I wanted to write and tell you a little about all of the Supercell of Giving Benefit Performers who will be onstage TONIGHT at the Mercy Lounge beginning at 7pm! I also wanted to say a HUGE Thank You from NashvilleHype! to the artist and the fans for being a part of it.
(I’ve known Aaron for years but it wasn’t until I started NashvilleHype! and attended an event here in town that I happened to see him again. He was the first artist I asked to be a part of this benefit.)
After Aaron Tippin parted ways with Lyric Street records in 2004, he began recording a brand new CD that he released on his own label called NIPPIT RECORDS (which is TIPPIN spelled backwards). The album is titled “Now & Then”. Five of his RCA albums became Gold Records and one went Platinum. Between 1990- 1997, Aaron scored six hits records. Some of Aaron’s hit songs are “Working Man’s PH.D”, “Kiss This”, “You’ve Got To Stand For Something” and “There Ain’t Nothin Wrong With The Radio”. Aaron generously donates his time to various charities and events each year. He also travels each year during Thanksgiving to perform for the Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and devotes his time and efforts into helping children receive a good Christmas by volunteering for Toys 4 Tots.
I can’t tell you how long I’ve been a fan of David Kersh. I suppose since he first appeared on the scene. But the truth be told, I didn’t know who he was. It wasn’t until we began talking about the benefit that I went, “Wait a minute? Who? Why do I know that name?”. The reason I knew the name was because I knew the songs .
David is best known for the two-stepping hits “Goodnight, Sweetheart”, “Another You,” and “Day In, Day Out” as well as the Caribbean-infused “If I Never Stop Loving You”. These are all bonafied hit songs.
David hasn’t played a show in Nashville for almost 10 years. The benefit will be his first performance. He’s really candid about why he’s taken so much time off:
“So, I went to TX for about a week about 3 weeks ago, and something happened. I can’t explain it, I wish I could, but for some reason I felt like singing. You have to understand, I haven’t really felt that way for like 8 or 9 years!!! I’m serious, I lost it back in 99 for real. My soul just got empty and I had nothing left. Yes, I had some throat thing, but it was more than that. I can’t explain it in any other terms other than to say that my soul felt empty and there was just nothing left to give. My voice is a reflection of my soul, so it just wasn’t gonna happen anymore. I lost all confidence in me when that happened and it made me scared to death to open my mouth for fear of what sound might come out…”
We’re thrilled David has chosen the Supercell Benefit to make his return to the stages of Nashville.
I’ve wanted to tell everyone about Mary forever and I’m thrilled I finally get to. Even better, I’m going to get to see her play at the benefit along with Victoria Banks – that’s going to be awesome!
Mary has made her living making music–first in bars and restaurants doing a solo gig playing piano and guitar when she was barely old enough to drive, and then started a band in Minnesota several years ago. Together they played everywhere for everyone and sold a ton of albums, and then made the move to Nashville, where she just finished my third album, “Free” with the help of amazing writer and producer Kim McLean. Her cd is available on CDBABY. Mary is also currently touring with country star Pam Tillis, playing acoustic guitar, a little fiddle, piano, and singing harmony. She and Pam also wrote a song together for her record and Pam sang on it as well.
Before losing most of the old NashvilleHype! I wrote about Kelly Ray Davis several times. The first time, he was making trips down to Nashville to see what he could make happen. The next time, to tell everyone that he was successful in signing to Mike Kinnamon Music/Music Central. Kelly is the real deal. He’s a songwriter’s songwriter, not only writing great songs for himself, but for other artists as well – like the Grammy winning Randy Kohrs. You know when people like Randy, who has their pick of songs, starts choosing your songs to cut and release, then you’re doing something right. Kelly Ray Davis has been doing something right for a long time – it’s only now that people are finally paying attention. Kelly rocks and as I said back then, I fully expect him to be signed to a record deal. It would be stupid not to sign him.
