Tia Maria Sillers is an American songwriter. She has written over 40 singles in multiple music formats, including the

Lee Ann Womack Lee Ann Womack Liddell (; born August 19, 1966) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Her 2000 single, "I Hope You Dance" was a major crossover music hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and the Top 15 ...

single "

I Hope You Dance "I Hope You Dance" is a crossover country pop song written by Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers and recorded by American country music singer Lee Ann Womack with Sons of the Desert. (Drew and Tim Womack of Sons of the Desert are not related to Le ...

", and the

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Kenny Wayne Shepherd (born Kenny Wayne Brobst; June 12, 1977) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He has released several studio albums and experienced significant commercial success as a blues artist. Life and career Shepherd wa ...

single "

Blue on Black "Blue on Black" is a song by American blues rock group Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band. Written by Shepherd with Mark Selby and Tia Sillers, it was originally released on their second studio album, '' Trouble Is...'' (1997). In 1998, the song was rel ...

". Sillers' songs have been featured in numerous films, television shows and commercials.

Early life and career

Born in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

, Sillers' family moved several times during her childhood before finally settling in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

in 1980. It was while at

Father Ryan High School Father Ryan High School is a private Catholic coeducational high school in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1925 as Nashville Catholic High School for Boys, Father Ryan is located in the Diocese of Nashville. It was the first racially integrated h ...

that Tia first attended Writer's Night shows at the

Bluebird Cafe The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. ...

. The writers

Don Schlitz Donald Alan Schlitz Jr. (born August 29, 1952) is an American country music songwriter. For his songwriting efforts, Schlitz has earned two Grammy Awards, as well as four ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year awards. In 1993, he was inducted int ...

and Alan Shamblin were among her earliest influences. While attending the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

, Sillers began writing songs. The Nashville Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) office on

Music Row Music Row is a historic district located southwest of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Widely considered the heart of Nashville's entertainment industry, Music Row has also become a metonymous nickname for the music industry as a w ...

helped secure her first publishing deal with Tom Collins Music in 1991 and had her first cuts and single with

George Ducas Voivode George Ducas (Greek: ''Γεώργιος Δούκας'', Romanian: ''Gheorghe Duca'') (c. 1620 – 31 March 1685) was three times prince of Moldavia (September 1665 – May 1666, November 1668 – 20 August 1672, November 1678 – January ...

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...

. The single "

Lipstick Promises "Lipstick Promises" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist George Ducas (singer), George Ducas. It was released in November 1994 as the second single from his debut album ''George Ducas (album), George Ducas''. The son ...

", which peaked at #10,Billboard Chart 1995, "Lipstick Promises"
Billboard.com helped establish her reputation.

Milestones

Sillers, along with Mark D. Sanders, wrote the

song "

". The song became a No. 1 country hit and Top 20 pop hit for Lee Ann Womack and received the Grammy Award for "Best Country Song," as well as a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year.Grammy Artists: Tia Sillers
Grammy.com The song also received CMA & ACM Awards for Song of the Year in 2000. The song stayed on top of the Billboard Country chart for five consecutive weeks.Rewinding the Country Charts: In 2000, Lee Ann Womack's 'Hope' Hit No. 1
Billboard Article. Retrieved on January 26, 2018. The song's popularity led to the release of a book entitled "I Hope You Dance", another collaboration of Sillers and Sanders, which became a New York Times Bestseller. The book contains poems and writings inspired by the song and has sold over two million copies to date. There is also an "I Hope You Dance" children's book and journal. Sanders and Sillers later collaborated again on a book entitled "Climb".Climb!
Publishers Weekly Article. Retrieved on January 26, 2018 In film, the song was featured in the 2008 movie Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys with lines from the song in the script and multiple versions performed both by Womack and

Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Kn ...

. Additionally, a 2015 documentary 'I Hope You Dance: The Power and Spirit of Song' which included commentary by

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...

and

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

was released as a Hallmark Special. Sillers wrote "

" with

and

Mark Selby Mark Anthony Selby (born 19 June 1983) is an English professional snooker player, who is a four-time World Snooker Champion. Ranked world number one on multiple occasions, he has won a total of 21 ranking titles, placing him eighth on the ...

. Released on April 7, 1998, the track spent 42 weeks on the US Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and rose to number one, remaining there for six non-consecutive weeks. "Blue on Black" was regarded as the best rock song of 1998 by various media, winning the Billboard Music Award for Rock Track of the Year.Next, Usher, Garth Win Big at 1998 Billboard Music Awards
MTV Article. Retrieved on January 26, 2018 In 2019, "

" enjoyed number one success again, this time recorded as a vocal and musical event including

Five Finger Death Punch Five Finger Death Punch, also abbreviated as 5FDP or FFDP, is an American heavy metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2005. The band originally consisted of vocalist and keyboardist Ivan Moody, rhythm guitarist Zoltan Bathory, lead gui ...

Brantley Gilbert Brantley Keith Gilbert (born January 20, 1985) is an American country rock singer, songwriter and record producer from Jefferson, Georgia. He was originally signed to Colt Ford's label, Average Joes Entertainment, where he released ''Modern Day ...

and

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Fredd ...

