The Tornado Relief Concert benefiting Jacksonville State University will be held September 26th at Burgess-Snow Field with multi-Grammy Award winning Alabama as the headliners, and a star-studded lineup of guest stars, including the Charlie Daniels Band, Jamey Johnson, John Berry, Gordon Mote and Shenandoah just to name a few.
If Bubba Can Dance (I Can, Too); Sunday in the South; Next to Me, Next to You; Two Dozen Roses; the Church on Cumberland Road – those are just a few of the Shenandoah songs that every country music fan fondly remembers. WEIS Radio Morning Show Host Jerry Baker spoke via telephone with Shenandoah singer Marty Raybon Monday morning, who talked about the upcoming show, and the band’s new album:
Raybon says he’s looking forward to performing on the same stage with some old friends – and being able to do so for a good cause:
The proceeds will to JSU for relief efforts that continue in the wake of the EF-3 tornado that came through Jacksonville and the JSU campus in March of this year.
Jacksonville was one of the areas hardest hit by the storms that came through. Fortunately, JSU students were on Spring Break, so many were not on campus at the time; there were no fatalities. Rebuilding efforts continue.
Tickets are now on sale at Ticketfly.com or call 1-877-435-9849.
You can hear that WEIS Radio’s interview with Marty Raybon in its entirety by clicking the link below
NEWS RELEASE FROM JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY
Multi Grammy Award winning country band Alabama is going back to its roots for a good cause. For the first time ever and for their only appearance in Alabama this year, the band will be headlining Burgess-Snow Field at Jacksonville State University’s JSU Stadium with their close friends and many special guests for an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime event.
The Country Music Hall-of-Famers will be donating all concert proceeds after expenses to Jacksonville State University for tornado relief after an EF-3 level storm tore through Jacksonville and the JSU campus in March 2018. Alabama has recruited an all-star lineup of very special guests including the Charlie Daniels Band, Jamey Johnson, Riley Green, Shenandoah, Darren Knight “Southern Momma” and many more surprise artists to be announced.
Tickets are now on sale at Ticketfly.com or by calling 877-435-9849. Tickets start at $25, plus applicable fees. Net proceeds to benefit the Jacksonville State University disaster relief fund.
Forty years since starting the band, Alabama has charted 43 #1 singles including 21 #1 singles in a row and have won over 179 CMA Awards, Grammy Awards and ACM Awards. They are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame and have their own star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Alabama introduced rock style guitars, lights, pyrotechnics and sounds to the country audience. This inspired many of today’s brightest country stars including Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan.
Randy Owen, lead singer of Alabama, has a lifelong connection to JSU and is devoted to giving back to the community that gave so much to him.
“As a proud alumnus, Jacksonville State University is not only in our home state, but also very near and dear to my heart,” he said. “A tremendous amount of damage has been done to the campus that must be rebuilt and we are ready to do our part to help reconcile the devastation.
“Just as we did with the Alabama Fundraiser Concerts when the 2011 tornadoes hit, we continue to want to help. And one way we can help is to do what we do best, play music with our friends and raise money for the university repairs. When I asked my bandmates and cousins Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook, whose wife Lisa is also a JSU alum, they were both thrilled to pitch in and help out.
“We hope all the people in Alabama, Southeastern Tennessee and Western Georgia will help support this event by buying tickets and attending the concert. We are proud to have asked some of our special friends to join in and perform at the concert as well. Hopefully this event will help those in need and at the same time celebrate the Jacksonville State University 2018 homecoming.”
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https://www.facebook.com/Shenandoahband/
Artist Biography by Mark Deming
A popular country band of the ’80s and ’90s, Shenandoah combined a tuneful, radio-friendly sound with melodies and arrangements that harked back to a more traditional style. Shenandoah were formed in 1984 in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Guitarist Jim Seales and drummer Mike McGuire, both session musicians, assembled the group, bringing aboard bassist Ralph Ezell and keyboard man Stan Thorn, both of whom were also studio players. With the addition of lead singer Marty Raybon, the lineup was complete, and they began playing as the MGM Band. After McGuire brought songwriter Robert Byrne out to see the new group, Byrne arranged for them to cut a demo tape, which won the group a deal with Columbia Records.
