Troy Verges is an American country music songwriter.

Troy Verges grew up in Louisiana, and when he got his first guitar at age 10, his first impulse wasn’t to learn other people’s songs but to make up his own. He played in bands from age 14 and listened to everything from 1960s folk to punk rock to traditional Cajun music. After high school, he was able to satisfy both his parents and a desire to pursue a music career by aiming for a music business degree. With no such program available in Louisiana, he moved to Murfreesboro to attend Middle Tennessee State University and then to Nashville to finish out his degree at Belmont. It was during those college years that Verges first encountered professional songwriters.

When he was learning the craft of songwriting, Verges instinctively knew how important it was to listen. While still in college at Belmont University’s school of music business, Verges secured an internship at Patrick Joseph Music, one of Music Row’s strongest independent publishers. His favorite job was working in the catalog room listening to every song that came in. His internship led to a few single-song deals and finally a publishing contract a few weeks before he graduated.

Coordinates: 39°57′27″N 26°14′20″E / 39.9575°N 26.23889°E / 39.9575; 26.23889

Troy (Ancient Greek: Ἴλιον, Ilion, and Τροία, Troia; Latin: Trōia and Īlium;Hittite: Wilusa or Truwisa;Turkish: Truva) was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida. It is best known for being the setting of the Trojan War described in the Greek Epic Cycle and especially in the Iliad, one of the two epic poems attributed to Homer. Metrical evidence from the Iliad and the Odyssey seems to show that the name Ἴλιον (Ilion) formerly began with a digamma: Ϝίλιον (Wilion). This was later supported by the Hittite form Wilusa.

A new city called Ilium was founded on the site in the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus. It flourished until the establishment of Constantinople and declined gradually during the Byzantine era.

In 1865, English archaeologist Frank Calvert excavated trial trenches in a field he had bought from a local farmer at Hisarlık, and in 1868, Heinrich Schliemann, wealthy German businessman and archaeologist, also began excavating in the area after a chance meeting with Calvert in Çanakkale. These excavations revealed several cities built in succession. Schliemann was at first skeptical about the identification of Hissarlik with Troy, but was persuaded by Calvert and took over Calvert's excavations on the eastern half of the Hissarlik site, which was on Calvert's property. Troy VII has been identified with the Hittite Wilusa, the probable origin of the Greek Ἴλιον, and is generally (but not conclusively) identified with Homeric Troy.

Brett James Cornelius (born June 5, 1968 in Columbia, Missouri) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Signed to Career Records (a division of Arista Nashville) as a solo artist in 1995, James charted three singles and released a self-titled debut album that year. He returned to Arista as a recording artist in 2002, releasing two more singles.

Since the early 2000s, James has become known primarily as a songwriter for other country and pop music artists. Among his compositions is Carrie Underwood's 2006 Number One hit "Jesus, Take the Wheel," which received Grammy Awards for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song. His writers' credits also include Number One hits for Jessica Andrews, Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney, Rodney Atkins and Jason Aldean.

Brett James Cornelius was born June 5, 1968 in Columbia, Missouri to the late Carolyn and Dr.Sam Cornelius, graduating from Christian Heritage Academy high-school in Del City, Oklahoma in 1985. After leaving medical school in 1992, James began his musical career as a recording artist on Career Records, a subsidiary of Arista Nashville, in 1995. That year, he released his self-titled debut album, which included the charting singles "Female Bonding," "If I Could See Love" and "Worth the Fall." Also included on this album was "Wake Up and Smell the Whiskey", which was co-written and later released as a single by Dean Miller in 1997.

Hillary Lindsey is a country music singer-songwriter. As a songwriter, she has written songs with or for Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, Bon Jovi, Taylor Swift, and Tim McGraw. One of her compositions, Underwood's Number One hit "Jesus, Take the Wheel", won Lindsey a Grammy Award for Best Country Song. Underwood has also taken four other Lindsey co-writes ("Wasted", "So Small," "Last Name" and "Just a Dream") to Number One on the Country charts. In 2011, Lindsey received an Academy Award nomination for "Coming Home," recorded by Gwyneth Paltrow for the soundtrack of Country Strong, in the Best Original Song category.

In addition to co-writing eight songs for Carrie Underwood's 2012 release Blown Away, Lindsey is also credited with providing backing vocals on the album.

Hunter Easton Hayes (born September 9, 1991) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is signed to Atlantic Records Nashville, which released his debut single "Storm Warning" on May 16, 2011. His self titled album was released on October 11, 2011.

Hayes was born on September 9, 1991 in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana to Lynette and Leo Hayes. He began his musical career at age two when his grandmother gave him a toy accordion. At age four, he began making appearances at local performances and on national television, including showings on Maury, Rosie O'Donnell, and Nickelodeon's series Figure It Out. At the age of 13, Hayes appeared on "America's Most Talented Kids," a show hosted by Dave Coulier. He performed the hit Hank Williams song, "Hey Good Lookin'."

In 2008, he moved from his hometown of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana to Nashville, Tennessee to be signed with Universal Music Publishing Group as a songwriter. He graduated in 2007, at the age of 16, and in 2010, co-wrote "Play" for the Rascal Flatts album Nothing Like This. In September 2010, Hayes was signed to Atlantic Records Nashville and released his debut single "Storm Warning" on May 16, 2011. It was the first single from his debut album, on which Hayes played every instrument and co-produced with Dann Huff. Matt Bjorke of Roughstock gave the single three stars out of five, praising the lyrics and comparing Hayes' voice favorably to Rascal Flatts' lead singer Gary LeVox, with whom Hayes toured from January to February 2012 on the Rascal Flatts "Thaw Out" tour. Hayes' debut, self-titled album, Hunter Hayes was released on October 11, 2011.