Sandra McCracken has signed a publishing deal with Creative Nation.

McCracken is a Grammy-nominated and Dove-award winning singer-songwriter and hymn writer from Nashville. She has produced 15 solo albums over two decades, including Psalms (2015) and God’s Highway (2017), which made the top 50 on Billboard Heatseekers chart without support from a major label.

She has had many songs featured in TV, including “Ten Thousand Angels” on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, and has over 15 million streams. Blending the old and new, McCracken has also shown a unique ability to recast sacred scripture texts into theologically rich songs, including the release of November Songs with fellow Shadowlands band members Brett Tyler and Creative Nation’s Luke Laird. 

“We are excited to partner with Sandra McCracken as she broadens her writing community. Luke and I have long admired Sandra’s artistry — after we worked together on the Shadowlands project, we were eager to do more,” says Creative Nation Founder and CEO Beth Laird. “She is a great new addition to our team to diversify our roster.”

“I’m such a fan of these writers with a catalog of songs with so much depth and heart. So grateful to join this stellar, storytelling team at Creative Nation,” McCracken says.

Additionally, Steve Moakler and Jonathan Hutcherson have also extended their deals with the company.

Laird shares, “We are happy to announce that we have extended our deals with Steve Moakler and Jonathan Hutcherson.  They are both outstanding artists, songwriters and people that bring so much passion and creativity to our roster and culture at Creative Nation.”

Hutcherson, a Kentucky native, moved to Nashville in 2018 after appearing on The Voice at age 16. His independent single “Strangers” racked up more than 1 million Spotify streams as he logged countless sessions around Music City, balancing a job at Lowe’s to stay afloat. He signed his deal with Creative Nation in 2019 and has since cultivated his sound, releasing his self-titled EP in 2021.

“The last four years with CN have been some to remember. I’ve gotten to chase down a lot of dreams with this crew and it’s become a true home for my songs and for me as an artist. This team, the culture, and the heart behind the company is everything I want to be a part of. Grateful to God for the road behind us and the road ahead,” Hutcherson says.

Moakler is a Pennsylvania native whose more than 15 years in the industry has resulted in hits with Dierks Bentley, Jake Owen, Ben Rector, Reba McEntire and more. As an artist, Moakler has toured with Old Dominion, Willie Nelson, Dan + Shay and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. He released his most recent album Make A Little Room last year, containing “Let’s Go To The Lake,” “Numbered,” “You Being You” and more.

“I’m thrilled to continue working with Creative Nation… I’m truly inspired by everyone on the team and so grateful to be a part of it,” Moakler says.

Emerson Drive vocalist Brad Mates is pivoting from his longtime career as an artist and launching a brand new venture, Band & Crew Financial.

Mates and the rest of Emerson Drive enjoyed a successful career as a touring act for over two decades, and after moving to Maine years ago, he developed an interest in the financial world and discovered a new passion for helping change people’s lives through investing and preparing for the future. Mates worked to become knowledgeable as a financial planner, and then came upon the idea to cater to a part of the industry that is often overlooked and underestimated, those who are often behind-the-scenes and in support positions, and decided to form Band & Crew.

“In my position as an artist in the business, I’ve observed when you meet someone in the financial industry it’s often the big box company, someone in a suit and tie, who has never been deep in the industry like we have,” explains Mates. “So I think there’s a comfort level for a lot of people to have someone who understands a little bit of their path and challenges in the music business. And now that I’ve come back in from the other side of the industry, I knew we had to be different than other financial companies, so I decided to offer financial services hyper-focused on supporting all stages that an individual goes through in their respective career path.

“Our difference at Band & Crew is our background in the industry, hands and feet on the ground in this business for 25 years, that makes us stand out the most. And I truly believe it can help a lot of younger acts and even established acts and folks at the back end of their careers that are potentially retiring, just a place that feels like home for them to come and do business.”

The new company will offer a variety of services including investments, insurance and business guidance for both families and individuals, including IRAs, mutual funds, annuities, life insurance, long term care, retirement plans, IRAs, 401Ks and more.

Band & Crew Financial is headquartered in Lewiston, Maine, but Mates will be traveling all around the country working with clients in cities like Nashville, Las Vegas, Minneapolis and Detroit. More information on the new company can be found at bandandcrewfinancial.com.

Dolly Parton‘s Rockstar rules the country albums chart this week, scoring the top debut at No. 1 with 128K in total consumption (118K album only/9.8 million song streams) according to Luminate data. The project marked Parton’s biggest debut sales week of her career.

Morgan Wallen‘s One Thing At Time remains at No. 2 with 68K (3.2K album only/82 million song streams), followed by Zach Bryan‘s self-titled album at No. 3 again with 44K (4.1K album only/51 million song streams). Taylor Swift‘s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) moves up to No. 4 with 37K (17K album only/26 million song streams), while Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album shifts down to No. 5 with 36K (465 album only/46 million song streams).

This week on the country streaming songs chart, Bryan and Kacey Musgraves‘ “I Remember Everything” continues to hold the No. 1 slot with 18 million streams, adding to 293 million ATD. Wallen’s “Last Night” stays at No. 2 with 12 million new streams, adding to 1.053 billion ATD, and Bryan’s “Something In The Orange” rests at No. 3 with 12 million streams, adding to 1.080 billion ATD. Wallen’s “Thinkin’ Bout Me” returns to No. 4 with 10 million new streams, adding to 484 million ATD, as Luke Combs‘ “Fast Car” cover rises back to No. 5 with 8.6 million streams, adding to 521 million ATD.

Country artist MacKenzie Porter hosted “MacKenzie Porter + Friends Present: Country vs. Cancer,” her inaugural benefit concert as an ambassador for the American Cancer Society, at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl on Monday, Nov. 20.

Porter performed fan-favorites tunes “These Days” and “Pickup,” and debuted some new music from her forthcoming full-length album as well as previously-released tracks “Bet You Break My Heart” and “Chasing Tornadoes,” which Madeline Merlo and Porter transformed into a surprise duet for the special night.

“This means so much to me,” she shared from the stage. “Cancer has affected my life in so many ways and I’m sure it has every single person in this room. I’ve always wanted to be involved in something like this.”

The event raised a total of $85,000 for the American Cancer Society, including a $20,000 donation from sponsor Ryan Aviation Group.

Nate Smith, Alana Springsteen, Lily Rose, Walker Hayes and Dustin Lynch also took the stage to support Porter and the American Cancer Society. The crowd was serenaded with Smith’s “Whiskey On You,” Springsteen’s “Goodbye Looks Good On You,” Rose’s “Villain,” Hayes’ “Fancy Like” and Lynch’s “Small Town Boy.” Porter joined in for performances of Hayes’ “Halloween” and her double-Platinum, six-week No. 1 collaboration with Lynch “Thinking ‘Bout You.”

“These artists are so busy so the fact they’re here shows how much this means to all of us,” she continued. “Doing good, spreading love, and helping people is the reason we’re all here.”

The evening ended with a milestone moment as Lynch presented Porter with a career plaque in celebration of her six No. 1 songs at Canadian country radio and seven Music Canada Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum certifications.