NASHVILLE, TN. (Top40 Charts/
Little Champion Music) - John and
Martina McBride announced today the signing of award-winning songwriter Rachel Thibodeau to their publishing company
Little Champion Music. Thibodeau, co-writer of "
Good Directions" which was awarded Song of the Year at Monday night's ASCAP Awards also wrote two of McBride's songs on her Waking Up Laughing album - "Loveland" (co-written with Tom Douglas) and "I'll Still Be Me" (co-written with Tammy Hyler).
"We started Little Champion Music this year and Rachel is our first writer," says Martina. "We plan on signing more writers as we find ones that are as special as she is."
In 1997, Thibodeau, a native of Elk River, Minnesota, left her home state for the very first time and moved to Nashville. She made Music City her permanent home in 2002 and in June of 2003, Thibodeau signed a publishing deal with Murrah Music Group. Three months later, Thibodeau had her first cut with Lila McCann. Thibodeau and fellow Murrah Music writer Luke Bryan experienced their first taste of success as a writing duo when Billy Currington cut and released their song "Good Directions" which soared up the Billboard country singles chart where it spent multiple weeks at number one and took home ASCAP's Song of the Year prize.
"Rachel is one of the most talented, incredible, hard-working people we have ever come in contact with," says John McBride. "She is going to be a major force in Nashville songwriting, and she is well on her way!"
Thibodeau is still amazed by her daily blessings when she writes and records demos at McBride's Blackbird Studios in Nashville where artists like Martina, Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts, and many others record their albums.
"Martina and John are such amazing people," Thibodeau says. "There aren't two people in this world that I'd rather work with. They encourage me to grow as a writer and as an artist and I am constantly learning from both of them. Martina has always been such a major influence in my musical career so to be able to now write for her and John is such a dream come true."
"At Blackbird Studios, I'm surrounded by all of these people who have achieved such amazing things," Thibodeau says. "It fills me with this energy that I can't even explain and I'm excited every day to write another song and see where it will land...I absolutely love my job."
