Mark D. Sanders

Last updated

Mark D. Sanders
Mark D Sanders.jpg
Background information
Birth nameMark Daniel Sanders
Born (1950-09-07) September 7, 1950 (age 73)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres Country, country pop
Occupation(s) Songwriter
Years active1980–present

Mark Daniel Sanders (born September 7, 1950) is an American country music songwriter. He has written 15 No. 1 hits, 50 singles, and over 200 cuts, including the famous Lee Ann Womack single "I Hope You Dance", co-written with Tia Sillers.

Contents

Early life

Sanders was born in Los Angeles, California on September 7, 1950. He lived in the Lemiert Park area of Los Angeles until his family moved to the City of Orange in Orange County. He graduated from Villa Park High School in 1968,[ citation needed ] lettering in basketball all three years, and then played two more years of basketball at Fullerton Junior College.

While majoring in literature, Sanders also enjoyed surfing at the University of California, San Diego, where he wrote his first songs. After graduation he worked as a VISTA volunteer in Arkansas for eighteen months, then earned his teaching certificate at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville.

He and his first wife returned to California in 1975, where he taught for three years in the Orange Unified School District. He abandoned a teaching career after the passage of California's controversial Proposition 13, then had a succession of menial jobs until making the decision to pursue songwriting as a career in Nashville in early 1980. He and the same first wife arrived in Tennessee on March 5, 1980.

There were more menial jobs awaiting Sanders in Nashville: cooking at the Sailmaker and Ruby Tuesday's, substitute teaching, two years in charge of In School Suspension at Hillsboro High School and driving a tour bus.

In 1986, he married Cindy Sasser whom he met while working at Hillsboro High School. After a lengthy, successful songwriting career, Mark now enjoys fly fishing the Yampa river in Steamboat Springs, Colorado where he and Cindy spend their summers, body surfing in Maui where they spend their winters, traveling and spending time with their adult children.

Career

Sanders' first songwriting credits included tracks on Garth Brooks' 1990 album No Fences . He also wrote singles for Diamond Rio, Tracy Lawrence, and John Anderson. [1]

Sanders was the NSAI Songwriter of the Year in 1995, a year that brought him five No. 1 hits. He also earned the same award in 1996. In 1997 he was the ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year, and had the ASCAP song of the year with Lonestar's "No News".

In his career Sanders has written for a number of publishers: Acuff-Rose Publishing, Alabama Band Music, Mid-Summer Music, MCA Music Publishing, Starstruck Writers Group, Universal Music Publishing, and Large Vista Music. His self-owned publishing companies include: Mark D Music (sold to Universal Music in 1997), Soda Creek Songs, Yampa Tunes, Blue Clear Music, and Songs of the Sanderosa.

On November 7, 2011, Mark D Sanders released "History & Hope", an album that features him singing 10 of his songs spanning his career, including "I Hope You Dance," and in 2017 he released a second CD entitled "First Fast Car."

Sanders collaborated with Tia Sillers on the Lee Ann Womack song "I Hope You Dance". 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. The song also received CMA & ACM Awards for Song of the Year in 2000. The song stayed atop the Billboard Country chart for five consecutive weeks. [2]

The song's popularity led to the release of a book entitled "I Hope You Dance", another collaboration of Sillers and Sanders, with sales of over 2,000,000 books to date. The book contains poems and writings inspired by the song. There is also an "I Hope You Dance" children's book and journal. Sanders and Sillers later collaborated again on an inspirational book entitled "Climb".

In 2009 Sanders was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Inspiration and technique

Sanders attributes his writing abilities to self-editing and having faith in his writing. [3]

