HUNTSVILLE, TN (March 25, 2020) – In his 15-year career, Brantley Gilbert has always made a point to celebrate and uplift those that deserve additional recognition and support: servicemen and servicewomen; veterans and veteran farmers; and his fans, BG Nation, made up of blue-collar and hard-working individuals. With the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in difficult times for those in the entertainment industry, the Georgia-native decided to get creative with a way to reconnect with his fans while providing relief to those now out of work.
On Saturday, April 17, the multi-Platinum country artist will host 500 fans on three separate trail rides at Brimstone® Recreation in Huntsville, Tenn., followed by a live show presented by Whiskey Jam. Entry tickets are available for $50 per person and all proceeds will benefit ACM Lifting Lives, the philanthropic arm of The Academy of Country Music, going directly to their COVID-19 Response Fund. Tickets are available HERE. Entry tickets do not include the $28 Brimstone® Recreation trail pass required to participate. They can be purchased HERE.
“I wanted to come up with a way to give back during this difficult time in our industry, and I also wanted to give folks something safe and fun to look forward to,” shares Gilbert. “All my fans know I’m a bit of an enthusiast when it comes to cars, bikes and off-road vehicles, so a trail ride in the great outdoors is the perfect adventure.
“I’m so grateful for our partners who have come aboard to help us make this a meaningful event for ACM Lifting Lives,” he continues. “They’ve done so much since the start of this pandemic, and we wanted to help them support even more folks until we can all get back on the road.”
“Brantley has been such a wonderful partner to our fund,” shares Lyndsay Cruz, Executive Director of ACM Lifting Lives. “He and his team came to us at an important moment to lend their help finding ways to raise money for our colleagues who are still in immediate financial need due to the pandemic. We are grateful to be the beneficiaries of his inaugural trail ride.”
A longtime partner of the “Hard Days” singer and songwriter, Polaris is supporting Gilbert’s event, providing swag bags to the first 130 ticket buyers, along with a RZR Trail S 1000 Ultimate that will be available for auction, while Camping World will donate an off-road vehicle trailer for auction. Additional partners include Gander Outdoors, Traeger Grills, Whiskey Jam and Appalachia Made Co. Items for auction will be available for bids later this spring on Prizeo.
As the largest RV dealer in the United States, Camping World utilizes its platform to assist many great causes. “We’re so thrilled to be able to participate in this incredible event providing relief to those in the entertainment industry who have lost work due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” shares SVP of Camping World Earl Williams. “We look forward to seeing Brantley’s fans on April 17.”
Since the original launch of the Fund, $3.5 million was raised and distributed thanks to many sponsors and individuals. Funds were quickly dispersed to hundreds of people in the Country music community in need and who met the criteria.
Gilbert released Fire & Brimstone (Deluxe Edition) via The Valory Music Co. nearly one year after the release of his fifth studio album, featuring two new songs, including latest single “Hard Days,” currently making its way up the charts, and “Old Friends,” a somber, reflective ballad written after the passing of Gilbert’s longtime friend and crewmember Al Ditch.
Fire & Brimstone explores love and family, redemption and life in a small town, with all 15 tracks written or co-written by Gilbert. Lead single “What Happens In A Small Town” featuring Lindsay Ell marked his fifth No. 1 as an artist, seventh No. 1 as a songwriter and earned nominations for the 2019 CMA Award for Musical Event of the Year and 2020 ACM Award for Music Event of the Year.
The “Brantley Gilbert Selects” quarterly subscription box is available now, featuring hand-picked and custom limited-edition items that reflect the singer-songwriter’s hard-working yet fun-loving mindset, starting at $59.99 HERE.
