The Franklin Theatre presents a special songwriters round on September 29 featuring Autumn McEntire, Marti Dodson, SJ McDonald, and Kenny Foster.
About Autumn McEtire
Oklahoma native and long-time Tennessee resident Autumn McEntire comes from a country music legacy (aunt - Reba McEntire) and her love for music began when she was very young. Autumn moved to Nashville and signed her first publishing deal after graduating from Belmont University with a degree in Music Business. Learning from Music Row’s hitmakers, Autumn’s style and personality comes out in her cuts by Lauren Alaina - “Don’t Judge A Woman” (2023), and the Grammy nominated title track to Reba McEntire’s release - “Stronger Than The Truth” (2019). She has also landed cuts from some of her favorite up-and-coming artists Ashley McBryde, Walker County, Matt Stell, Trea Landon, Mae Estes, Matt Wynn, Kayley Bishop, Emily Ann Roberts, Mickey Guyton, and Britnee Kellogg.
About Marti Dodson
Marti Lynn Dodson is a BMI award winning singer/songwriter from Franklin Furnace, Ohio. As a student at The Ohio State University, Marti founded pop/rock band Saving Jane, and went on to become one of the highest charting independent acts of the 2000's. Marti penned and performed 2 RIAA Certified Gold Singles in Saving Jane, and her music has been featured in shows and commercials on NBC, ABC, MTV, the WE network, Lifetime, and TLC. Marti’s songs have served as theme music for TV personality Rachael Ray, NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, Olympic Gold Medalist Nastia Liukin, and tattoo artist Kat Von D. Country singer Julie Roberts covered Marti’s hit song “Girl Next Door”, and sensing a potential career in songwriting, Marti began to branch out and write songs for other artists. Her first pitch became the theme song and the first single for the winners of the German tv show “Popstars”, and she achieved 2 more gold records in the following years. Marti also scored CCM hits with Blessid Union of Souls and Brandy Allison, as well as Bluegrass hits with Dale Ann Bradley and Kristy Cox. Since moving to Nashville in 2013, Marti’s songs have been recorded by Luke Bryan, Gabby Barrett, The Shires, Thompson Square,Terri Clark, numerous independent acts, and featured on NBC’s The Voice and The Grand Ole Opry. Marti’s songs have been praised as ‘smart and sensitive’ by Billboard Magazine, elected Spin Magazine’s #1 Country Song of The Year, and featured by NPR, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post on multiple year end Best Country Song lists.
About SJ McDonald
SJ McDonald's sound reflects that of a hard-working farmer's daughter who lives and breathes country music - because that’s who she is.
Born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, SJ developed her tenacity and dedication working on her family’s 5-generation cattle and turkey farm. Along with callused hands, she found her adoration for country music, loving the legends of the 90s and 2000s country eras. SJ started writing and performing at just 9 years old, leading her own band throughout high school, and found her way to Nashville at 18. She landed weekly slots on Lower Broadway playing for tips, where she spent 6 years cutting her teeth and honing in her style of performing - which can only be described as high energy, infectious, and country to the core.
Alongside her own independent artist journey, which has taken her along a self-booked coast-to-coast tour throughout the summer of 2023, SJ recently furthered her career as a songwriter, signing a publishing deal with Major Bob Music.
SJ is a force to be reckoned with on every stage she steps her broken-in-boots on. After a successful 2023 of independently releasing music, and being the May 2024 CMT: Next Up Now artist pick, SJ is gearing up to get back into the studio to work on the release of her next project. Until then, she'll be serving up some down-home country music to crowds across the country.
About Kenny Foster
Foster’s unorthodox career has seen him sharing the stage with artists including Buddy Miller, Kacey Musgraves, Patty Griffin, Brothers Osborne, Maren Morris and Old Dominion, and appearing in numerous episodes of ABC’s Nashville and even in Super Bowl commercials alongside Sheryl Crow and Danica Patrick. He was named one of the “Top 10 New Artists You Need to Know” by Rolling Stone and has been highlighted in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and Forbes.
The critically acclaimed Deep Cuts (2017) album expanded Kenny's reach further than even he could have imagined. After touring to 18 countries in the following years the release of his newest effort, Somewhere in Middle America (2022), addresses the beauty and the limitations, the experiences and the challenges, facing those Midwesterners who, like him, carry a complicated relationship to their hometowns and the polarizing mindsets that increasingly define our times. Born and raised in Joplin, Missouri, the acclaimed and innovative artist didn’t set out to make this complex and deeply personal territory the focus of the record, but gradually became aware of what was feeling most urgent to him.
The results merge country storytelling, singer/songwriter intimacy, and rock & roll intensity—the place where pedal steel and banjos meet power chords. The first single 'Somewhere In Middle America' had it's World Radio Premier on BBC Radio 2's "The Country Show with Whispering Bob Harris". His second single, 'Poor Kids', a premier on Absolute Radio Country, and his third single 'Copy, Paste, Repeat' earned him a British Country Music Award for 'International Single of the Year'.