David Lee Murphy at Freedom Festival – Orange Park
Orange Park Mall has announced country music singer and songwriter David Lee Murphy as headline entertainment for this year’s Freedom Festival, the mall’s annual Fourth of July celebration to be held on Saturday, June 24. Clay County’s one-stop family shopping, dining and entertainment destination has also added a new Food Truck Wars element to help fire-up local appetites during the event from 3 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. in the JCPenney parking lot.
The free patriotic tribute, now in its seventh year, will honor the sacrifices of the men and women who serve our nation – from the armed forces, particularly those based out of NAS Jacksonville, NS Mayport and Camp Blanding to local First Responders.
“We’re thrilled to announce David Lee Murphy as this year’s headliner at Freedom Fest,” said Gi Teevan, marketing director for Orange Park Mall. “Murphy is a platinum-selling country music talent whose hits ‘Dust on the Bottle’ and ‘Party Crowd’ are staples on country radio. He has also written songs for superstars like Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, Brad Paisley, Brooks & Dunn, Reba and others. Murphy performs many of those songs during his concerts. We’re looking forward to another successful event to celebrate our local heroes who put their lives on the front lines.”
Growing up in Herrin, Ill., Murphy honed his songwriting skills at an early age by studying the songs of his musical heroes Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Johnny Paycheck. After graduating from Southern Illinois University, he moved to Nashville and spent the next 10 years writing songs and performing in clubs. His first taste of songwriting success came when Reba McEntire recorded “Red Roses (Won’t Work Now)” for her Have I Got A Deal For You album on MCA. Reba’s producer and MCA President, Tony Brown, was a fan and frequent attendee of Murphy’s live performances and eventually signed him to a deal with MCA Records. Brown produced Murphy’s three albums for the label which spawned the hit singles “Dust on the Bottle”, “Party Crowd”, “The Road You Leave Behind”, “Every Time I Get Around You,” and “Out with A Bang,” to name a few. His debut single, “Just Once” was included in the motion picture Eight Seconds which starred Luke Perry as world bull riding champion Lane Frost. His song “We Can’t All Be Angels”, from the album by the same title, was featured in the motion picture Black Dog which starred Patrick Swayze, Randy Travis and Meatloaf.
After a three-album stint with MCA, Murphy moved to indie label Audium/Koch and quickly returned to the Top 5 with his debut single “Loco” from the album Tryin’ To Get There. The album’s title track was penned by Murphy and Waylon Jennings. Soon after the release of the second single the label folded and Murphy decided to concentrate on songwriting for other artists.
Murphy quickly became one of Nashville’s most in demand songwriters whose compositions have been recorded by many of today’s country music superstars. Kenny Chesney‘s “Living In Fast Forward” and “Live A Little” as well as Jason Aldean‘s “Big Green Tractor” & “The Only Way I Know” (featuring Luke Bryan & Eric Church) all landed at the top of the charts. His song “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not” was the first # 1 single for Thompson Square and quickly established the duo as a top selling act. The song garnered two Grammy nominations and six nominations for the 2011 American Country Music Awards. Murphy’s “Hell Yeah I Like Beer” as recorded by Kevin Fowler stayed at the top of the Texas Music Chart for six straight weeks and his compositions “Always the Love Songs” (Eli Young Band) and “Way Out Here” (Josh Thompson) became the first Top 15 Billboard country singles for each artist.
Other songs from Murphy’s catalogue that became successful singles include, “Anywhere With You” (Jake Owen), “Pirate Flag” (Kenny Chesney), “A Feelin’ Like That” (Gary Allan); “The More I Drink” (Blake Shelton); “On A Mission” (Trick Pony) and “People Like Us” (Aaron Tippin) among others. Murphy’s songs have also been recorded by Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley, Montgomery/Gentry, Ronnie Dunn, Rodney Atkins, Chris Young, Hank, Jr., Florida Georgia Line, Chris LeDoux, Jamey Johnson, Casey James, Joe Nichols, Colt Ford and others.
As with previous Freedom Fests, concert-goers can expect a full day of all-ages entertainment including KidX Club events, local bands, a display of military vehicles and a colorful, grand firework show.
More details for Orange Park Mall’s seventh annual Freedom Fest will be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information, please call Orange Park Mall at (904) 269-2422 or visit http://orangeparkmall.com/. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/OrangeParkMall and follow us on Twitter @OrangeParkMall and on Instagram @orangeparkmall.