L to R: Dallas Davidson, Luke Bryan, Randy Houser, Austin Marshall, Maggie Rose, Ben Hayslip and Rhett Akins
Credit: Getty / Rick Diamond
With the help of A-List friends and performers, the Peach Pickers raised more than $100,000 at the second annual “Jameson® Irish Whiskey Presents Georgia On My Mind” concert on May 12, 2015 at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. The intimate evening featured performances by ACM Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan and Cole Swindell as well an acoustic performance by Randy Houser, eliciting two standing ovations in the Mother Church of Country Music.
Performances throughout the night also included Lauren Alaina, Lee Brice, Craig Campbell, Tyler Farr, Maggie Rose and Four Wheel DriveTravis DenningJon Langston, Jordan Rager and Cole Taylor) and Kevin Kinney. And when artists were not performing, they were gathered on the sides of the stage to catch the high energy, funk-fueled set of James Brown classics delivered by eleven students, ages seven to 17, from the James Brown Academy of Musik Pupils. The Augusta, Ga.-based program received a $5,000 grant from the Georgia Music Foundation with proceeds from last year’s concert, but with more $100,000 raised at the 2015 concert, Peach Picker and Georgia Music Foundation Chair Dallas Davidson looks forward to providing grants to many more programs this year.
“Bringing together so many friends to play their hits and celebrate the music of Georgia at the Ryman was something special on its own,” says Davidson. “But watching the artists and the audience react as the J.A.M.P. kids tore up the stage was a proud moment for me. Everyone got to experience first-hand why we are raising money for the Georgia Music Foundation and why it is so important to support programs that give kids the opportunity to participate in music and learn about the music history of their home state.”
After the J.A.M.P. performance, Davidson and two of his fellow Georgia Music Foundation board members, Dinah Gretsch, CFO of The Gretsch Company, based in Pooler, Ga., and Karla Redding-Andrews, executive director of the Otis Redding Foundation in Macon, Ga., presented Flamekeeper awards to Deana Brown-Thomas, daughter of James Brown and founder of J.A.M.P., and to Keith Jenkins, J.A.M.P.’s musical director who played guitar for Mr. Brown for 13 years. The Flamekeeper Award is given by the Georgia Music Foundation to individuals who “tirelessly preserve and promote Georgia’s musical roots and traditions.” The Foundation also presented an award to Austin Marshall, executive vice president of Play It Again Publishing, in recognition his role co-producing “Georgia On My Mind.”
Personal stories and memories punctuated the performances, from Rhett Akins recalling his discovering of the band Drivin ‘n’ Cryin while attending the University of Georgia before introducing the band’s lead singer, Kevn Kinney, to gracious shout-outs to Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and First Lady Sandra Deal, who were enjoying the show from the front pews of the Ryman. After Leesburg, Ga. native Luke Bryan had the entire auditorium singing along to “I See You” and “I Don’t Want This Night to End,” the concert did end, but not before the Peach Pickers returned to the stage for their new tradition, “Georgia On My Mind,” followed by an incendiary rendition of the Allman Brothers Band’s “Whipping Post.”
About The Peach Pickers
The Peach Pickers—Davidson. and Ben Hayslip.—have generated more than 60 No.1 hits individually and collectively. The singer/songwriters hosted their first “Georgia On My Mind” event last year in Nashville at 3rd & Lindsley as a way for Peach State ex-pats to get together and bond and celebrate their home state with fans while giving back to a non-profit organization that is near and dear to their hearts.
For more information on the event and event partners, visit:
PeachPickers.com
Jameson.com
GeorgiaMusicFoundation.org
Georgia.org
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