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JACKSONVILLE – The latest wave of artists to join the Alabama & Friends #JSUStrong tornado relief concert has been announced, adding to its already star-studded lineup. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, John Berry, Gordon Mote and SiriusXM's Storme Warren will take to the stage Wednesday, Sept. 26 at Burgess-Snow Field at JSU Stadium for the University's benefit show.
 
Isbell and the 400 Unit, Mote and Berry join Alabama, the Charlie Daniels Band, Shenandoah and Jamey Johnson for the unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime concert. Comedian Darren Knight "Southern Momma" is also scheduled to perform, and SiriusXM's Storme Warren will emcee the event. 
 
Country supergroup Alabama is going back to its roots to headline Burgess-Snow Field for the first time ever and for its only appearance in Alabama this year. The County Music Hall-of-Famers will donate all concert proceeds to Jacksonville State University for tornado relief after an EF-3 level storm tore through Jacksonville and the JSU campus in March 2018.
 
"We are so thankful and blessed that friends of ours, and some from our great state of Alabama, have offered to help raise funds to repair the damage from the horrific tornado a few months back," said Alabama frontman Randy Owen. "The university has been wonderful to work with on helping us setup the concert. From the looks of ticket sales and strong support from sponsors, this will be a very special night for the attendees."
 
Nationwide Insurance (Randy Jones & Associates, Inc.) has signed as the presenting sponsor. Platinum sponsors include Dr. Pepper (official drink of the show), Alabama Power, Alfa Insurance, Marc and Mary Angle, Ken and Jenny Howell, and Trycon Tufters. With these generous sponsors onboard to cover the concert's expenses, 100% of the evening's proceeds will go to Jacksonville State University.
 
"I'm proud to have the opportunity to be the title sponsor for this great event and wonderful cause," said Randy Jones of Nationwide Insurance (Randy Jones & Associates, Inc.) "I felt like this was a fantastic way to be able to give back to the school that has given so much to me and we can't wait for what will be a great night at Burgess-Snow Field."
 
With 90% of tickets already sold, the event is shaping up to be the year's largest live stadium concert in Northern Alabama. Additional guest performers will be announced in the coming weeks. 
 
The rain or shine event begins at 6:00 p.m. CT. Tickets prices range from $25.00 - $100.00 and are on-sale now at Ticketfly.com or by calling 877-435-9849. A limited number of general admission tickets are available for purchase in person at the JSU Athletics Ticket office in Kennamer Hall.
 
Also, a limited number of Stadium Club seats are available to JSU Stadium Club season ticket holders for $125 and can only be obtained by calling the JSU Athletics Ticket Office during regular business hours at (256) 782-8499 or 1-877-JSU-TIXX. The ticket office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. CT.
 
Forty years since starting the band, Alabama has charted 43 #1 singles including 21 #1 singles in a row and have won over 179 CMA Awards, Grammy Awards, and ACM Awards. They are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame and have their own star of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Alabama introduced rock style guitars, lights, pyrotechnics and sounds to the country audience. This inspired many of today's brightest country stars including Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan. Randy Owen, lead singer of Alabama, has a lifelong connection to Jacksonville State University and is devoted to giving back to the community that gave so much to him.
 
"As a proud alumni, Jacksonville State University is not only in our home state, but also very near and dear to my heart. A tremendous amount of damage has been done to the campus that must be rebuilt and we are ready to do our part to help reconcile the devastation.
 
"Just as we did with the Alabama Fundraiser Concerts when the 2011 tornadoes hit, we continue to want to help. And one way we can help is to do what we do best, play music with our friends and raise money for the university repairs. When I asked my bandmates and cousins Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook, whose wife Lisa is also a JSU alum, they were both thrilled to pitch in and help out.
 
"We hope all the people in Alabama, Southeastern Tennessee, and Western Georgia will help support this event by buying tickets and attending the concert. We are proud to have asked some of our special friends to join in and perform at the concert as well. Hopefully this event will help those in need and at the same time celebrate the JSU 2018 homecoming."
 
