Gordie Sampson Explained

Gordie Sampson
Background:solo_singer
Birth Name:Gordon Francis Sampson
Birth Date:30 July 1971
Birth Place:Big Pond, Nova Scotia, Canada
Genre:Pop, rock, country
Occupation:Singer-songwriter, producer
Instrument:Guitar, piano, bass, drums, bouzouki, accordion, fiddle
Years Active:1990–present
Label:MapleMusic
Associated Acts:Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Bon Jovi, Emerson Drive, George Canyon, Martina McBride, Miranda Lambert

Gordon Francis Sampson (born July 30, 1971) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and producer from Big Pond, Nova Scotia.

Beginning his career as a performer on his hometown island of Cape Breton, both in bands and on his own, Sampson has gone on to achieve international success as a songwriter in Nashville. He has written songs for Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Faith Hill, LeAnn Rimes, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, and Rascal Flatts.[1] He has also released albums as a solo performer.[2]

Sampson has received a Grammy Award, a Juno Award, two ASCAP Awards, East Coast Music Awards, and honorary degrees from Cape Breton University and St. Francis Xavier University.[3] [4]

Background

Sampson was born in 1971 to Francis Xavier Sampson (1946–2007) and Florence Ley. Sampson's only musical training as a child were piano lessons he took from his mother. He remembers being surrounded by fiddlers, who were very common in Cape Breton. Initially, he had no interest in fiddle music, but only wanted to be in a rock'n'roll band. He taught himself to play guitar and played in school bands in both junior high and high school, playing material from acts such as AC/DC and Black Sabbath.[5]

Sampson attended Riverview Rural High School in the late 1980s. His first band was called Ricochet; he played with them at age 17, straight out of high school, going on a six-month tour of the Maritimes.[5] After that, in the early 1990s, he was invited to join the Nova Scotia band Realworld with brothers Jamie and Matthew Foulds.[6] The group released one CD, Dig;[6] three singles from the album, all co-written by Sampson, were Top 10 hits in Canada in 1994. But the band was growing apart, and broke up later that year.[5]

Career

After Realworld disbanded, Sampson found himself increasingly interested in exploring the traditional Celtic music for which Cape Breton is well known. Gigging with local musicians led him to a place in Ashley MacIsaac's band just as MacIsaac was seeking a fusion of traditional Celtic music with contemporary rock'n'roll.[5] Sampson co-wrote two songs on MacIsaac's successful 1996 debut album, Hi™ How Are You Today?.[7]

Around this same time, Sampson became a part of Rita MacNeil's band, both on the road and on her popular weekly CBC show Rita and Friends. He also toured with the Nova Scotia-based family music group The Rankin Family.[5]

Sampson recorded his first solo album in 1998, entitled Stones, which was recorded at Lakewind Sound Studios in Point Aconi, Nova Scotia—a recording studio Sampson and partner Fred Lavery built together in 1996.[8] The album was nominated for a Juno Award;[1] the single, "Sorry," won three East Coast Music Awards.[9]

In the late 1990s, Sampson also began to concentrate more on his songwriting, with the aim of getting other musicians to record his songs. Over time he began to see how challenging this was going to be from his Cape Breton hometown. In 2005, he moved with his wife and baby to Nashville, even though knew very little about country music at that point.[10]

Within a year, Sampson had co-written "Jesus, Take the Wheel", former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood had recorded it, and the song was number one on the Billboard country music chart for six weeks. Sampson has said that the song was inspired by the death of an acquaintance in a car accident on a highway in Nova Scotia two years earlier.[10] "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was written with Brett James and Hillary Lindsey.[11]

Sampson has been quoted as saying that the success of "Jesus, Take the Wheel" "worked wonders for my music career."[10] He has since written songs which have been recorded by Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Trace Adkins, LeAnn Rimes, Martina McBride, Willie Nelson, and many other well-known country performers. He wrote the song "Any Other Day" for the 2007 Bon Jovi album Lost Highway. He has produced albums for Natalie McMaster and Damhnait Doyle.[12]