The group’s self-titled debut album, released in 1987, was a more polished and pop-oriented effort than their best-known work, though they reached the country Top 30 early in 1988 with “Stop the Rain.” The following year, The Road Not Taken outlined the group’s trademark approach to traditional country and it became their most successful album; six singles reached the country Top Ten, led by the number ones “The Church on Cumberland Road,” “Sunday in the South,” and “Two Dozen Roses.” The Road Not Taken reached gold status by 1991, and earned Shenandoah the Favorite Newcomer award from Music City News.
The first single from Shenandoah‘s third album, 1990’s Extra Mile, built on the band’s winning streak. “Next to You, Next to Me” became the band’s biggest hit, topping the country charts for three weeks. It was followed into the Top Ten during 1990-1991 by the songs “Ghost in This House,” “I Got You,” and “The Moon Over Georgia.” The group’s streak of hit singles ended with “When You Were Mine” tiptoeing into the Top 40 in September 1991.
However, the band made a strong return in 1992 with a contract from RCA and the number two hit “Rock My Baby” in April of that year. Shenandoah‘s fourth album, 1992’s Long Time Comin’, also featured the Top 15 “Leavin’s Been a Long Time Comin’.”
The group’s fifth album, 1993’s Under the Kudzu, continued Shenandoah‘s popularity, featuring the Top Five single “I Want to Be Loved Like That” and the group’s fifth country chart-topper in early 1994, “If Bubba Can Dance (I Can Too).” Shenandoah moved to Liberty/Capitol in late 1994 to record their sixth album, In the Vicinity of the Heart. The album was released in January 1995, and featured the Top Tens “Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart” (a duet with Alison Krauss that won them a Grammy) and “Darned If I Don’t (Danged If I Do).”
By early 1996, Stan Thorn and Ralph Ezell had both left the band; Rocky Thacker became their new bassist, and Stan Munsey came aboard on keyboards. For 1996’s Now and Then, the new lineup re-recorded many of Shenandoah‘s biggest hits from their time with Columbia, as well as cutting four new tunes. September 1996 brought another album, Shenandoah Christmas, which was their first holiday-themed release.
In 1995, Raybon cut his first solo album, a gospel set for Sparrow Records, and in 1997 he teamed with his brother Tim Raybon for an album titled The Raybon Brothers, released by MCA Nashville. Their cover of Bob Carlisle‘s “Butterfly Kisses” reached the Top 40 of the country chart, and at the end of 1997, Raybon announced he was leaving Shenandoah.
The group opted to disband following the loss of its singer, but the split didn’t last. In 2000, Jim Seales, Mike McGuire, Stan Munsey, and Rocky Thacker re-formed as Shenandoah, with new vocalist Brent Lamb and additional guitarist Curtis Wright. This lineup cut an album named for the year it was released, 2000, and it produced one minor hit, “What Children Believe.”
Brent Lamb left the group in 2002, and Wright moved over to the lead vocal spot. Ralph Ezell returned to the group on bass. In 2006, Shenandoah partnered with the independent Cumberland Road label to release Journeys. It was a last hurrah for Ezell, who died of a heart attack on November 30, 2007. The band soldiered on, with Mike Folsom becoming their new bassist and Jimmy Yeary joining as lead singer. Doug Stokes took over for Yeary in 2011, and Chris Lucas became their new bassist.
In August 2014, longtime fans welcomed the news that Marty Raybon had returned as lead singer of Shenandoah. With Raybon at center stage, the band’s latest lineup — Raybon, Mike McGuire, Stan Munsey, guitarist Jamie Michael, and bassist Paul Sanders — released a new album, the gospel-themed Good News Travels Fast in 2016. Two years later, inaugurating a newly signed deal with the BMG label, Shenandoah released their first-ever live album, Reloaded. A hybrid of sorts, the release included nine live cuts alongside three new tracks.
Biography from ALLMUSIC