NASHVILLE HITMAKERS TURN HEADLINES INTO SONGS IN THE NEW CMT SERIES “UNSUNG STORIES”PREMIERING MAY 19
04/25/06
Recording Artist Keith Anderson and Songwriter Jeffrey Steele
Pen Song to Honor Developmentally Challenged Teen in Premiere Episode
NASHVILLE, TN – April 25, 2006 – The best songs begin as stories – ones that first appear as headlines and are remembered for years to come. A reunion, a rescue, a relationship - stories about heroes, friendship and family. In the new CMT series, UNSUNG STORIES, extraordinary headline news will be brought to life in a unique way through the inspiration and vision of country music songwriters. UNSUNG STORIES will premiere Friday, May 19 at 10:00 PM, ET/PT featuring “Pickin’ Wildflowers” artist Keith Anderson and BMI Songwriter of the Year Jeffrey Steele, who together write a song honoring a developmentally challenged high school football player who scores a touchdown while at the same time touching the hearts of an Ohio community.
UNSUNG STORIES begins with songwriters Keith Anderson and Jeffrey Steele who are inspired by the story of a young man from McDermott, Ohio who scores the touchdown of a lifetime. Jake Porter, a developmentally-challenged student at Northwest High School, had practiced with the school’s football team for four years, but had never played in a game. Now, in the final game of the season, Jake’s coach comes up with a plan to put Jake on the field for the first time. With the help of the opposing team’s coach, Jake not only took the field, but ran the ball for a touchdown that touched an entire community. Using Jake’s story, Anderson and Steele pen the song, “Jake’s Goin’ All the Way,” and travel to Jake’s high school to perform live for Jake, his coaches, the players and the community.
Arista Nashville sensation Keith Anderson hit the country landscape in a big way, scoring a Top 10 radio smash and a No. 1 CMT video with “Pickin’ Wildflowers,” the first single from his debut album, Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll. The only country artist chosen for People magazine’s 2005 “50 Hottest Bachelors” issue, Keith’s energy, charisma, and dynamic concerts have been turning heads, as have segments on the Today show, Inside Edition, and Access Hollywood. Country radio is ready to keep the excitement high with Keith’s next single, “Every Time I Hear Your Name,” while his album has drawn praise from such outlets as Amazon.com, which raved, “Anderson’s riding a cutting edge of rawer 21st-century country that honors tradition, yet remains totally of the moment.”
Jeffrey Steele has made a career writing hits for superstars like Tim McGraw, (“The Cowboy in Me”), Faith Hill (“When the Lights Go Down”), Montgomery Gentry (“Speed,” “Hell Yeah,” “My Town”), Diamond Rio (“Unbelievable”), Trace Adkins (“Chrome”), LeAnn Rimes (“Big Deal”), Rascal Flatts (“These Days”) and many more. He has received numerous songwriting accolades such as BMI and NSAI’s Songwriter of the year, and BMI recently awarded Steele for over 20 million airplays.
UNSUNG STORIES is helmed by the producing team of Kevin Dill and Mechelle Collins. The Dill/Collins team has produced Bravo’s “Blow Out,” “The Club” for Spike TV, and “Juvies” the upcoming documentary series for MTV. Paul Villadolid serves as executive in charge of production for CMT and Nicole Zien serves as executive producer for CMT.
CMT, America’s No. 1 country music network, carries original programming, specials, and live concerts and events, as well as a mix of videos by established country music artists and new cutting-edge acts, including world premiere exclusive videos. Founded March 6, 1983, CMT, owned and operated by MTV Networks, reaches more than 82.2 million households in the United States. Go to country music’s biggest web site at www.CMT.com.
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Press Contacts: Cindy McLean 615-335-8404 cindy.mclean@cmt.com
Lisa Chader 615-335-8405 lisa.chader@cmt.com
