Samuel Mackenzie Ellis was born on September 19, 1987, in Canada, and began his musical career as a guitarist and mandolin player before relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue songwriting and production. In 2012, Ellis signed with Universal Music Publishing Group and co-wrote Martina McBride’s single “Just Around the Corner”, which served as the official anthem for the Band Against Cancer: The Sarah Cannan Tour. That same year, his collaboration with Canadian artist Tebey produced “Somewhere In the Country”, which peaked at number 11 on the Canadian Radio Airplay chart. Ellis’s catalog expanded with songwriting credits for Thomas Rhett, Jacob Sartorius, Hearts & Colors, Hunter Hayes, Kane Brown, and Martina McBride, establishing him as a Canadian-born songwriter and producer active in both the Canadian and American country music scenes.
