Sandra Marie McCracken[1] (born June 16, 1977) is an independent singer-songwriter. She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Drawing from folk, gospel, and hymn traditions, her music often weaves together storytelling and scripture.[2] McCracken is a founding member of the Indelible Grace artist collective based in Nashville.[3][non-primary source needed] She won the 2023 GMA Dove Award for Bluegrass/Country/Roots Album of the Year for her album Light in the Canyon.[4]
McCracken grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and attended Westminster Christian Academy. As a child, McCracken would harmonize in the church choir, accompany groups on the piano, sing solos in church, and write new hymns for her congregation to sing.[5] McCracken began her musical career shortly after graduating from Belmont University in 1999. She independently released two albums, The Crucible and Gypsy Flat Road in 2000, and 2001 respectively.
In late 2003, McCracken recorded Best Laid Plans with engineer, Ray Kennedy (Twang Trust) and world-renowned producer, Peter Collins.[6] In mid-2004, McCracken signed the album to Shell Records in London, headed by Dave Robinson. Shell released the album in the UK, followed by two radio singles, "Last Goodbye" and "No More Tears", which received significant airplay and attention across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.[7]
In 2005, McCracken released The Builder and the Architect, an album of hymns.[8] The same team that worked on Best Laid Plans came together again in February 2006 to record album number five, Gravity / Love which was released in September 2006.[citation needed] In 2010, McCracken released In Feast or Fallow, another album of hymns, recorded at her home studio in East Nashville.[9][10]
In addition to her solo recordings, she co-founded the children's music collective, Rain for Roots, in 2012, with fellow singer-songwriters Ellie Holcomb, Katy Bowser, and Flo Paris. This collective has released four albums, Big Stories for Little Ones—with lyrics written by British author Sally Lloyd-Jones—The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like This, Waiting Songs, and All Creatures.
Desire Like Dynamite, released in February 2013,[11] explores deeper dimensions of sound and grace.[12]
On April 17, 2014, Sandra McCracken and her then husband fellow singer-songwriter Derek Webb, announced that their marriage was coming to an end after thirteen years due to Webb's extramarital affair.[13][14]
McCracken performing in July 2015
In 2015, McCracken's Psalms album was released without a label, and it charted No. 18 on the Billboard Americana/Folk charts.[15] This critically acclaimed release marked a shift in McCracken's music as she began writing songs for people to sing together.[5] After releasing Psalms, McCracken toured and co-wrote significantly with the Grammy-winning Christian duo All Sons & Daughters.
In 2016, she released God's Highway and it placed No. 49 in the Billboard Heatseekers Chart upon release.[16] It went on to reach No. 20 on the Billboard Americana/Folk charts.[17]
In 2017 she began writing a column on spirituality and creativity for Christianity Today.[18][19] The same year, McCracken published the Steadfast podcast. In 2020, McCracken released Patient Kingdom. The following year, she published the second season of the Steadfast podcast, with the theme of patience.[20]
In 2022, McCracken released two solo albums, Carry Each Other and Light in the Canyon. Carry Each Other (February) is an album of covers, including One by U2, Everybody Hurts by R.E.M., and others. Light in the Canyon (July) contains many songs she has released on previous albums, with a jazz twist.
Later in the year, she released an EP, titled November Songs, with a band project called Shadowlands. Shadowlands is composed of Luke Laird, Brett Taylor, and Sandra McCracken. The songs of the EP were written in the November of 2021, and released in September of 2022.
Derek Walsh Webb is an American singer-songwriter of independent and formerly Christian music who first entered the music industry as a member of the band Caedmon's Call, and later embarked on a successful solo career. As a member of the Houston, Texas-based Caedmon's Call, Webb has seen career sales approaching 1 million records, along with 10 GMA Dove Award nominations and three Dove Award wins and six No. 1 Christian radio hits.
Bonnie Leigh McKee is an American singer and songwriter. Her debut album, Trouble, was released in 2004 by Reprise Records. After underperforming McKee was dropped by her label and took a musical hiatus before establishing herself as a songwriter. She has written 10 singles that have reached number one in either the United States or the United Kingdom, which have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide combined. In 2013, McKee made a return to music with many singles, including "American Girl". She independently released an EP, Bombastic (2015).
She Must and Shall Go Free is the first solo studio album by the singer-songwriter Derek Webb following his 2003 departure from Caedmon's Call. Named for the last line of a 175-year-old hymn written by William Gadsby, according to Webb, the album "is an emphatic statement about the liberation and ultimate security of the people of God -- the church." A result of Webb's questioning his role in the "church" and its role in culture, it is a poignant and challenging look at what it means to pursue faith in today's church-laden culture.
Mockingbird (2005) is the third solo studio album from singer-songwriter Derek Webb.
Waterdeep is a band from Kansas City, Missouri that is now based in Nashville, Tennessee. It is made up of husband and wife songwriters Don and Lori Chaffer.
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter and television personality. She is known for her influence on modern pop music and her camp style, being dubbed the "Queen of Camp" by Vogue and Rolling Stone. At 16, Perry released a gospel record titled Katy Hudson (2001) under Red Hill Records, which was commercially unsuccessful. She moved to Los Angeles at 17 to venture into secular music, and later adopted the stage name "Katy Perry" from her mother's maiden name. She recorded an album while signed to Columbia Records, but was dropped before signing to Capitol Records.
