s sunlit songs honor the countless ways of being human. With

her honeyed voice and disarmingly honest lyrics, Cotter sings about connection,

nostalgia, gratitude, loss and wanderlust. Lyrics like, “Find me somewhere out on

the road / Take me into your heart and into your home,” make perfect sense from

a touring artist who has played over 1000 shows in 46 states and 18 countries.

Cotter has released three records, Dreaming as I Do (2015), Home on the River

(2018) and Gently as I Go (2023). In 2025 she spent months crisscrossing the

US, two months touring in Germany, as well as two months performing at The

World Expo as an artist in residence in Osaka, Japan, and a month long tour in

Italy. Under the Radar magazine says her music, “brings forth an abiding sense

of warmth and welcome, offering an uplifting reminder to make the most of every

moment.” Everywhere she goes, her oracular songs elicit emotion and spark

insight—medicine for our collective longing.

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