No. 1 Hits

Cuts
  • "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing" – Trace Adkins, 1997 (No. 1 Country)
  • "A Door" – Aaron Tippin, 1997 (No. 65 Country)
  • "A Matter of Wine" – Mel Tillis, 1983
  • "A River Like You" – Vince Gill, 2006
  • "Ain't That the Way It Goes" – Dave Kemp, 1983 (No. 75 Country)
  • "Another Friday Night" – Kenny Chesney, 1996
  • "Anytime" – Rick Trevino, 1996
  • "Baby's Gone" – Trace Adkins, 2003
  • "Backslider's Prayer" – Ty England, 1996; Lesley McDaniel, 2000
  • "Better Than It Used to Be" – Rhett Akins, 1998 (No. 47 Country)
  • "The Big Bad Broken Heart" – Regina Regina, 1997; Kimberlee Nash, 2003
  • "Blue Clear Sky" – George Strait, 1996 (No. 1 Country); Bob DiPiero, 2001
  • "Bobbie Ann Mason" – Rick Trevino, 1995 (No. 6 Country)
  • "Buckaroo" – Lee Ann Womack, 1998 (No. 27 Country)
  • "Careful What You Wish For" – Ricky Lynn Gregg, 2001; Texas Unlimited Band, 2005
  • "Cheatin' On Her Heart" – Jeff Carson, 1998 (No. 52 Country)
  • "Cold Dog Soup" – Guy Clark, 1999
  • "Come Cryin' to Me" – Lonestar, 1997 (No. 1 Country)
  • "Come Home" – Trace Adkins, 2001
  • "Come With Me" – Zane Lewis, 2008
  • "Daddy's Money" – Ricochet, 1996 (No. 1 Country); Country Kickers, 1997
  • "Divine Intervention" – Greg Holland, 1994; Jeff Carson, 2001
  • "Don't Get Me Started" – Rhett Akins, 1996 (No. 1 Country)
  • "Don't Take Your Love Away from Me" – Randy Travis, 1996
  • "Drinkin' Problem" – Lori McKenna, 2007
  • "Fools Hall of Fame" – Barry and Holly Tashian, 1997
  • "Geronimo" – Andy Childs, 1993; James T. Horn, 1997
  • "Get a Guitar" – Jeff Carson, 1995
  • "Girls Ride Horses Too" – Judy Rodman, 1987 (No. 7 Country)
  • "Hands On Man" – Jeff Bates, 2006
  • "Happy As We Wanna Be" – Rhett Akins, 1998
  • "Have a Nice Rest of Your Life" – Randy Travis, 1989
  • "Heads Carolina, Tails California" – Jo Dee Messina, 1996 (No. 2 Country)
  • "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" – Reba McEntire, 1995 (No. 1 Country)
  • "Here's Hopin'" – Kathy Mattea, 1989; Roy Rogers & Randy Travis, 1991
  • "Hills & Hollers" – Adrienne Young & Little Sadie, 2005
  • "Hotwired" – Shawn Camp, 2006; Porter Wagoner, 2007
  • "House Huntin'" – Matthews, Wright & King, 1992 (No. 68 Country)
  • "I Ain't Goin' Nowhere" – Martina McBride, 1999
  • "I Hope You Dance" – Lee Ann Womack, 2000 (No. 1 Country/No. 1 AC /No. 14 Pop)
    • NSAI Song of the Year for 2000–2001
    • 2000 ACM and 2000 CMA Song and Single of the Year
    • 2000 Grammy for Best Country Song
    • 2001 ASCAP Country Song of the Year
    • 2001 BMI Country Song of the Year Sons of the Desert
    • 2000 Oleta Adams
    • 2001 Reigning Mercy
    • 2001 Dennis Caplinger
    • 2002 Willie Jolley
    • 2003 Lisa Otey & the Desert Divas
    • 2004 Ronan Keating
    • 2004 Deborah Lippman
    • 2005 Tia Sillers
    • 2005 Glendon Smith Quintet
    • 2006 Kim McAbee
    • 2006 Gladys Knight
  • "I'm Up For Gettin' Down Tonight" – Clifford Curry, 1985; Savannah, 1985
  • "I'd Rather Ride Around With You" – Reba McEntire, 1997 (No. 2 Country)
  • "I'd Say That's Right" – Clay Walker, 1997
  • "If I Could Live Your Life" – Linda Davis & Reba McEntire, 1996
  • "If I'm Ever Over You" – Michelle Wright, 1992
  • "If You've Got Love" – John Michael Montgomery, 1995 (No. 1 Country)
  • "I'll Take Care Of You" – Kathy Mattea, 1989
  • "I'm Your Man" – Jason Sellers, 1997 (No. 37 Country)
  • "In The Blood" – Rob Crosby, 1992 (No. 48 Country)
  • "It Goes Without Saying" – Tim Malchak, 1988 (No. 35 Country)
  • "It Matters To Me" – Faith Hill, 1996 (No. 1 Country / No. 74 Pop)
  • "It's About Time" – Julie Reeves, 1999 (No. 51 Country)
  • "Just Another Heartache" – Chely Wright, 1998 (No. 39 Country)
  • "Just As Dead Today" – Shawn Camp, 2006
  • "Knocked Up" – Heidi Newfield, 2008
  • "Leaving This Life" – Lori McKenna, 2007
  • "Like a Hurricane" – Kathy Mattea, 1987; Pat Alger, 1991; The Dillards, 1992
  • "Little Miracles" – Jenny Simpson, 1998
  • "Loretta Lynn's Lincoln" – Josh Turner, 2006
  • "Love and Gravity" – BlackHawk, 1997
