Canadian singer-songwriter Gordie Sampson is being profiled on his 55th birthday for his career as a Grammy-winning songwriter, particularly for co-writing Carrie Underwood’s breakthrough single “Jesus, Take the Wheel”. The 2005 ballad became a major country hit and helped establish both Underwood’s stardom and Sampson’s standing in Nashville’s songwriting community.

Born in Big Pond, Nova Scotia, in 1971, Sampson learned piano and guitar largely informally before playing in rock bands and touring with Canadian Celtic and folk artists. After moving to Nashville in 2005, he co-wrote “Jesus, Take the Wheel” with Brett James and Hillary Lindsey; it spent six weeks at number one, while later credits included songs for Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Dierks Bentley and Cody Johnson. Sampson has also released solo albums and founded a Nova Scotia songwriting camp in 2010.