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 (; born August 19, 1966) is an American singer and songwriter. She has charted 23 times on the American ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts; her highest peaking single there is her crossover signature song, " I Hope You Dance" ...

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 L ...

", and the

Kenny Wayne Shepherd Kenny Wayne Shepherd (born Kenneth Wayne Brobst; June 12, 1977) is an American guitarist. He has released several studio albums and experienced significant commercial success as a blues rock artist. Early life Shepherd was born in Shrevepo ...

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 re ...

". 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 Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

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

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

in 1980. It was while at

Father Ryan High School Father Ryan High School is a private Catholic Church, Catholic high school in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1925 as Nashville Catholic High School for Boys, Father Ryan is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville, Diocese of Nashvill ...

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 passerine birds in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. Bluebirds lay an ...

. The writers

Don Schlitz Donald Allen Schlitz Jr. (born August 29, 1952) is an American songwriter who has written more than twenty number one hits on the country music charts. He is best known for his song " The Gambler" (Kenny Rogers), and as the co-writer of " For ...

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

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

, 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 ...

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

George Ducas George Ducas ( – 31 March 1685) was the prince (List of monarchs of Moldavia, voivode) of Moldavia (1665–1666, 1668–1672, 1678–1684) and the List of Wallachian rulers, prince of Wallachia (1674–1678). He also served as the hetman of ...

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

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

1990s-2000s

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) is an American singer and actress. Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins Will ...

. 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, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credi ...

and

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (June 20, 1942 – June 11, 2025) was an American musician, songwriter, singer and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop compositio ...

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. Ranked List of world number one snooker players, world number one on multiple occasions, he has won a total of 24 ranking titles, placing him eighth on the all ...

. 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 music, heavy metal band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2005. The band originally consisted of vocalist Ivan Moody, rhythm guitarist Zoltan Bathory, lead g ...

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 D ...

and

Brian May Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...

. 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 singer/songwriter and country music artist. In 2002, he debuted the single "Memphis" from an unreleased album for Mercury Records Nashville. Five years later, he signed with MCA Nashville, fo ...

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

, Engelbert Humperdinck,

Little River Band Little River Band (LRB) are a rock band 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 reached the top ...

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He played in a number of local bluegrass music, bluegrass bands in the 1970s, and from 1978 to 1982, he achieved his first mainstream attention after ta ...

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), better known by her stage name Patti Page, was an American singer. Primarily known for Pop music, pop and Country music, country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and b ...

Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and presenter. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop g ...

, John Pardi,

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

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 i ...

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 (magazine), Billboard'', a publication covering the music business and a Billboard charts, music popularity chart. The ''Billboard'' Music Awards show has been held annu ...

for Rock Track Of The Year. Sillers' most recent award was in 2010 from the Canadian Country Music Association ( CCMA) 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 who has penned songs for a variety of artists including Reba McEntire, Sara Evans, Jessica Simpson, Lauren Alaina, Carly Pearce and Mickey Guyton. ...

Johnny Reid John Kirkland Reid (born August 21, 1973) is a Scottish-Canadian country music artist. Reid moved to Canada in July 1989 when he was 16 from Scotland United Kingdom. His father, a diesel mechanic, wanted to give Reid and his brother opportunitie ...

, 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 (formerly the Dixie Chicks) are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas. The band consists of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar, bass guitar) and sisters Martie Maguire (vocals, fiddle, mandolin, guitar) and Emily Stra ...

* "That’ll Be Alright" –

Alan Jackson Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is known for performing a style widely regarded as "neotraditional country", as well as writing many of his own songs. Jackson has recorded 21 studi ...

* "Sam Loves Joann" - Tiffany * "Barbed Wire & Roses" –

Pinmonkey Pinmonkey was an American country music band from Nashville, Tennessee. The band was formed in 2002 by Michael Reynolds (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), brothers Michael Jeffers (vocals, bass guitar) and Chad Jeffers (Dobro, lap steel guitar), an ...

* "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 in 2001, followed a year later by ''Life Happened''. These two a ...

* "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 eldest child of country singer Mel Tillis. After recording unsuccessful pop material for Elektra Records, Elektra ...

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

Trisha Yearwood Patricia Lynn Yearwood (born September 19, 1964) is an American country singer. 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 (magazine), Billboard'' Hot Country Songs ...

* "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 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 re ...

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)