Once again, before losing nearly 80% of NashvilleHype! in the transition, I wrote about Josh Newcom. This guy, he’s just cool. He was told by one of the record executive guys downtown that “country should be more rock”. HA! Josh wouldn’t have any of it, so he released his own music his own way. Now, he’s sticking it in the eye of that executive by having his video for the song “Radio” in rotation at CMT. That’s awesome. And VERY Rock-n-Roll. Just what that exec wanted.
William was another artist I had on site. Cathryn actually did a wonderful job talking about his music and how touched she was by his songs. William states, “I consider myself first and foremost a Christian”, and his music reflects the passion he has. He’s worked with producer Cliff Downs to craft a new version of his song, “Send Me a Miracle”, which is a song Cathryn just fell in love with. William has traveled from Massachusetts to California, performing for enthusiastic crowds. He’s actually flying in from Chicago to be a part of this benefit and we can’t thank him enough for his kindness and caring for the people who have lost so much.
I always encourage singers to not take too much cue from the artist they like. They’ve got to find their own voice. Stormy has her own voice. And that’s really what I like about her. She doesn’t sound like other artists. She also has a good ear for songs – kindof rare at 15 years old – and that’s what leads me to believe she’s going to have a pretty good career if she wants it. I think she does. She lives in west Tennessee and after the storms she wrote to ask if there was something she could do to help. I said sure, come out and let people hear you! So we’re really happy that she’s going to come out and perform. People need to hear Stormy. And seriously, what a perfect name for an event like this (yes, that’s her real name… her last name is even real – not taken from Hannah!)
Other Artists Already on NashvilleHype!
Also, Mason County will be performing!
One last thing. This event could not and would not be possible without the help of so many. I know you probably hear that all the time, but it really is true. I may recieve a lot of public credit, but it’s those behind the scenes who have worked their butts off and they deserve most of the credit.
People like my assistant here at NashvilleHype! Cathryn Miller-Gipson, who has worked tirelessly to make sure we have what we need to make this event everything it can be. Trust me, 15-18 hour days for 3 weeks straight is no easy task for anyone, let alone a wife and mother, and for that I also want to thank her husband Andrew for having patience and understanding during this work-a-day time.
Glenn Sweitzer of Fresh Design+film who is not only my partner in this event, but is also a great friend. There’s not much more can be said. True friends are hard to find, and Glenn has been a true friend not only to me, but countless others who need his help and his time. Glenn simply has no time, yet he soldiers on helping everyone that comes across his path. For Supercell, Glenn was able to wrangle a whole gaggle of artist – ready, willing, and able to perform. Without his help on scheduling the performers, I might still be trying to figure it all out (I spent no less than 13 hours and one very frustrating day simply building a schedule, lol) – can’t put into words what a helping hand he’s been in that regard and others. So Thank you Glenn.
Kevin Nixa and Val Jean from Nixa Country stepped up to the plate at just the right time to partner with us on the benefit. Thanks to them, we are going to have a live broadcast stream on the internet, which means we are able to tell the whole world what we’re doing and why we’re doing it! In addition to that, we’ll also be able to collect more money for these families than just what we recieve at the benefit itself – we have a paypal account set up so that people from everywhere can donate.
Jill Gorin and the team at the Red Cross. I’m thankful that this time, I didn’t need your assistance – – but I’m also thankful to know that you will be here if I ever do. 40,000 meals since the tornadoes — that’s how many they’ve served. Unbelievable. I so appreciate your help in this event. From the people you are bringing, to the press you told, we couldn’t have done it without you.
John at the Mercy Lounge – who gave us the venue to use without hesitation and who has been a great help on getting everything set up for the artists – – also for making sure the ads were in order and we were a part of them.
I want to thank all the volunteers that are coming out to help wrangle the backstage area, take care of our performers, watch the door, handle the money, provide security, and on and on… without you all, we’d be lost – and a lot more worn out at the end of the night. So Thank you.
If you’ve made it to this point in the post, thank you too! lol. Seriously, we hope that everyone can come out to the show tonight – – and if you can’t make it, please try to listen on Nixa Country. And donate a few dollars for these families that have lost so much. That’s what this night is all about.
TONIGHT!!
7:00 pm
Mercy Lounge
Nashville, Tn
Minumum Donation $10