One of the Boys is the second studio album by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on June 17, 2008, by Capitol Records. She collaborated on the album with producers Greg Wells, Dr. Luke, Dave Stewart, Max Martin, and Ted Bruner among others, and wrote most of the songs in collaboration with other producers and writers. However, the title track, "Thinking of You", and "Mannequin" were all written by Perry alone. The EP Ur So Gay, containing the song of the same name, was released in 2007 to generate interest in the singer and the album.
"I Kissed a Girl" is the debut single by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on April 28, 2008, by Capitol Records as the lead single from her second studio album, One of the Boys (2008). Perry co-wrote the song with Max Martin, Cathy Dennis, and its producer Dr. Luke, with additional production from Benny Blanco. "I Kissed a Girl" is a pop-rock, electropop and new wave song with elements of disco and glam rock. Perry stated its lyrics are "about the magical beauty of a woman". The song sparked controversy for its handling of bi-curious themes, but in retrospect has been credited with increasing LGBT awareness in pop music.
Teenage Dream is the third studio album by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on August 24, 2010, through Capitol Records. Primarily a pop record, Teenage Dream also contains elements of disco, electronic, rock, funk, house, Hi-NRG, and hip hop, that revolve around young love, partying, self-empowerment, and personal growth. Perry co-wrote the album, and worked with a number of producers such as Dr. Luke, Max Martin, Benny Blanco, Stargate and Greg Wells.
"Teenage Dream" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. It was released as the second single from her third studio album of the same name on July 23, 2010. This song was written by Perry, Bonnie McKee, Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Benny Blanco. McKee describes "Teenage Dream" as a throwback song to the euphoric feelings of being in love as a teenager while Perry described the song as reminiscent of her youth. Musically, "Teenage Dream" is a mid-tempo pop song with a retro sound. It is styled in the genres of power pop and electropop, while taking influence from other genres such as disco and pop rock. Perry starts the song in a high-pitched voice while her vocals grow stronger as the song progresses. Lyrically, "Teenage Dream" discusses being with a lover who makes one feel young again.
"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" is a song by American singer Katy Perry from her third studio album, Teenage Dream. The song was produced by Dr. Luke and Max Martin, who also co-wrote the song with Perry and Bonnie McKee. Perry stated that she was inspired to write the track after a night of wild partying and streaking. It was released as the album's fifth single on June 6, 2011, by Capitol Records, with a remix featuring American rapper Missy Elliott released to US radio stations and digital retailers on August 8, 2011; this version was included in Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection edition. It is a dance-pop song with lyrics about drunken fun and debauchery. Some of the risqué lyrics are often censored in radio versions of the song.
"Part of Me" is a song by American singer Katy Perry, released as the lead single from Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection. It was written by Perry and Bonnie McKee, with production and additional writing by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Cirkut. The song was not included on the original edition of Teenage Dream because Perry felt that it did not fit the composition of the album. A demo of the song leaked online in late 2010, amid speculation that the lyrics were directed to the singer's ex-boyfriend Travie McCoy. "Part of Me" was re-worked and officially released on February 13, 2012, through Capitol Records with artwork by art director Gavin Taylor and photography by Mary Ellen Matthews.
"Wild Ones" is a song by American rapper Flo Rida featuring Australian singer-songwriter Sia from his fourth studio album of the same name (2012). It was by written by the artists alongside Jacob Luttrell, Marcus Cooper, Niklaas Vogel-Kern, and producers soFLY & Nius and Axwell, while the engineering and recording of the record was handled by Skylar Mones. Lyrically, the song contracts themes including partying, love and dancing while the musical composition is an uptempo dance-pop song that is influenced by house music and electro house.
Prism is the fourth studio album by American singer Katy Perry. It was released by Capitol Records on October 18, 2013. While the album was initially planned to be "darker" than her previous material, Prism ultimately became a prominently dance-inspired record. Perry worked with several past collaborators, while enlisting new producers and guest vocals. Much of Prism revolves around the themes of living in the present, relationships, and self-empowerment. The album garnered generally positive reviews with critics praising its lyrics for being more "mature" and personal, while others considered Prism to be more formulaic than her previous material.
"Roar" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. It was released on August 10, 2013, by Capitol Records as the lead single from her fourth studio album, Prism (2013). Perry co-wrote the song with Bonnie McKee and its producers Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Cirkut. It is a power pop song containing elements of arena rock and lyrics centering on standing up for oneself and self-empowerment.
"Dark Horse" is a song by American singer Katy Perry featuring American rapper Juicy J. It was originally released on September 17, 2013, by Capitol Records as the first promotional single from Perry's fourth studio album, Prism (2013). Three months later, it was released as the third official single on December 17. Both artists co-wrote the song with its producers, Max Martin, Cirkut, and Dr. Luke, alongside Sarah Hudson. It was conceived by Perry and Hudson during a writing session in Perry's hometown of Santa Barbara, California, and Juicy J was later commissioned for a verse on the song.
Sally Lloyd-Jones is a British children's book writer.
Melanie Grayson Penn is an American Christian musician, who primarily plays an indie pop, folk rock, and alternative country style of music. She has released six independently-made studio albums, Wake Up Love in 2010, Hope Tonight in 2014, Immanuel in 2017, "Immanuel: The Folk Sessions" in 2019, "More Alive Vol. 1" in 2020 and "More Alive Vol. 2" in 2022. She lives in New York City.
Tamia Monique Carter, known professionally as Flo Milli, is an American rapper and singer. She rose to prominence after her 2018 single "Beef FloMix" and its 2019 follow up, "In the Party" reached virality on the media platform TikTok; the latter received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In late 2019, she signed a recording contract with Justin Goldman's '94 Sounds, an imprint of RCA Records.
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