Black River Publishing

The writers

0 songwriters, composers, and administration writers across country, Christian, and pop.

Josh Kerr

Josh Kerr is a Grammy winning & CMA nominated hit-songwriter and music producer at Black River Publishing based in Nashville, TN. Kerr won Song of the Year twice as a co-writer of for KING & COUNTRY ’s multi-chart No. 1s, “God Only Knows” and “For God Is With Us” at the 2019 and 2021 K-Love Fan Awards respectively. He was nominated at the 2018 CMA’s for Album of the Year as a co-producer for Keith Urban’s Graffiti U, featuring “Never Comin Down,” the Top 20 hit co-written and co-produced by Kerr. His multiple US No. 1 songs include for KING & COUNTRY’s “God Only Knows,” which claimed more than 10 weeks at the No. 1 spot, the RIAA Platinum-certified “My Girl” recorded by Dylan Scott, and the RIAA Platinum-certified “Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Dibs” recorded by Kelsea Ballerini. As a songwriter and producer, Kerr has worked with a variety of artists spanning multiple genres including Camila Cabello, Thomas Rhett, Morgan Wallen, Danielle Bradbery, Devin Dawson, Dolly Parton, for KING & COUNTRY, Hannah Kerr, Ingrid Michaelson, Jake Scott, Jordan Davis, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Little Big Town, Maddie & Tae, and more. Kerr began making music early on in life while growing up in upstate New York.

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Dan Wilson

Born and raised in Greenville South Carolina, music has been in Dan’s blood from an early age. Starting on the drums at 5 years old, he taught himself to play. Songwriting became a passion once he learned a few chords on his father’s hand me down Ovation guitar. “The feeling of starting with nothing and then getting a song at the end of the day is incomparable, and the feeling we chase as songwriters, magic in three minutes or less is what I live for,” he says. Over the last couple of years, he has begun to win the respect of Music Row’s top songwriters and is building a name for himself among a new peer group of Nashville’s next hit makers. Named part of AIMP’s Class of 2021 and with his first radio single under his belt, as well as songs recorded by Tucker Wetmore, Bryce Leatherwood, Midland, Dylan Marlowe, MaRynn Taylor and more, he continues to be a first call collaborator for artists on Music Row.

MaRynn Taylor

MaRynn Taylor is a fast-rising country powerhouse vocalist whose debut album MaRynn was released August 22nd via Black River Entertainment. In 2025 alone, MaRynn opened for Kelsea Ballerini’s arena tour in 36 cities, as well as provided direct support for Jake Scott, and Chris Young on the entirety of their respective tours. With more than 60 million career streams and 16 Telly Awards, the 25-year-old Michigan native has been praised for her “unassuming delivery and crystalline timbre” (Billboard) and celebrated for music that “embraces vulnerability” while offering “an authentic glimpse into her life” (MusicRow). The album features fan favorites “same girl same,” “season 2 of friends,” and “dirty blonde,” and follows her self-reflective EP Get To Know Me, marking another major milestone in her accelerating career. Named one of CMT’s Next Women of Country and an “artist to watch” by Country Now, Music Mayhem, and Wide Open Country, MaRynn continues to establish herself as a bold new voice in the genre. In 2023, she made her Grand Ole Opry debut after being surprised with the invitation live on 650 AM WSM’s Coffee, Country & Cody by Opry member Jeannie Seely. This was a full-circle moment following her on-air signing with Black River Entertainment during the 53rd Annual CMA Awards week in 2019.

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McCall Chapin

McCall Chapin is an emerging Nashville-based singer/songwriter blending brutally honest storytelling, clever wordplay, and modern yet familiar melodies and production. A Florida native, she weaves together themes of leaving home, navigating her early 20s, heartbreak, friendship, and self-discovery. Chapin got her start in her hometown of Tallahassee, Florida, where she began gigging and writing songs at just 12 years old. In 2018, she moved to Nashville to study songwriting and music business at Belmont University. She signed her first publishing deal with Black River Entertainment in 2022 and has since written with artists such as Maddie and Tae, Zach John King, Kasey Tyndall, and Faith Ashley Hopkins, among others. After years of honing her craft as a go-to topliner and helping bring other artists’ stories to life, Chapin is now stepping fully into her own. With a growing catalog of songs that feel deeply personal, she’s beginning to define her voice as an artist. Her debut single, “EXPERT,” has already gained traction online, catching the attention of artists like Kelsea Ballerini, Lily Rose, and Nightly.