  • "Love Like a River" – Daylon Wear, 2001
  • "Love Will Carry The Load" – Susie Luchsinger, 1995
  • "Love Won't Wait" – The Whites, 1986 (No. 36 Country)
  • "Macon Love" – David Wills, 1984 (No. 69 Country)
  • "The Man Behind the Wheel" – Charlie Floyd, 1993
  • "Many a Mile" – Collin Raye, 1992
  • "Many Mansions" – Moe Bandy, 1989 (No. 34 Country)
  • "The Memories Remain" – Emmylou Harris, 1983; Barry and Holly Tashian, 1993
  • "Mirror, Mirror" – Diamond Rio, 1991 (No. 3 Country); Bob DiPiero, 2001
  • "Money In the Bank" – John Anderson, 1993 (No. 1 Country)
  • "My Heart Has a History" – Paul Brandt, 1996 (No. 5 Country)
  • "Never Had a Reason To" – Reba McEntire, 1996
  • "New Orleans" – Oak Ridge Boys, 1999; Toby Keith, 1999
  • "No News" – Lonestar, 1996 (No. 1 Country) — 1997 ASCAP Country Song of the Year
  • "Off My Rocker" – Billy Currington, 2002
  • "Off to Join the World" – Blaine Larson, 2003; Cowboy Jack Clement, 2004
  • "Oh Carolina" – Vince Gill, 1984 (No. 38 Country)
  • "On Again, Off Again" – Nashville Bluegrass Band, 1993
  • "One Love, One You" – Oak Ridge Boys, 1987
  • "The Other Side of This Kiss" – Mindy McCready, 1998 (No. 41 Country)
  • "Preachin' To The Choir" – Jeff Carson, 1995
  • "The Quittin' Kind" – Joe Diffie, 1999 (No. 21 Country / No. 90 Pop)
  • "Runnin' Away With My Heart" – Lonestar, 1996 (No. 8 Country)
  • "Runnin' Behind" – Tracy Lawrence, 1992 (No. 1 Country)
  • "Save This One For Me" – Rick Trevino, 1995 (No. 45 Country)
  • "See Rock City" – Rick Trevino, 1997 (No. 44 Country) Kentucky HeadHunters, 1997
  • "She's Still There" – Trace Adkins, 1999
  • "Small Towns Are Smaller for Girls" – Holly Dunn, 1987
  • "Spinning Straw Into Gold" – Barry & Holly Tashian, 1994
  • "Straight to You" – Brian McComas, 2003
  • "Talk to My Heart" – Joan Kennedy, 1994
  • "That'd Be Alright" – Alan Jackson, 2003 (No. 2 Country / No. 29 Pop)
  • "That's a Man" – Jack Ingram, 2009 (No. 15 Country)
  • "That's Enough of That" – Mila Mason, 1996 (No. 18 Country)
  • "That's Me (Every Chance I Get)" – George Strait, 1997
  • "That's One You Owe Me" – Johnny Cash, 1989
  • "That's the Way I Feel" – Delbert McClinton, 1990
  • "That's What I Like About Love" – Billy Dean, 1993
  • "That's What Love'll Get You" – Joe Nichols, 2005
  • "The Day That She Left Tulsa (In A Chevy)" – Wade Hayes, 1998 (No. 5 Country / No. 86 Pop)
  • "There You Are" – Martina McBride, 2000 (No. 10 Country / No. 15 AC / No. 60 Pop)
  • "They're Playin' Our Song" – Neal McCoy, 1995 (No. 3 Country) Bob DiPiero, 2001
  • "Thinking 'Bout Leaving" – James & Michael Younger, 1983; Gene Watson, 1983; Butch Baker, 1984 (No. 56 Country)
  • "This'd Be a Real Good Day" – Chad Austin, 2000
  • "Those Hands" – Rhett Akins, 1995
  • "Time Is a Bandit" – Ricky Skaggs, 1997
  • "Tune of a Twenty Dollar Bill" – Lonesome River Band, 2002; Shawn Camp, 2004; Joey & Rory, 2008
  • "Two Ways to Fall" – Barry & Holly Tashian, 1997; Rodney Redman, 2002; Ty England, 1996
  • "Victim of the Game" – Garth Brooks, 1990; Trisha Yearwood, 1991
  • "Vidalia" – Sammy Kershaw, 1996 (No. 10 Country)
  • "Waitin' for the Day to Break" – Shawn Camp, 2006
  • "Walking to Jerusalem" – Tracy Byrd, 1995 (No. 15 Country / No. 92 Pop)
  • "Way Beyond The Blue" – The Bonners, 1988 (No. 99 Country); Roger Ballard, 1993
  • "The Way Things Are Goin'" – Darryl Worley, 2000
  • "What If I Do" – Mindy McCready, 1997 (No. 26 Country)
  • "What More Do You Want from Me?" – Rhonda Vincent, 1996; Diamond Rio, 1998
  • "Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy" – Chris LeDoux & Garth Brooks, 1992 (No. 7 Country); Country Dance Kings, 1993
  • "When Her Love Was Mine" – Pirates of the Mississippi, 1995
  • "When I Get Where I'm Goin'" – Nashville Bluegrass Band, 1993
  • "When Life Hits Hard" – Ricky Skaggs, 1997
  • "Willow In the Wind" – Kathy Mattea, 1989
  • "Yeah Buddy" – Jeff Carson, 1995 (No. 69 Country)
  • "You Are What You Do" – Highway 101, 1993; The Moffatts, 1995
  • "Your Woman Misses Her Man" – Chely Wright, 1997

