Date Signed: January 2025
Label: Quartz Hill
Band Members: Joe Hanson, Chris Ray
Type of Music: Modern Country
Management: Ash Bowers, Brown Sellers Brown Management
Booking: 1271 Entertainment
A&R: Ash Bowers
Legal: Cheshire Rigler, Keller Turner Andrews & Ghanem
Publicity: Anthony Priwer, anthony@brownsellersbrown.com
Web: 2lanesummer.com
It has been said that the Lord works in mysterious ways. That certainly seems to be the case for singer-songwriters Joe Hanson and Chris Ray. Both men grew up in church, performing praise music for their respective congregations. Hanson, a native of Illinois, and Ray, who hails from Mississippi, both relocated to Nashville to play open mic nights and hone their writing craft. But everything came together for the duo when they met in a Music Row writing room in 2022.
“We started writing songs together and clicked musically and creatively,” says Hanson. “It was pretty natural. Nothing felt forced and it was something very special.”
The duo began posting covers online through their social media accounts and as fans started commenting favorably and coming on board, Hanson and Ray decided it was time to up the ante and shift their alliance into a professional partnership. Hence, the duo 2 Lane Summer (2LS) was born.
Around this time, the duo met their eventual manager, Ash Bowers, who, in taking them under his wing, provided guidance within the music industry and introduced them to the label.
“[Quartz Hill] felt like family to Joe and I,” says Ray. “They welcomed us with open arms and it’s been amazing ever since. We knew their track record from some of the other artists they were working with, so we knew we were in great hands.”
2LS has been enjoying initial high-volume-streaming success off their latest single “Eyes That Ain’t Yours (Wedding Version),” which dropped in early January. The body-affirming, everyday love song was co-written by Hanson and Ray, along with Dustin James and John Marlin.
2LS' faith is expressed through new single, “God Made You.” With their upcoming EP The Love Songs dropping March 28, and a series of tour dates in the works, it’s nothing but full speed ahead for this industrious duo.
