ACM Award-winning multi-platinum country group Shenandoah chose the Freed-Hardeman University campus as the location of their upcoming music video, which was shot near the end of the spring semester to be released this summer.
HENDERSON, Tenn., Aug. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Working with 8 Track Entertainment, Grammy®, CMA and ACM Award-winning multi-platinum country group Shenandoah chose the Freed-Hardeman University campus as the location of their upcoming music video. The video for "In My Book" was shot near the end of the spring semester to be released this summer.
The country song highlights several tenets of Christianity, including love of God and each other. It also stresses the importance of forgiveness and kindness. The video will include faces familiar to the FHU family, as well as some campus landmarks, including Old Main with its iconic bell tower and the Hope Barber Shull Academic Resource Center.
Jeff Goodwin, vice president for marketing and partnerships at 8 Track Entertainment, is among professionals who are dedicated to building upon the illustrious music history of Muscle Shoals, Alabama. His vision is to produce country music with a good, positive message. When Shenandoah and 8 Track decided to produce "In My Book," Goodwin thought FHU would be a good partner for the project. He had first worked with music professor Dr. Alan Kinningham through an Engaged Learning Initiative project involving FHU students who had written songs through his and Dr. Margaret Payne's class. The students had gone to FAME Studio to record their songs.
Goodwin became interested in helping promote FHU because he has seen how much the university means to his son, Cody, a current FHU student. When the video was shot near the end of April, they also recorded the University Chorale singing Amazing Grace." Other potential projects are in the discussion phase. Four students were cast as "Do Gooders" in the video. They were Robert Young, Jr., Kaitlyn Moore, Exodus James and Grace Sykes. "It was fun getting to work with the director and the crew," Young, an FHU graduate student, said. "We got paid for it, but I would have had a good time, regardless."
Current members of Shenandoah are Marty Raybon, Paul Sanders, Nicky Hines, Donnie Allen, Andrew Ishee and Mike McGuire. The band's sound has been described as a blend of bluegrass, country and rhythm and blues. Raybon and McGuire were members of the original band.
Shenandoah formed in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, in 1985. Throughout their illustrious career, the band has charted 26 singles on the Billboard Hot Country charts, including #1 hits "The Church on Cumberland Road," "Sunday in the South" and "Two Dozen Roses" from 1989, "Next to You, Next to Me" from 1990, and "If Bubba Can Dance (I Can Too)" from 1994. Shenandoah was known for celebrating faith and family and the joys of small-town life. The single "Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart," which featured guest vocals from Alison Krauss, won both artists a GRAMMY® Award for "Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" and CMA Vocal Event of the Year.
To date, the group has sold millions of albums worldwide and has over 300 million on-demand streams. Very popular on XM Radio, Shenandoah is in the top five recurrents on all of XM's radio shows. That puts them in company with George Strait and Alabama. Now that the group is reunited and entering a new phase of their career, McGuire says, "We're still the same guys. I expect the records we cut in the future will still sound like Shenandoah, and the songs are going to be just as good." Shenandoah is currently performing nationwide on their "2023 Revival Tour."
"This is going to be a neat moment for the FHU community and Henderson, Tennessee," FHU President David R. Shannon said. "The message of this song reflects how we aim to represent Christ's love in how we serve our students and faculty, and we hope it touches the lives of everyone who hears this song and watches the video." "We hope "In My Book" helps to highlight this great university and student body," commented 8 Track Entertainment President, Noah Gordon. "We can't wait for country music fans worldwide to see and hear this latest music from Shenandoah and very much looking forward to building more unique initiatives and opportunities with FHU."
Media Contact
Dawn Bramblett, Freed-Hardeman University, 731-608-7650, [email protected], www.fhu.edu
SOURCE Freed-Hardeman University
Share this article