TALLAHASSEE, Fla.–A credit union CEO here has partnered with a local performer to pen a song that is a tribute to local city and county workers, including first responders and electric lineman.
Lisa Brown, CEO of Tallahassee-Leon FCU, recently teamed up with Eric Durrance, lead singer of Tobacco Rd Band, to pen the song, “Sweet Tallahassee.
According to the Tallahassee Democrat, the country rock band recently dropped the Nashville-produced anthem, along with a slick video shot in part on the roof of the County Courthouse. The song and video, which were sponsored by the credit union, recently premiered at the Challenger Learning Center’s IMAX theater.
The Tallahassee Democrat said Brown has been “mentioned as a possible candidate for local office, and the song and video only raised her profile in an election year featuring three open City Commission seats. But she said in an interview she’s not running for office this year. She also said the song isn’t connected to any political campaign.”
“Yes, I have been approached,” she told the publication. “Yes, it’s been discussed. But I will not be running in 2018.”
Brown is lifelong friends with Durrance, who made a splash in the country music scene as co-writer of the Top 10 single, “Eight Second Ride” and founder of Tobacco Rd Band, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. Her father, Ross Harrell, and his stepfather, Bobby Jett, performed together with The Main Event, a classic-rock cover band that kicked around Tallahassee for years, the publication said.
Brown told the Tallahassee Democrat she got the idea for the song in July of 2017 while visiting the Ukraine as part of a Global Women’s Leadership Network project for the World Council of Credit Unions. At the time, the news was bad in Tallahassee, from the FBI’s investigation into public corruption to high crime rates. She thought a song could bring out positive emotions about the city, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
As CUToday.info reported here, in the wake of a hurricane Brown the credit union reached out to first-responders, including utility workers whose contributions are often overlooked.
The song is available on iTunes and gives shout-outs to the Sheriff’s Office, the Tallahassee Police Department, firefighters, emergency medical workers, city linemen and Florida State and Florida A&M universities. The video also features local first responders.
The video can be viewed here.