About ALABAMA
It's the kind of story you read about in books and watch on the big screen at the movies. For the band ALABAMA, it's not just a story; it's their life. It is a classic American tale of rags to riches. From humble beginnings picking cotton in the fields to international stars that went on to sell 73 million albums while changing the face and sound of country music.
 
It's been over 40 years since Randy, Jeff and Teddy, left the cotton farms of Fort Payne, Alabama, to spend the summer playing in a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina bar called The Bowery. Having grown up working in the fields, the cousins were no strangers to hard work. They didn't flinch when it took six long years of working for tips and living hand to mouth playing in the bar.
 
Of the early days and their humble beginnings, Jeff says, "I don't think we thought too far ahead. We were more concerned with paying our bills at the end of the week and playing music."
 
Finally, word of mouth earned the major label deal they'd been dreaming of. In 1980 the band broke through with their first Top 20 hit "My Home's In Alabama."
 
ALABAMA is the band that changed everything. They brought country music to the mainstream and from side stage to the main stage. ALABAMA introduced rock style guitars, lights, pyrotechnics and sounds to the country audience.
 
"We were renegades in sneakers and T-shirts," says Teddy. "We had long hair and played loud and some of the country folks resisted us for a while. But then of course they did accept us and then after that, our success made it lots easier for other bands to try it in country music," concluded Gentry. Bands benefitting from that breakthrough include Zac Brown Band, Florida Georgia Line and Eli Young Band.
 
They have also inspired many of today's brightest country stars including Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan as well as pop and rock stars from Ed Sheeran to Jon Bon Jovi.
 
"I was part of a benefit concert at the Ryman," he says, "and I look over there's Jon Bon Jovi. He walked over and said hello and it turns out he's a fan of our music."
 
ALABAMA's reach goes far beyond their impact on other artists; their music is timeless and can be heard today as a part of every cover band's set list in nearly every college town in America.
 
Not long ago, Teddy was witness to a scene that reminds us that their legacy of song remains as fresh as it ever was.
 
"I was in Nashville," he says, "walking by this club full of young people--I'm talking 18 or 20. The band started playing 'Dixieland Delight' and everybody in the place started singing and sang all the way through. I had to smile at the longevity of the songs. Half the crowd at our shows is young people, under 25 years old. So I think that's a tribute to the fact that we spent a career putting out good songs that stand the test of time."
 
While their music continues to stand the test of time, their numbers and stats are beyond compare. They have charted 43 #1 singles including 21 #1 singles in a row, a record that will likely never be surpassed in any genre. They have won over 178 CMA Awards, Grammy Awards, ACM Awards and counting. They've earned 21 Gold ®, Platinum ® and Multi- Platinum ® albums and were named the RIAA's Country Group of the Century. They are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame and have a start on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. They are also world-class philanthropists who have raised over 250 Million dollars for charity.
 
But the boys from Fort Payne are not content to rest on past glories. To much acclaim, the band released a new studio album SOUTHERN DRAWL in 2015 landing on the cover of USA Today, in People Magazine, Rolling Stone and Country Weekly. Adding a new chapter to an already iconic legacy can be a little tricky, but the album skillfully walks the line between the fresh and familiar, featuring a potent collection of songs for a new generation of Alabama lovers while also giving longtime fans plenty of reasons to rejoice.
 
Quality songs that have become the soundtrack for American life are the foundation for Alabama's stellar career. That standard of excellence continues on Southern Drawl. Whether it's a wistful ballad about a musician missing his lover on the road such as "Come Find Me," the emotional honesty of "I Wanna Be There," their heartfelt tribute to working class America in "American Farmer" or just the rowdy, groove-laden fun of "Hillbilly Wins the Lotto Money," each song on Southern Drawl is a snapshot of life vividly brought into focus by three masters of their craft.
 