Sampson has also recorded three more solo albums since his 1998 debut. His second CD, Sunburn (2004), was largely written in partnership with Troy Verges and Blair Daly. Sampson produced the CD and played the majority of the instruments on the album, including guitars, bass, drums and piano. The album was recorded at Lakewind Sound Studios, as well as in studios in Toronto and Nashville. For The Few And Far Between was released in 2008; it was nominated for a 2009 Juno Award and was the recipient of two East Coast Music Awards.[12] Almost Beautiful came out in 2011, and is the first solo album of his move away from the rootsy pop music of his previous releases and towards the kind of country music he has been writing for others for many years.[13]

Sampson lives in Nashville with his wife, Helen Musial, and their daughter Amelie.[14] He still returns to Cape Breton for a couple of months every summer.[13]

In 2010, the Gordie Sampson Songcamp was conceived by Sampson as a way to encourage and develop young songwriters from across Nova Scotia. Sampson attends the intensive, five-day event every year, often accompanied by special professional guests.[15] In July 2019, Sampson held the 10th Anniversary edition of his Songcamp, hosting 37 songwriters and 10 world-class writer/producer guests. Over 500 songs have been penned at the camp during its ten-year run.[16]

Discography

Albums

Singles

YearSingleChart PositionsAlbum
width=65CAN AC
1999"Sorry"20Stones
2004"Sunburn"Sunburn
2005"Hangin' by a Wire"
"You (Or Somebody Like You)"
2011"Hurricane Jane"Almost Beautiful
2012"Any Other Memory"
"Thank My Lucky Stars"

Gordie Sampson songs covered by other artists

These are songs written or co-written by Sampson and covered by other artists:[17] [18]

