..:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />Apparantly my second blog entry didn't make it out to you so you have no idea that we have already had two panelists sign on back in October! I'm very excited about these guys. You'll see why so read on.....

Sherrill Blackman arrived in ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Nashville in 1980 and graduated from Belmont University with a Music Business degree in 1982.  Since then, his many jobs have included a one year stint as production coordinator with American Image Productions, six years on staff at The Nashville Songwriters Association, and four years as general manager for Buckhorn Music.  Founded in 1994, his sdb music group, a publishing and independent songplugging company, has secured recordings in Country, Pop, Gospel, Bluegrass, Blues, Jazz, and Polka.  Blackman is a co-founder of The Independent Pluggers Association, a three term past president of The Nashville Publishers' Network, and was named Music Row Magazine's Songplugger Of The Year in 2004, 2005, and 2006. 

Buddy Cannon is a songwriter, producer and musician. Now he can also claim his place as the writer of CMA's 2006 Song of the Year – "Give It Away" by George Strait – with Bill Anderson and Jamey Johnson. Buddy has produced chart-topping hits by artists like Kenny Chesney, John Michael Montgomery and Reba McEntire. He's also been involved in launching the careers Shania Twain, Sammy Kershaw and Billy Ray Cyrus. As a songwriter he's written hit songs for everyone from Vern Gosdin and Mel Tillis to Alabama and George Strait. Buddy got his start in the early 70's as the bass player in Grand Ole Opry star Bob Luman's band. His songwriting ability turned the head of CMA's 1976 Entertainer of the Year, Mel Tillis, who promptly hired Buddy to work in his band and with his publishing company. During their eleven-year association, Tillis recorded several of Cannon's songs, including the popular "I Believe In You," which went to the top of the charts and was also recorded by Englebert Humperdink. After the acquisition of Tillis' publishing interests by PolyGram, Cannon was hired by PolyGram's Mercury Records as Director of A&R for the company.  He was eventually recruited as VP/A&R for Polydor/Nashville but, not long after, elected to leave that position in 1995 to pursue independent production projects. Check out some of his other production work -- George Jones ("High Tech Redneck"), John Michael Montgomery ("The Little Girl"), Chely Wright ("Single White Female"), and Kenny Chesney ("Young", "A Lot Of Things Different", "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy", "There Goes My Life", "The Good Stuff"), Jamey Johnson ("The Dollar") Sara Evans ("No Place That Far"), Joe Nichols ("Tequela Makes Her Clothes Fall Off") and Chad Brock ("Ordinary Life", "Yes").  His hit songs include Vern Gosdin's "Set 'Em Up Joe," "Dream Of Me", and "I'm Still Crazy," Billy Ray Cyrus' "She's Not Cryin' Anymore," and George Strait's "I've Come To Expect It From You," and, most recently, Strait's record breaking 53rd number one song "Give It Away" also  named Song Of The Year at the 2007 Academy Of Country Music Awards . "Set'em Up Joe" has also been recorded by Garth Brooks for inclusion in an upcoming project.