City Song School

Jennifer Knapp is a Grammy-nominated songwriter, author, and advocate. Her impressive history includes selling over one million albums with her first three releases Kansas (debut 1998, Gold-certified), Lay It Down (2000), and The Way I Am (2001). She has earned four Dove Awards and two Grammy nominations. The Kansas-born musician has toured the globe with artists such as Jars of Clay and was featured on the Lilith Fair Tour in 1999 and again in 2010. Knapp has received critical acclaim for her human approach to the divine, with The Los Angeles Times calling her "a rising star" and People Magazine describing her as "an uncommonly literate songwriter." 

With a considerable fan base and critical and commercial successes, Knapp walked away from music in 2002 at the height of her career. After a seven-year hiatus she returned in 2010 with a renewed passion for music showcased in her album Letting Go, which debuted at No. 73 on the Billboard Hot 200 Chart. Set Me Free followed in 2014 on Righteous Babe Records in conjunction with a memoir, Facing the Music: My Story, on Howard Books/Simon & Schuster. Her 2017 album Love Comes Back Around, produced by Viktor Krauss, pairs her fearless songwriting and strong, expressive voice with rootsy arrangements. 

As the first major artist known by the Christian music world to speak openly about LGBT identity, her unique position has created opportunities for dialogue at churches and universities through her organization Inside Out Faith and on the TEDx stage at University of Nevada. 

A true Renaissance woman, Knapp recently completed a master’s degree in theological studies from Vanderbilt Divinity School.

The Bluegrass Situation has raved about singer/songwriter David Robert King by saying, “If you appreciate the likes of Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits, you might well enjoy what he’s up to.” Accolades are coming in for the troubadour and his album IDAHO, which will be released on February 16.  Mary Gauthier, King’s longtime collaborator, began the wave of praise when she noted, “IDAHO, David Robert King’s new record, is a stunning soundscape of whispered confessions and poignant observations. A beautiful collection of haunting songs, it deserves a good listen.”  Grammy-winning singing titans The Blind Boys of Alabama also approve, as they came on board to augment King’s brooding vocals with their harmonies on the title track “Idaho.” 

King recently performed at the 30A Songwriters Festival, alongside Steve Earle, Emmylou Harris, Mary Gauthier, Patti Griffin and many more. King has also shared stages with Josh Ritter, The Mark O'Connor Band, Tim O'Brien, Loudon Wainwright III, Darrell Scott, and Over The Rhine. He has collaborated with Emily Saliers of The Indigo Girls, Jonatha Brooke and others. This combination led to a top 40 song on folk and roots radio, wide critical acclaim, and a featured spot at AMERICANAFEST 2017. King was also named a finalist in the 2017 NewSong Music Competition, performing last month at Lincoln Center in New York.