Bigfoot Yancey at the Brown County Playhouse.
~ story and photo by Mandi Rainwater
Last summer, a group of music lovers and musicians got together with a singular aspiration: to bring rising stars to the big stage in Brown County. This goal was realized just months later in the form of the inaugural Amplify Nashville concert featuring Flick‘ n’ Rainwater, Bleu Django, King Bee & the Stingers, and Cody Ikerd and the Sidewinders.
Amplify Nashville returns for 2024 with a fresh roster of talent promising an unforgettable experience at the Brown County Music Center on Saturday, December 7.
Amplify Nashville is a charity event benefiting Mother’ s Cupboard Community Kitchen and the Brown County Music Association. The organizations exemplify the two-fold mission of Amplify Nashville. As Bob Blass, Amplify committee member and president of the BCMA, explains,“ Music is food for the soul, but sometimes people need food just in general.”
68 Our Brown County • Nov./ Dec. 2024
To that end, Amplify targets local musicians primed for a chance to perform in the 2,000-seat Brown County Music Center, and those musicians donate their time and talent to support these local charities.
In 2023, many of the event’ s founding committee members also donated their talent as performers. Renowned harmonica player Corey Flick, who spearheaded Amplify and continues to serve on the committee, opened the show with Flick‘ n’ Rainwater and closed with Cody Ikerd and the Sidewinders. Flick described the event as a highlight of his career saying,“ The dream was always [ that ] we got to play a big stage in a great venue, but we also got to give back to the community, and that, to me, was what made it extremely special.”
Sarah Menefee and Jeff Shew of King Bee & the Stingers are active on the Amplify committee as well. Menefee said,“ It was such a thrill to perform on the Brown County Music Center stage and to be a part of