. More than 30 million records have been sold featuring Sillers' compositions. Her catalog has stretched across genres, countries, and generations of recording artists, including

David Nail David Brent Nail (born May 18, 1979) is an American country music artist, and frontman of the band ''David Nail & The Well Ravens''. In 2002, he debuted the single "Memphis" from an unreleased album for Mercury Records Nashville. Five years lat ...

John Waite John Charles Waite (born 4 July 1952) is an English musician. As a solo artist, he has released ten studio albums and is best known for the 1984 hit single " Missing You", which reached No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the top ten on ...

, Engelbert Humperdinck,

Little River Band Little River Band (LRB) are a rock band originally formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March 1975. The band achieved commercial success in both Australia and the United States. They have sold more than 30 million records; six studio albums rea ...

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist b ...

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...

Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career start ...

John Pardi Jonathan Ryan Pardi (born May 20, 1985) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Signed to Capitol Records Nashville, Capitol Nashville, he has released four studio albums: ''Write You a Song'' (2014), ''California Sunrise'' (2016), ...

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

and

2018 to Present

In 2019,

enjoyed number one success again, this time recorded as a vocal and musical event including

and

. Tia Sillers is a 2020 and 2021

Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1970 by the Nashville Songwriters Foundation, Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. A non-profit organization, its objective is to honor and preserve the songwriting legacy that is u ...

nominee.

Awards and nominations

In 1998, Sillers' song, "Blue On Black", won a

Billboard Music Award The ''Billboard'' Music Awards are honors given out annually by '' Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annually since 1990, with the exception of ...

for Rock Track Of The Year. Sillers' most recent award was in 2010 from the Canadian Country Music Association (

CCMA CCMA may refer to: * Central Committee of Anti-Fascist Militias, during the Lluís Companys's government of Catalonia, in the Spanish Revolution *Canadian Country Music Association, the association of the Canadian country music industry * Catholic ...

) Songwriter(s) of the Year for the song "Dance with Me" (written by

Victoria Banks Victoria Wenonah Banks (born February 8, 1973) is a Nashville-based Canadian singer and songwriter. Her self-produced debut CD ''When You Can Fly'' was released on the On Ramp/ EMI Canada label in April 2009. The CD earned Banks a 2010 Canadian ...

Johnny Reid John Kirkland Reid (born August 21, 1974) is a Scottish-Canadian country music artist. Reid moved to Canada in July 1988 when he was 13. His father, a diesel mechanic, wanted to give Reid and his brother opportunities he did not think they would ...

, and Tia Sillers; recorded by Johnny Reid).

Notable works

* "I Hope You Dance" –

* "Blue on Black" –

* "Déjá Voodoo" -

* "Was" -

* "Last Goodbye" -

* "Lipstick Promises" -

* "There's Your Trouble" –

Dixie Chicks The Chicks (previously known as Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. Since 1995, the band has consisted of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and E ...

* "That’ll Be Alright" –

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for blending traditional honky-tonk and mainstream country pop sounds (for a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country"), as well as penning many o ...

* "Barbed Wire & Roses" –

Pinmonkey Pinmonkey was an American country music group formed in 2002 by Michael Reynolds (lead vocals), brothers Michael Jeffers (vocals, bass guitar) and Chad Jeffers ( Dobro, lap steel guitar), and Rick Schell (drums, vocals). Their first album, ''Speak ...

* "I Cry" –

Tammy Cochran Tammy Cochran (born January 30, 1972) is an American country music artist. Signed to Epic Records Nashville in 2000, she released her Tammy Cochran (album), self titled debut album that year, followed a year later by ''Life Happened''. These two ...

* "Land of the Living" –

Pam Tillis Pamela Yvonne Tillis (born July 24, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She is the daughter of country music singer Mel Tillis and ex-wife of songwriter Bob DiPiero. Tillis recorded unsuccessful p ...

* "Heaven, Heartache & the Power of Love" -

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American singer, actress, author and television personality. She rose to fame with her 1991 debut single " She's in Love with the Boy," which became a number one hit on the ''Billboard'' c ...

* "The Wheel" -

* "Dance With Me" -

* "Firewalker" - Shannon LaBrie

Personal life

Sillers was married to musician and frequent collaborator

for 16 years. Selby died of cancer in September 2017. Mark Selby - electric guitar 1

References

External links

Sillers & Selby
Sillers discusses writing I Hope You Dance
2021 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame NomineesSillers & Selby Songwriting Partners
for The Tennessean
Blue On Black #1
Rock, American & World Charts 1998 *

Blue On Black "Blue on Black" is a song by American blues rock group Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band. Written by Shepherd with Mark Selby and Tia Sillers, it was originally released on their second studio album, '' Trouble Is...'' (1997). In 1998, the song was rel ...

Wikipedia
YouTube
Kenny Wayne Shepherd: Lay It On Down
IHYD Documentary

Sillers on writing IHYDSillers interview on the BBC

Chris Stapleton
covers "I Hope You Dance"
" I Hope You Dance" the documentary
by John Scheinfeld
"One in a Billion" featured in Ferrero Rocher USA
commercial {{DEFAULTSORT:Sillers, Tia Living people People from Stamford, Connecticut People from Nashville, Tennessee University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Songwriters from Connecticut Songwriters from Tennessee Year of birth missing (living people)