Blake Ruby

Blake Ruby is a Nashville-based songwriter/producer and recording artist signed to Black River Publishing. Across his work as a writer and producer, his catalog has accumulated more than 100 million streams, including over 14 million as an artist. Ruby has recently collaborated closely with artists including Zach Seabaugh, Evan Honer, Bren Joy, Vwillz, mike., Gatton, BETCHA, and Mark Barlow. His work spans pop, alternative, folk, country, and Christian music, with a focus on left-of-center songwriting, production, and artistic world-building. As an independent artist, Ruby brings the same songwriting-first approach to his own releases. With a background in engineering and mixing, he maintains end-to-end creative control across writing, production, and final mix.

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Ben Foster

Ben Foster has always been surrounded by music. He grew up in a small farm town in Iowa, just 20 minutes from the crash site of the legendary Buddy Holly. Due to this, a natural appreciation of 50s music spawned, and his musical taste later turned to blues and rock, inspired by legends like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. At only 10 years old, Foster’s mom took him to John Mayer’s “Room for Squares” Tour, and it was that night he knew he was meant to pursue a career in music. In high school, summers were spent playing gigs with garage bands for audiences large and small. Foster went on to study audio engineering, where he discovered his love for writing songs. It wasn’t long before he made the move to Music City and started expanding his network. He found gigs playing guitar for various artists, which led to his first radio tour across the country and would later play a part in his first song on country radio. A charting radio single led to a publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing and opened many doors for the Iowa native. Now, Foster is a signed songwriter with Black River Publishing and continues to produce for a wide range of artists. He has cuts with Gavin Adcock, Adam Doleac, Clayton Mullen, Travis Denning, Jervis Campbell, and many more.

Hannah Kerr

Touted as a “compelling” and “encouraging” artist by CCM Magazine, Curb recording artist/songwriter Hannah Kerr has over 300 million global career streams, including her Top 15 hit “Warrior,” Top 20 “Split The Sea,” and Top 30 “Same God.” Co-written by Kerr, along with Matt Maher, “Your Love Defends Me” propelled her to win the award for Most Played Song award at the 2018 ASCAP Christian Awards. Kerr has shared the stage with fellow Christian artists, including Big Daddy Weave, Casting Crowns, Matt Maher, for KING + COUNTRY, Newsboys, and Kari Jobe. A graduate of Belmont University with a degree in Christian Leadership, Hannah Kerr married songwriter/musician Jason Earley in March 2020. Kerr, her husband, and their son, currently reside in Nashville. She is currently working on a new studio record, her second on the CURB Records label, which is due for release in 2027. Kerr will also release a new Christmas single in Oct 2026 with her version of Welcome To Our World.

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Jason Earley

Earley is from Sharps Chapel, Tennessee, a small town northeast of Knoxville. Since graduating from Belmont University in 2016, Earley has been writing and producing both Country and Christian music with songs recorded by artists including Ben Fuller, Sidewalk Prophets, Hannah Kerr, Ashley Anne, Adam Sanders, Caleb & John, Jordana Bryant, MaRynn Taylor, and more. He loves 90s country, leading worship at his home church, and the occasional half marathon. He and his wife Hannah welcomed their first son in 2025.

John Cooper Albright

Raised on the sounds of legends from various genres like Hank Williams Jr., Bon Jovi, Merle Haggard, and Elton John, emerging singer-songwriter John Cooper Albright moved to Nashville in 2025 to pursue his own Music City dream. A fresh voice with a Mississippi swamp-laden sound that evokes the aching rawness of honest, intimate storytelling, Albright’s music is rooted in emotional transparency and draws influence from artists like Chris Stapleton and Marcus King. Quickly becoming a regular in writers’ rooms and on stages of all sizes, he delivers soulful truth by way of his humble roots. Amassing more than 157k followers on TikTok, he has grown from performing in his hometown church to reaching a global audience, connecting listeners to songs that feel lived-in, vulnerable, and unmistakably real.

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