Lifestyle & Entertainment 1B The Tennessee Tribune • Thursday, June 23 - 29, 2016 Singer Goes from the Race Track to Music Track for Country Music ‘Gold’ By Janice Malone NASHVILLE, TN — Country music singer/songwriter Shawney Damisch is a new talent on the scene that’s pursuing that pot-o-gold at the end of the country music rainbow of stardom Her new single, I WANT YOU THERE, has only been out for a few weeks but music insiders are already applauding her singing talents “In the tradition of George Strait, full of emotion…it’s traditional country with a modern sound ” writes one top music critic That’s a more than impressive music report card for a young singer who’s been in Nashville less than years She’s already signed with the management team at September Productions Shawney readily admits that her move from the small farming town of Marengo, Illinois to Music City USA was a tough one She was a student on a track and field scholarship with a specialty in the 400 hurdles, at Missouri State University But after a nasty injury, Shawney lost her scholarship and had to start paying her own tuition “I was not happy in Missouri I was really miserable,” she recalls about her college experience “I was good at school though but I wasn’t enjoying my classes So a really good friend sat me down and he said, ‘What you really want to with your life? What are you passionate about?’ And every time I kept thinking about it, I kept thinking that I love to sing That’s all I really want to So, it was a little dramatic to drop my classes and move here to Nashville but I was just like if I don’t it now, I’ll never it And besides, school will always be there.” The original plans were for Shawney to obtain her under graduate degree and move on to law school, so when her parents received the news about her decision to leave school to pursue the often elusive world of the music industry, mom and dad weren’t exactly thrilled Shawney says it took them a long time to get over her decision to leave school but they’re now very supportive in her quest for music success Country music songs are often written from the ups and downs, the crooks and turns and the highs n’ lows from the soul of everyday life And when it comes to Shawney Damisch, her life didn’t exactly start with no ‘crystal stair.’ In fact, her real life story is one of inspiration and hope that’s quite a movie storyline She was raised by a single mother on the south side of Chicago, who was killed in a drive by shooting when Shawney was only years old She also had a brother who was age and a sister who was at the time When a white Baptist minister and his wife read about the tragedy, they adopted all siblings, welcoming them into their own family of biological children Growing up on the farm was well, just like life on many farms, and that included listening to a lot of country western music “I grew up on a hay and cattle farm I would listen to country music while we were all baling hay Every summer was basically dedicated to farm work for the whole family It was hard work but it was also so much fun too I remember my mom on the tractor with blaring country music, with us kids stacking hay on the wagon Those memories are so embedded in my brain,” Shawney fondly remembers with a big laugh The tunes of George Strait, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood and others, sparked her first interest into the country music genre But that’s not the only style of music Shawney enjoyed She fell in love with pop music group Maroon 5’s CD “All About Jane,” after finding it on the side of the road Like so many fifth graders did at the time, Shawney sang and memorized every song on the CD Her other music tastes extended over to hip/hop, R&B and traditional jazz “When I was in school I took an introduction to jazz class I really love jazz, especially during the 1940’s era,” she shares According to her manager, Shawney has the vocal talents to sing almost any genre of music that she wants however, it is traditional country music that she enjoys the most Rissi Palmer, Joy Styles, Miko Marks, and Mickey Guyton are just a few of only a handful of African American female country music singers who have put a slight dent on breaking down that door of success into country music stardom the way Charlie Pride and Darius Rucker have done for Black male country western singers Shawney hopes the success of her “I Want You There” single will not only place her on this special list, but also open up doors for her to be on the list of being a successful country music recording artist Period! She’s currently in pre-production to record a music video for the new single, along with spending time honing her songwriting skills with other writers in the Tennessee Songwriters Association International (TSAI) Shawney adds, “I think Nashville caters more to songwriters than it does to just performers TSAI has been very helpful with setting up appointments to collaborate with other songwriters and artists.” Visit Shawney at: http://shawneydamischmusic.com NMAAM Receives Major Donation from Belmont and Launches New App By Janice Malone NASHVILLE, TN — Last week the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) announced its first-ever Rivers of Rhythm® Digital Exhibition (RofR) and significant financial support from Belmont University With June declared as Black Music Month (or African American Music Appreciation Month) by President Barack Obama, earlier this month, NMAAM was pleased to announce this key milestone during an important, month-long observance A first-of-its-kind digital exhibition, museum officials and award-winning Gospel artist, CeCe Winans (who was recently announced as one of NMAAM’s National Chairs) revealed the digital exhibition and a $250,000 donation from Belmont University “With over 50 genres identified as created or influenced by African Americans, RofR is an interactive tool that depicts the ebb and flow of music and genres using a web-based platform to tell the Museum’s story even before our doors open,” said H Beecher Hicks, III, NMAAM’s president and CEO “The purpose of this web-based digital exhibition is to educate the world about the role African Americans play, and have played, in building American culture through her music You will be able to learn about the originators, the innovators and the legacy of music in America,” adds Mr Hicks NMAAM CEO H Beecher Hicks, III, CeCe Winans and Belmont University’s president, Dr Bob Fisher hold the check during the recent donation presentation Ms Winans joined in to help Belmont University’s president, Dr Bob Fisher and H Beecher Hicks, III, unveil the digital exhibition and donation As a National Chair, Ms Winans will focus her work with NMAAM, specifically around the Gospel genre and serve as an active ambassador She will provide support and access to her professional network for the organization She, along with Darius Rucker, Keb’ Mo’ and India.Arie were announced earlier this year and are actively engaged in the project All are prominently featured in the Rivers of Rhythm® Digital Exhibition (RofR) According to Mr Hicks, these ce- Recording Artist CeCe Winans speaks during the 2016 NMAAM Black Music Month Rivers of Rhythm Digital Exhibition Debut at Belmont University on June 16 in Nashville Source: Jason Davis/Getty Images North America lebrities are also NMAAM active ambassadors for the project and will be providing support and access to their professional network for the organization through public appearances, events, interacting with donor and potential donors. “All of our National Chairs have expressed a keen desire to be actively involved in all that we do. Each will also be prominently featured in the Rivers of Rhythm® Digital Exhibition (RofR),” adds Hicks The National Museum of African American Music is scheduled to open here in Nashville in 2018 But before the doors officially open, there are ways the general public can currently get involved with this monumental new museum now: • NMAAM welcomes all financial donations • Download theRiversOfRhythm.org app on your cell phone or your computer • Attend any of the upcoming Sips & Stanzas or Emerging Artists series • Or schedule a “From Nothing to Something” program your church, camp or school To get information on how to become involved with any of the above mentioned programs visit www.NMAAM.org or call their office at 615.301.8724 and ask for the Programs Manager