46th Annual Pepperdine Associates Dinner

Clint Black

GRAMMY® Award winner Clint Black surged to superstardom as part of the fabled country music “Class of 1989” with the release of his triple-platinum debut album, Killin' Time, which produced five consecutive number-one hits on the US Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart. His sophomore album, Put Yourself in My Shoes, was also certified triple platinum and was followed by a string of platinum and gold albums throughout the 1990s. Black wrote or co-wrote each of his more than three dozen chart hits, including 22 number-one singles, making him one of the most successful singer/songwriters of the modern era. Throughout his career, he has sold more than 20 million records, earned more than a dozen gold and platinum awards in the US and Canada, received nearly two dozen major awards and nominations, and been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2019 he toured North America in celebration of the 30^th anniversary of Killin’ Time.

Kelley Lovelace

Born in Kentucky and raised in Tennessee, Kelley Lovelace achieved the rank of specialist in the US Army at Fort Benning, Georgia, before graduating cum laude from Belmont University in Nashville and joining the Perdido Key Music publishing company. He rose quickly through the ranks, becoming president in only three years, and then decided to become a full-time songwriter.

Since then, Kelley has written 17 chart-topping tunes for artists such as Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, and Brad Paisley, including Paisley’s 1999 hit “He Didn’t Have to Be,” which won Song of the Year honors at the CMA, ACM, and TNN Music Awards. He was co-author of a gift book for stepfathers titled He Didn't Have To Be, and his second book, If You Have A Dream, I've Got A Plan, is a must-read for all aspiring songwriters. Kelley donates his time and talents as the celebrity spokesman for Bethel Bible Village, a children’s home in his hometown of Hixson, Tennessee. He also organizes and performs live to help raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities and ministries such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Pursue Ministries.

Chris DeStefano

New Jersey native Chris DeStefano got his first singing gig with the Academy Boys Choir of Philadelphia and began writing his first songs at the age of 13. After studying film scoring at Boston’s acclaimed Berklee College of Music, he headed west and began splitting his time between Los Angeles and Nashville as a songwriter. In 2012 he charted his first country single, Jana Kramer’s “Why You Wanna,” and soon after earned his first #1: “Good Girl,” the lead single from Carrie Underwood’s triple-platinum album Blown Away.

Chris has written more than 20 chart-topping songs for artists such as Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Dan + Shay. He has won three CMA Triple Play Awards and worked on Grammy-winning projects for Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson. He is currently president and CEO of Winsongs Music and serves on the board of directors of Nashville Songwriters Association International. Outside of the music industry, Chris has done everything from graduating from the FBI Citizens Academy to serving as an emergency backup goaltender for the Nashville Predators during the 2019–2020 NHL season.