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Ann Womack</span> American country music singer and songwriter

Lee Ann Womack Liddell is an American country music singer. 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 of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her signature song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhett Akins</span> American country singer-songwriter

Thomas Rhett Akins Sr. is an American singer and songwriter. Signed to Decca Records between 1994 and 1997, he released two albums for that label, followed by 1998's What Livin's All About on MCA Nashville. Friday Night in Dixie was released in 2002 on Audium Entertainment. Overall, his albums have accounted for fourteen singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, including the number one "Don't Get Me Started" from 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lonestar</span> American country music group

Lonestar is an American country music group from Nashville, Tennessee. The group consists of Drew Womack, Michael Britt, Dean Sams, and Keech Rainwater (drums). Britt, Sams, and Rainwater co-founded the band in 1992 with original lead vocalist Richie McDonald and bass guitarist/vocalist John Rich. Rich exited the band in 1998 and went on to join Big Kenny as one-half of the duo Big & Rich. Since his departure, Lonestar has relied alternatingly on session and touring musicians for bass guitar accompaniment. McDonald exited the band in 2007 to record as a solo artist, and was replaced by former McAlyster vocalist Cody Collins before returning in 2011. McDonald left a second time in 2021 to join The Frontmen, with former Sons of the Desert lead vocalist Drew Womack replacing him.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 2000.

