It was a very special night last Wednesday, May 24 at the Tangier in Akron when 94.9 WQMX hosted the Class of 2017: Ones to Watch Charity Concert. Four very talented singer-songwriters took the stage at the same time, taking turns “guitar pull” style, telling the stories about their songs and what makes them so meaningful to each of them and performing the songs acoustically in this very intimate setting. All of these artists could be considered “up-and-comers,” but each of them has made their mark on the country charts recently or is doing so currently.
Seth Ennis played both guitar and piano for his songs. He featured “Our Town,” which was a 2016 single for Tyler Farr, “Fast Girl” “3” and “Buzz.” He is best known for his debut single, “Woke Up in Nashville,” which is currently climbing the charts. The other gentlemen on stage remarked about how they could not stop listening to this song as soon as it was released. It clearly has a special place in their hearts since they all can relate to it so well.
Jacob Davis, along with his guitarist “Rabbit,” performed some great songs including “Back Me Up,” the funky and fun “James Brown,” “Down to Earth,” his current single, “What I Want to Be,” and a funny story accompanied his song “Got Me Like.” I think that his producer is still trying to figure out what that song is about!
Brett Young, who has enjoyed the most chart success of these gentlemen to date, remains humble and joked along all evening with the rest of the guys, even making fun of himself and his complete inability to dance! His five songs included “Like I Loved You,” his newest single and the third from his debut album, “You Ain’t Here to Kiss Me,” “Mercy,” “In Case You Didn’t Know,” and his first song to go to the top of the charts, “Can’t Sleep Without You.”
Tucker Beathard may have seemed like the quiet, shy one of this group, but when it was his turn to sing, he really shined and played the guitar so well, it made the other guys jealous! His performances got the most reaction out of the crowd since his songs were grittier and more rockin’. He played the unconventional love song “20-10 Tennessee,”my personal favorite, “Momma and Jesus,” and a couple brand new songs, “Provin’ Everybody Wrong,” and “Whiskey in a Wine Glass.” He finished off the night with his debut hit single, “Rock On,” which had every person in the room singing right along.
All the people at the WQMX radio station and these four talented artists should be commended for donating their time as this charity event raised over $7,200 for the local Akron chapter of The American Heart Association. This is truly a worthwhile cause and kudos to the fans as well for always selling out these one-of-a-kind special concert events.
