Little Rebellion Music

Music City Hit-Makers will perform with the Boston Pops on June 13, 14, and 15. The show combines some of Nashville’s strongest songwriters with the power of a symphony orchestra. The Grammy Award-winning songwriters trio who penned ‘Jesus Take the Wheel,’ Brett James, Hillary Lindsey, and Gordie Sampson will perform a set titled Salute to the Troops, which will include some of their #1 hits recorded by Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, and Lady Antebellum. They will also debut the new song, ‘Free,’ written especially for the Boston Pops show.

Music City Hit-Makers is the brain child of Charles Dixon (cuzzin’ Chuck to his friends), Brett James’ cousin. “It’s a great concept,” James said. “You know, he was a prodigy. He left to study at Oberlin College when he was a junior in High School. After he moved to Nashville he thought up this concept. He’s seen a lot of my writers rounds and he knew people like Hillary and Gordie were really amazing performers, but so few people seemed to know that about them. His concept has turned into something special!” Respected musician and arranger, Charlie Judge, was eager to get involved. “I was elated when I got the call,” he added. “It’s an incredible opportunity to write arrangements for an orchestra and hear them be performed.”

The first performance took place in Birmingham, AL on June 4, 2010 and it was instantly clear that Dixon’s vision had materialized into something unique. “It was surreal,” Lindsey remembered. “When it was my turn to start singing, I almost started crying. It was the most powerful thing! I felt like I was on an airplane taking off; the power of the music was just amazing.”

What will make the Boston performances extra special is the inclusion of new song. “The Boston Pops asked for a special song for these shows,” Lindsey explained. “Brett, Troy Verges, Charlie Judge, and myself got together to compose ‘Free.'” Judge added: ‘We talked about how amazing it is to enjoy the freedom we have, and that there are men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. The song is really about how lucky we are. With the horrible bombings that recently occurred in Boston, it will add even more emotion to it, I’m sure. But it is a very celebratory and thankful song.”

When James and Kenny Chesney penned ‘Out Last Night’ one morning, after the night before, I doubt either of them thought that song would go anywhere near an orchestra. The fact that these country songs are received so well in this setting seems to show that a well-written song just works no matter what you do with it. “Yeah, I agree, and I think that’s a good comment,” James said. “If you have the right structure in a song, it works anywhere, especially if you then put the genius of Charlie Judge on it.” Judge repaid the compliment by pointing to the strength of the writing. “In these writers’ songs there are real melodies,” he said. “They have strong lyrics that tell a story, as opposed to just a beat with a catchy phrase. Their songs have so many levels and that it makes my job as arranger so much easier.”

These Bluebird-Café-at-the-symphony shows have also been bringing two very different worlds a little closer. Classical musicians may be a bit apprehensive about country artists, but the talent and strength of the songs has been winning people over. “So far at every show, the orchestra has given us a standing ovation,” James said. “And on the flip side, there will be country people who have never set foot in a symphony building, so hopefully we can meld those two worlds together a little bit.”

Music City Hit-Makers are planning more performances around the country, hoping to reach many more fans. The songwriters are definitely up for more. “As we do more shows, I’m enjoying it more and more,” Lindsey said. James added they are hoping to keep this going for a long time because this is a unique event. When that comes from someone who has played live in pretty much every setting, you know this is a must-see concert. “It’s such an insanely powerful experience to sing a song that you made up can feel the power of the music,” James concluded. “When you’re on stage with an orchestra, you feel it in your gut. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced; it’s bigger than any rock band show!”

For more information and future dates, please visit musiccityhitmakers.com, follow @MCHitmakers on Twitter, and connect at facebook.com/musiccityhitmakers.

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Liv Carter

Liv is a career coach for creatives, and the people who work with them.
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.

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