Chris McHugh is an American musician from Camden, NJ. He began his career as the drummer of Christian rock band White Heart from 1986 to 1989. McHugh toured and played as a session drummer with artists such as Aaron Neville, Peter Frampton, Jewel (singer), Alabama (band) Kenny Rogers, LeAnn Rimes, Brooks & Dunn and numerous others. His recording credits span over 40 years with 93 platinum and 15 gold certifications. Cited: Credits, Muso

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Hope You Dance</span> 2000 single by Lee Ann Womack

"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. It is the title track on Womack's 2000 album. Released in March 2000, the song reached number one on both the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks and Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts, and also reached number fourteen on the Billboard Hot 100. It is considered to be Womack's signature song, and it is the only Billboard number one for both Womack and Sons of the Desert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sons of the Desert (band)</span> Country music band

Sons of the Desert was an American country music band founded in 1989 in Waco, Texas. Its most famous lineup consisted of brothers Drew Womack and Tim Womack, along with Scott Saunders (keyboards), Doug Virden, and Brian Westrum (drums). The band released Whatever Comes First for Epic Records Nashville in 1997, and recorded a second album for Epic which was not released. Change followed in 2000. Counting two singles from the unreleased album, Sons of the Desert charted eight times on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including the top ten hit "Whatever Comes First"; they were also guest vocalists on Lee Ann Womack's 2000 hit "I Hope You Dance" and Ty Herndon's "It Must Be Love", both of which reached No. 1 on that chart. Following the band's disestablishment, Drew Womack became a solo artist; he would join Lonestar in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob DiPiero</span> American singer-songwriter

Robert John DiPiero is an American country music songwriter. He has written 15 US number one hits and several Top 20 singles for Tim McGraw, The Oak Ridge Boys, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Shenandoah, Neal McCoy, Highway 101, Restless Heart, Ricochet, John Anderson, Montgomery Gentry, Brooks & Dunn, George Strait, Pam Tillis, Martina McBride, Trace Adkins, Travis Tritt, Bryan White, Billy Currington, Etta James, Delbert McClinton, Van Zant, Tanya Tucker, Patty Loveless, and many others.

Gary Steven Harrison is an American songwriter.

Edward Monroe Hill is an American country music songwriter. Hill has been active since the early 1970s. Hill plays piano and keyboard and has backed Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson. Hill joined the Palomino Club's house band, the Palomino Riders, in the late 1970s, and backed artists like Marty Robbins and Willie Nelson. In 1980, he joined the Gilley's Urban Cowboy Band and won a Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance for "Orange Blossom Special/Hoedown".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Rhodes (musician)</span> American bass player (1953–2023)

Michael Rhodes was an American bass player, known for his session work and touring in support of other artists, and his collaborations in bands and ensembles.

Steven Jay Nathan is an American keyboardist. He is known for his session work in Muscle Shoals and Nashville studios.

Fletcher Bangs "Biff" Watson is an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer. His musicianship has been a part of recording sessions for many artists.

Bruce Bouton is an American guitarist, session musician, producer, and songwriter. His pedal steel guitar has been featured on many country music recordings, and he helped reintroduce the pedal steel guitar to the forefront of the Nashville sound. Bouton is also a member of The G-Men, the group of session musicians who has played on the vast majority of Garth Brooks albums.

Eric A. Darken is an American percussionist, composer, and programmer.

Kenneth S. Greenberg is an American guitarist, songwriter, producer, and session musician. He is known for bringing a rock-and-roll sensibility to Nashville recording sessions.

Jonathan Yudkin is an American multi-instrumentalist who is a proficient player of banjo, violin, mandolin, and other stringed instruments. He is a Nashville-based session musician, record producer, arranger, and band leader.

Larry Franklin is an American Fiddler, mandolin and guitar player, session musician, and composer. His style embraces country, blues, rock and roll, jazz, and Western swing.

Tia Maria Sillers is an American songwriter. She has written over 40 singles in multiple music formats, including the Lee Ann Womack single "I Hope You Dance", and the Kenny Wayne Shepherd single "Blue on Black". Sillers' songs have been featured in numerous films, television shows and commercials.

References

  1. ↑ Mark D. Sanders :: Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine . Nashville Songwriters Foundation (July 9, 1950). Retrieved on 2011-11-16.
  2. ↑ Tia Sillers I Hope You Dance. SongwriterUniverse Article. Retrieved on November 16, 2011.
  3. ↑ MARK SANDERS: Turning His Hobby Into A Career. American Songwriter (January 1, 1997). Retrieved on 2011-11-16.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.