Awards and nominations

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gordie Sampson . International Musician Magazine . American Federation of Musicians . New York, NY . March 2010 . June 24, 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130605053140/http://www.afm.org/im/gordie-sampson . June 5, 2013 .
  2. Web site: Gordie Sampson discography . allmusic.com . Rovi Corp.
  3. Web site: Gordie Sampson: CBU bestows singer/songwriter with honorary degree . Gillis . John . The Inverness Oran . Inverness, Nova Scotia . June 23, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131218095636/http://oran.ca/entertainment.asp?id=1107 . December 18, 2013 . dead .
  4. Web site: StFX to honour a champion of human services and a songwriting legend during Fall Convocation 2013 . www.stfx.ca . St. Francis Xavier University . Antigonish, Nova Scotia . November 25, 2013 . June 1, 2018 . October 2, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221002151540/https://www.stfx.ca/about/news/stfx-honour-champion-human-services-and-songwriting-legend-during-fall-convocation-2013 . dead .
  5. Web site: Gordie Sampson: King of Pop Music . Mahalik . Dave . whatsgoinon.ca . WGO Media . Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia . October 1, 1998 . June 1, 2018.
  6. Web site: Real World. Crowe. Peter. Nova Scotia Classic Rock. https://web.archive.org/web/20131105061127/http://nsclassicrock.8m.com/realworld.html. November 5, 2013. dead.
  7. Web site: Ashley MacIssac – Hi How Are You Today? . allmusic.com . Rovi Corporation . June 24, 2013.
  8. Web site: Lakewind Sound Studios . Nova Scotia Come to Life . Province of Nova Scotia . Halifax, Nova Scotia . June 24, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131204033223/http://www.novascotialife.com/chartermembers/lakewind-sound-studios . December 4, 2013 . dead .
  9. Web site: Gordie Sampson . iacmusic.com . Independent Artists Company . June 24, 2013.
  10. Web site: Gordie Sampson's road from Nova Scotia to Nashville . canada.com . CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc. . February 2, 2007 . June 29, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160324224029/http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/grammy07/story.html?id=a828d0c6-a2a4-4cdd-8519-329ec287681c . March 24, 2016 . dead .
  11. Web site: "Jesus, Take the Wheel" earns top honors for Hillary Lindsey . Newsome . Sparky . The News-Reporter . Wilkes Publishing Co., Inc. . Washington, Georgia . November 16, 2006 . June 29, 2013 . December 3, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131203050714/http://www.news-reporter.com/news/2006-11-16/news/072.html . dead .
  12. Web site: Gordie Sampson – credits . gordiesampson.com . June 24, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131001050135/http://gordiesampson.com/biography/credits . October 1, 2013 . dead .
  13. Web site: Gordie Sampson releasing country album "Almost Beautiful" . Grant . Jean . Cape Breton Post . TC Media . Sydney, Nova Scotia . July 14, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20150923200415/http://www.capebretonpost.com/Living/2011-07-14/article-2654490/Gordie-Sampson-releasing-country-album-&lsquo%3bAlmost-Beautiful&rsquo%3b/1 . September 23, 2015.
  14. Web site: Helen Musial – Giving Up on Gluten . Edwards . Kelley . Sea and be Scene . Sea and Be Scene.com . Chester, Nova Scotia . February 23, 2013 . June 1, 2018 . May 9, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160509090047/http://seaandbescene.com/2016/01/helen-musial-giving-up-on-gluten/ . dead .
  15. Web site: Gordie Sampson Songcamp set to celebrate fifth anniversary . www.capebretonpost.com . Cape Breton Post . Sydney, Nova Scotia . June 16, 2014 . November 11, 2021.
  16. Web site: Gordie Sampson Songcamp celebrates 10th Anniversary. August 28, 2019.
  17. Web site: Gordie Sampson credits . allmusic.com . Rovi Corp.
  18. Web site: Gordie Sampson credits . gordiesampson.com . June 29, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131001050135/http://gordiesampson.com/biography/credits . October 1, 2013 . dead .
  19. Web site: LISTEN: Tenille Townes Lives in the Moment in New Song, 'The Last Time' . September 19, 2022 .
  20. Web site: Songs & Daughters' Madison Kozak Returns with "If We Were a Country Song" . May 20, 2022 .
  21. Web site: Something New . .
  22. Web site: Jason Aldean Releases 'My Weakness' Today (4 March) . March 4, 2022 .
  23. Web site: 26 Apr 2022 . Newfoundland Morning Radio Show Log . 7 Apr 2023 . CBC.
  24. Web site: Caitlyn Smith's New Album – High – is Available Now | New Country 96.3 .
  25. Web site: Danielle Bradbery – Look at the Mess I'm in .
  26. Web site: Ben Chapman's Songwriting Circus . August 2, 2022 . August 3, 2022 . August 3, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220803075003/https://www.soundandsoulonline.com/2022/08/02/ben-chapmans-songwriting-circus/ . dead .
  27. Hunter Hayes Previews Surprise Album 'Wild Blue' with Groove-Heavy Title Track. Rolling Stone. August 15, 2019.
  28. Web site: Get to Know: Jonathan Hutcherson [Exclusive Interview]. November 17, 2021.