With back-to-back Platinum albums and a grassroots following millions strong, Brantley Gilbert’s music has been shared, covered and adopted as the soundtrack to Saturday night and Sunday morning by audiences around the world. The Georgia native who started as the defiant life-of-the-party can still go ‘til sunrise, but he’s also emerged as something far greater: the leader of a massive tribe of hard-working, fun-loving believers for whom electric guitar-shredding, rapping, and twang can go hand-in-hand-in-hand. They call themselves the BG Nation, and when the BG Nation watches Gilbert on a stage, they don’t just see a star. They see themselves. Seven No. 1 hits punctuate his career: “Country Must be Country Wide,” “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do,” CMA Awards Song of the Year nominee “Dirt Road Anthem,” “My Kinda Party,” RIAA 5x Platinum-certified “Bottoms Up,” “One Hell of an Amen” and collaboration with Lindsay Ell “What Happens In A Small Town.” Gilbert’s landmark record Just As I Am clinched the 2014 American Music Award for Favorite Country Album. Earning praise from the New York Times, NPR, American Songwriter, and more, Gilbert has mined a rich vein of conflict between the party and the pew on all of his albums. Instead of toiling in limbo, unable to enjoy good times for fear of Judgment Day, Gilbert fully lives––rowdy friend, man of faith, devoted husband, smitten new father––just as he is. FIRE & BRIMSTONE, out now via The Valory Music Co., is Gilbert’s most mature and complex exploration of his world to date. His current single “Hard Days” is available everywhere now and featured on the newly released FIRE & BRIMSTONE (DELUXE EDITION). For additional information, visit BrantleyGilbert.com or follow him on Instagram and Twitter @BrantleyGilbert and on Facebook @BrantleyGilbertMusic.
ACM Lifting Lives® is the philanthropic arm of the Academy of Country Music dedicated to improving lives through the power of music. Through partnerships with artists and strong ties in the music industry, ACM Lifting Lives® funds music health programs while also serving members of the music community who face unexpected hardships through its Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund. With generous donations and the support of artists and fans, ACM Lifting Lives has funded national music therapy programs serving various mental and physical health organizations. Some of the recipients have included patients at children’s hospitals and other healthcare facilities, recovering veterans, people with Williams syndrome and individuals with mental illness. For more information, please visit www.ACMLiftingLives.org.
Camp, Ride, Kick Back and Cut Loose™. As a premier adventure destination, nationally recognized Brimstone® Recreation, LLC manages and promotes the recreational use of over 19,196 acres nestled in the remote wilds of Northeast Tennessee and located in the Heart of Appalachia. With over 300 miles of OHV trails and roads with numerous overlooks and culture exploration points of interest. Brimstone® offers the adventure seeker the ultimate outdoor experience. Brimstone® is committed to preserving nature through good stewardship and sharing nature with thousands of outdoor enthusiasts every year who seek to experience adventure in its purest environment. Brimstone® offers outdoor enthusiasts the opportunity to explore the untamed wilderness of the Appalachian Mountains while enjoying a wide array of recreational activities. OHV enthusiasts from throughout North America gather twice a year in Huntsville, TN for the annual White Knuckle Event™ and Brimstone® Paragon to enjoy the Cumberland Mountains, competitive events and the latest country hits from Nashville’s finest. Brimstone’s events are tagged as the “Woodstock of ATV and SXS Events.” For more information, please visit www.BrimstoneRecreation.com.
Whiskey Jam® began in Nashville, TN in 2011 as a weekly music event in the burgeoning Midtown Nashville area. Built on the idea of “Good Music, Good Friends, Good Party,” what began as an underground, word-of-mouth writer’s night quickly became a musical mainstay of the city’s world-renowned scene. Since then, the Whiskey Jam stage has seen over 3000 unique artists, including Chris Stapleton, Ashley McBryde, Aaron Lewis, Luke Combs, Riley Green, The Cadillac Three and many more. Whiskey Jam has grown through the years, expanding into areas including music festivals, media, music publishing and a merchandise lifestyle brand with sales shipping to all 50 states & over a dozen countries, world-wide.
During the first half of the 20th century, billions of tons of coal flowed in and out of Mingo County by rail. Today, rails and mining roads have been replaced with some of the best off-road trails and fun times in the nation. Add a river runs through it and some of the most down to earth people you will ever meet, and you could say it is almost perfect. We feel really lucky that our community is where Mother Earth takes her vacations and we welcome one and all to explore our beautiful playground, hear some country music and take a little slice of AMCO Heaven with them. Whether you need lodging, rentals, trail information or looking for that country lifestyle experience, visit us at www.amcoheaven.com.
