Mark Bright

Mark David Bright (born December 22, 1959) is an American country music producer, songwriter, and publishing company executive based in Nashville. His peers call Bright "one of the architects of the modern contemporary country sound". Bright's most noted success in producing records has been with the country acts BlackHawk, Rascal Flatts, and Carrie Underwood, but he has produced recordings for many artists including Reba McEntire, Sara Evans, Scotty McCreery, Lonestar, Peter Cetera, Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, and Keith Urban

Bright's entry job in the music industry was in 1993 working as tape-splicer for Screen Gems/EMI Publishing in Nashville. Over the next 12 years he worked his way up to vice-president of the company. Arista Records president Tim DuBois gave Bright his first producing job with the band BlackHawk, which resulted in multi-platinum sales and spawned 13 additional albums produced by Bright, yielding album sales of over four million. Despite this success, Bright was not able to duplicate it in subsequent projects and was eventually terminated from EMI. After his departure, he was approached by EMI's competitor at the time, Sony/ATV, who offered him a joint venture in publishing, production and management. The new company, named "Teracel", prospered in its first year due in large measure to Bright's signing of songwriter Brett James, who created many commercially successful songs for various country artists.

In 1999, Bright heard three musicians who were performing in a bar in Nashville's Printer's Alley and thought their vocal harmonies had promise. The group, nameless at the time, was signed to a production and management deal and a recording contract by Bright, who developed them into the enormously successful trio "Rascal Flatts". Their first seven albums reached platinum sales and they eventually sold over 20 million albums.

Bright was tapped by Arista Nashville in 2005 to produce the debut album of that year's American Idol winner, Carrie Underwood. The album, Some Hearts, had unprecedented success winning three Grammy Awards, Best New Artist for Underwood, and was called Billboard Country Album of The Decade. Bright has continued to produce Underwood's music throughout her recording career including Underwood's NBC Sunday Night Football intro/theme songs. As of 2017, Underwood has had 21 number one hits produced by Bright. He sold Teracel Music in a highly lucrative transaction in 2006, then formed a new publishing company, "My Good Girl Music/Chatterbox Music" which was another a co-venture with Sony/ATV. From 2008 to 2010, Bright served as president and CEO of Word Entertainment, a Warner/Curb company representing Christian music artists. In his early teens Bright was diagnosed as being dyslexic; however, he excelled at music. He played drums, piano and guitar and performed in various bands through high school and college, but had no desire to be a performing artist. He was fascinated by the production side of music. Their next four songs were even more successful, all reaching the top ten. BlackHawk eventually sold over four million albums. Over a 12-year span Bright had ascended from the tape room to Vice President of EMI Publishing. With this extraordinary success, Bright said, "I thought I was king of the world".

After founding Teracel, Bright met with singer/songwriter Brett James, who had been terminated from his own publishing deal and was at a low point. Bright agreed to sign him for very little money to help him out and James began turning out songs, but soon told Bright that he was going to medical school. He promised that he would still write songs every third day. He kept that promise, and wrote songs including "Jesus, Take the Wheel" and "Cowboy Casanova" for Carrie Undewood as well as songs recorded by Kenny Chesney, Martina McBride, Jason Aldean, and Jessica Andrews. By eight months into the Teracel endeavor, Bright had 44 songs recorded by major artists, largely through the songwriting of James. Bright said, "It was the hot streak of all times". Bright auditioned the group for executives of Disney's Lyric Street Records who agreed on a recording contract, but Bright retained total creative control. It was a risky proposition at first, because all of the band's salaries, expenses, equipment, and pre-existing tour obligations had to be paid by Bright and his new company. Bright's employees took the band members to the gym regularly to get them in better physical shape. Bright worked incredible hours and told his wife, "If this flops, we'll have to sell the house". When the band learned that the Fiddle and Steel Guitar Bar would be closing to make room for a new hotel, they returned to the honky tonk for a final concert in November 2014. Band member Gary LeVox said, "This stage got us on stages around the world. We're forever indebted."

Carrie Underwood In the spring of 2005, Bright received a call from Joe Galante, chairman of Sony BMG Nashville, when Galante was meeting with Clive Davis. They called Bright to see if he would be interested in producing that year's American Idol winner, Carrie Underwood. Bright had seen Underwood on the show, but never dreamed that he would ever have an opportunity to be her producer. Galante said "I want you to meet her — if she likes you, you'll make a record". He also produced Underwood's NBC Sunday Night Football intro/theme songs. The first was "Waiting all day for Sunday night" which was replaced in 2016 using a new tune based on Underwood's country song "Somethin' Bad", but with new lyrics and other changes to fit the show. and changes the theme song again now is "Game On" for the 2018 NFL Season NBC Sunday Night Football.

Later career In 2006, Bright sold Teracel Music Publishing, along with Teracel's roster of writers which included Brett James and three members of Rascal Flatts, to Dimensional Music Publishing. According to industry analyst David Ross, the 2005 sale price was the highest multiple ever paid for a joint venture at that time. In 2011, the company changed the name to "Chatterbox Music" keeping the same joint venture and personnel. The company had hit songs "Do You Believe Me Now" by Jimmy Wayne, "American Ride" by Toby Keith, and "Without You" by Keith Urban. Chatterbox Music closed its administrative offices in the spring of 2012. Bright then founded "Delbert's Boy Music". The song was published by "Delbert's Boy Music", the publishing firm Bright owned. Bright had written songs for many years, but never devoted much time to it; nevertheless, Bright's compositions have been recorded by Shakira, Hayley Orrantia, Whitney Duncan, Ashley Gearing, and Carter Winter. Bright is a member of the board of Governors for The Recording Academy Nashville Chapter. He is a 2016 member of the Country Music Association (CMA) Board of Directors. He produced Sara Evans' number one hit "A Real Fine Place to Start" as well as Reba McEntire's longest running number one country hit "Consider Me Gone". Bright has also worked with Sting, Randy Travis, Keith Urban, Peter Cetera, Jo Dee Messina, Lonestar, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, and Steven Tyler.

Discography

Songwriting discography