  29. Web site: Danielle Bradbery Releases Fiery New Single, 'Stop Draggin' Your Boots'. July 31, 2021.
  30. Web site: Cash Campbell - Kiss About It.
  31. Web site: Hannah Dasher Drops Retro-Fueled "You're Gonna Love Me" Video. July 16, 2021.
  32. Web site: Ask Her to Dance. Spotify. June 30, 2021.
  33. Web site: New Single: Don Amero "You Can't Always be 21". March 12, 2021.
  34. Web site: Serena Ryder Announces New Album 'The Art of Falling Apart' | Exclaim!.
  35. Web site: Adam Hambrick - when It All Sinks in.
  36. Web site: The Reklaws - So Crazy It Just Might Work.
  37. Web site: Adam Hambrick - Sunshine State of Mind.
  38. Mickey Guyton Pleads for Healing in New Song 'Heaven Down Here'. Rolling Stone. July 24, 2020.
  39. Web site: Alana Springsteen - Best Nights.
  40. Web site: Talking Nonsuch with Scott Helman. The Full Interview. November 16, 2020.
  41. Web site: Lindsay Ell - Get over You.
  42. Web site: Umusicpub Digital Music Library - Caylee Hammack Family Tree . 2023-04-07 . umusicpub.com.
  43. Web site: Tenille Townes Says "The Most Beautiful Things" Aren't Seen. April 7, 2020.
  44. Web site: Eric Paslay - Under Your Spell.
  45. Web site: Washboard Union drops some dock-rockin' beats on Everbound.
  46. Web site: Caitlyn Smith – Midnight in New York City.
  47. Web site: Carly Pearce Drops 'You Kissed Me First' from Upcoming Self-Titled Album. January 31, 2020 .
  48. Web site: Caitlyn Smith - Damn You for Breaking My Heart. March 2, 2020. March 2, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200302061724/https://songtexte.co/en/caitlyn-smith-damn-you-for-breaking-my-heart-lyrics-6033b8. dead.
  49. Web site: Chad Brownlee Gets Stranded on Deserted Island in 'The Way You Roll' Video. June 21, 2019.
  50. Web site: Seaforth Release Four Song 'Love That' EP. April 12, 2019.
  51. Web site: 2019 ACM Awards: Luke Bryan shares 'Knockin' Boots' story, says he's focused on new album. The Tennessean.
  52. Web site: Hunter Hayes' New Single "Heartbreak" Doesn't Linger in the Past. January 25, 2019. December 9, 2023.
  53. Cody Johnson Makes Change Look Easy on 'Ain't Nothin' to It'. Rolling Stone. January 19, 2019.
  54. Web site: Sydney-raised Dave Sampson has his 'Ways' with writing songs | Saltwire.
  55. Web site: Columbia Nashville Signs Tenille Townes. April 13, 2018.
  56. Web site: Listen to Carly Pearce's Spirited New Single, "Closer to You". November 5, 2018.
  57. Web site: Scott Helman – Hang Ups.
  58. Web site: Clare Dunn talks new country single 'More' and the Rolling Stones (Includes interview). September 20, 2018.
  59. Ashley Monroe Reveals 'Sparrow' Album Details. Rolling Stone. March 5, 2018.
  60. Web site: Chad Brownlee Releases Music Video for "Dear Drunk Me". February 14, 2019. February 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190214115619/http://www.umusic.ca/press-releases/chad-brownlee-releases-music-video-for-dear-drunk-me/. dead.
  61. Web site: Exciting news for the Washboard Union fans that want to pre-order their new album, What We're Made of | Canadian Beats Media.
  62. Web site: Patrick Droney's Debut EP to Release Aug. 3. July 27, 2018.
  63. Web site: Steve Moakler Announces Personal New Album 'Steel Town'. February 14, 2017.
  64. Web site: Steve Moakler's New Album 'Born Ready' Available for Pre-Order. March 23, 2018.
  65. Web site: Hungover It - River Town Saints | Song Info | AllMusic. AllMusic.
  66. Web site: Port Cities | Songs. AllMusic.
  67. Web site: Who's New: Michael Tyler. March 21, 2017.
  68. Web site: Quake Matthews (Ft. Neon Dreams) – Confessions.
  69. Web site: Sara Evans Drops New Single, "All the Love You Left Me". January 29, 2018 .
  70. Web site: Sara Evans – I Don't Trust Myself.
  71. Web site: Diving in Deep - Sara Evans | Song Info | AllMusic. AllMusic.
  72. Web site: Watch Hunter Hayes Use the Power of Music for Good in Charitable New "Rescue" Video. June 29, 2017.
  73. Web site: Caitlyn Smith's 'Starfire' Out January 19th. December 2017.
  74. Web site: Will Hoge - Better Than You.
  75. Web site: Martina McBride - 'Reckless' Tracklist with Songwriter Credits, Audio/Video.
  76. Web site: God, Your Mama, Me and Backstreet Boys . https://web.archive.org/web/20160929135205/http://www.cmt.com/news/1771425/god-your-mama-me-and-backstreet-boys/ . dead . September 29, 2016 . Bonaguro . Alison . . Viacom . September 28, 2016.
  77. News: 2 Steps Back - "Boombox". Roughstock . May 20, 2015.
  78. [My Favorite Picture of You]
  79. Web site: ASCAP Crowns Ben Hayslip and Brad Paisley Its Top Songwriters of 2012 - Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV.com . . May 14, 2013 . November 26, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121126082145/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1696470/ascap-crowns-ben-hayslip-brad-paisley-its-top-songwriters-2012.jhtml . dead .
  80. Web site: 20th Anniversary Collection - the Barra MacNeils | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic. AllMusic.
  81. Web site: LeAnn Rimes – Long Night.
  82. Web site: Shaye – the Bridge (2003, CD). Discogs. 2003 .

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