The band recently announced their 2017 SOUTHERN DRAWL tour where the band will perform to legions of loyal fans, selling out 10,000 to 15,000 seat venues night after night. They were honored with the ACM Career Achievement Award at the Ryman Auditorium in the Fall of 2015 and were named "Album Of The Year" at the 2015 Dove Awards for ANGELS AMONG US" HYMNS & GOSPEL FAVORITES.
 
As they have for over forty years, ALABAMA continues to "Roll On."
 
About Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit's The Nashville Sound won two 2018 GRAMMY Awards for Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song ("If We Were Vampires"). The album and band have been nominated for four Americana Music Association Awards - Album of the Year, Artist of the Year (Jason Isbell), Duo/Group of the Year and Song of the Year ("If We Were Vampires"). Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit will release Live From The Ryman on October 19.

About John Berry
Celebrating his 25th year since signing his major label deal, GRAMMY Award-winning country star John Berry has recently released his new single "Beautifully Broken," which is the title track for the upcoming movie of the same name. Berry has placed 20 singles on the country hit parade charts, six of which went Top 5 as well as a #1 on the Billboard and Radio & Records country charts. He has earned numerous Gold and Platinum records. Then, "Your Love Amazes Me," "What's In It For Me" and "You And Only You" thrust him to stardom in 1994. "Your Love Amazes Me" earned Berry a 1995 GRAMMY nomination. In 1996, he scored a GRAMMY win for his participation in Amazing Grace: A Country Salute to Gospel Vol. 1. The same year, he was nominated for CMA Vocal Event of the Year for "Long Haired Country Boy" with Charlie Daniels and Hal Ketchum. Both fans and the media took note when "There He Goes" was released as a 1999 duet with Patsy Cline. Berry's two most recent albums, What I Love The Most and his holiday album, Christmas, are both available now at johnberry.com as well as iTunes and other digital retailers. Berry's TV show, Songs & Stories with John Berry is currently in it's second season and airs weekly on Heartland Television, The Family Channel, The Country Network, Roku (via Heartland), AMG TV, Country TV (New Zealand), and Keep It Country TV (UK). For more information, visit songsandstories.com.

About Gordon Mote
Blind since birth, Alabama-born Gordon Mote's faith provides the foundation for his life and constantly fuels his creative spirit. As a young man, Gordon became one of the first blind students in the country to be mainstreamed into the public school system and later received a full scholarship to Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama. Mote has performed with some of music's biggest names, including Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, Martina McBride, Bob Seger, Alan Jackson, Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie, Josh Turner, Darius Rucker, and Alison Krauss—to name a few. His unmatched studio prowess has earned him two Academy of Country Music Awards for top piano/keyboard player as well as two Music Row Magazine Instrumentalist of the Year Awards (2009, 2011) for playing on the most top ten albums. Gordon is honored and humbled by the artists and producers who place their trust in him, "I always try to bring my creativity and do the very best I can." Since stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist, Mote has recorded an impressive body of work---three instrumental and seven vocal albums---including the Dove Award-nominated If You Could Hear What I See(2004), Don't Let Me Miss the Glory (2007), and his acclaimed Christmas collection, The Star Still Shines (2012).
 
About Storme Warren
Storme Warren is a television and radio broadcaster best known as the host of The Storme Warren Show on SiriusXM's The Highway. His television career began as a segment producer on CNN's Showbiz Today, and then on to TNN Country News and This Week in Country Music as an entertainment reporter. The Tennessean dubbed Warren as the "Dick Clark" of Nashville. He currently hosts Nashville House Concerts on the first Thursday of each month. The concerts are held at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

About Jacksonville State University Tornado Damage
JSU and the surrounding community was hit by a EF-3 tornado on March 19, 2018, severely damaging 23 on-campus buildings and impacting 50 more. Thankfully, the spring break tornado did not result in any loss of life. University faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends and neighbors have united during this difficult time and pledged to rebuild our beautiful campus and local community and rise from the rubble even stronger than before. We are Gamecock Strong, Jacksonville Strong!
 
Please visit the following link for updates concerning the March 19 Tornadoes, http://www.jsu.edu/jsustrong.