The Auditorium in Wieden Hall gets more than a little bit country when Nashville recording artist Timmy Brown takes the stage on Thursday, April 27, at 7 p.m. This night of music, sponsored by UMPI’s Student Activities Office, is free and open to the community.
Timmy Brown is a singer, songwriter, and country music artist who hails from Norton, Mass., and has a definite style of his own, crediting Brad Paisley, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean as his musical influences. His infectious energy and talent have made him a local favorite, and he has grown an avid fan base around the New England area. In fact, he has been nominated for the “Local Male Artist of the Year” award, for his contributions to the country music scene in New England during the 2016 calendar year, by New England Country Music.
Music became Brown’s life at an early age—he started playing the piano at age 5, and, after graduating from high school, he began playing solo shows at local events and restaurants. During that time, he auditioned for television shows such as The Voice and America’s Got Talent. It was at his third audition that he was selected to be on Season 14 of American Idol. Shortly after his audition, he was approached by members of a local country band, Black Diamond, and was asked to become the lead singer.
In April 2016, Brown’s debut EP “Leave This Town” was released. Not your typical first release by an unsigned artist, the recordings were done at Sound Emporium and Blackbird in Nashville, featuring a production “A Team” of players and engineers that are more commonly found working with artists such as Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, or Blake Shelton.
Brown’s first single “Lil Bit” was released on iTunes on April 18, 2016 and made its way to the top 100 charts on iTunes that day. On March 11, 2017 he was featured at the Hard Rock Cafe in Boston as one of the local artists from 101.7 The Bull’s Backyard Country Show. Every Sunday night at 10 p.m., listeners can hear one of his songs played on Backyard Country, which is hosted by Jessica Callahan. He has also been featured on 102.5 Krusers Local Catch as “Catch of the Week” for local talent.
Brown is currently traveling back and forth from New England to Nashville to concentrate on writing new songs for his second album. On Aug. 6, he will be at the 3rd Annual New England Country Music Festival at the Redhook Brewery in Portsmouth, NH and will be opening for Frankie Ballard, Michael Ray and William Michael Morgan.
He has opened for Dustin Lynch, Lindsey Ell and Granger Smith, and in August 2016, he sang the national anthem at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., for the New England Patriots vs. Chicago Bears game. He also performed at the 75th Annual Tree Lighting at the Boston Common on Dec. 1, which was aired on Channel 5’s The Chronicle.
For more information about Timmy Brown, visit his website at www.timmybrownmusic.com. For more information about this performance at UMPI, call 768-9582 or email elizabeth.olsen@maine.edu.