George Strait is integral to Tennessee Whiskey The Musical
The producers of Tennessee Whiskey the Musical, are opening up a national talent search to cast the role of the King of Country, George Strait for their upcoming production of Tennessee Whiskey the Musical, the story of Dean Dillon. To kick-off the search, they are launching a virtual audition process where interested performers can post a video singing and playing a George Strait/Dean Dillon song. These videos will be seen by the show’s casting team and it could earn them a chance for a callback at one of the show’s national auditions taking place in New York, Nashville and Las Vegas in the summer of 2018.
“If we’ve learned anything from shows like The Voice and American Idol, it’s that great singers come from everywhere and may not always have the opportunity to live in a major city for casting. The character of George Strait is integral to our show and sings some very famous songs, and the fans will want to hear an authentic country singer. So we’re excited to start this national talent search — and what better way to reach talent than by kicking it off with virtual auditions!” states writer and producer Dewey Moss.
Interested fans should visit TennesseeWhiskeytheMusical.com or the Facebook page and upload a video of themselves playing and singing a Dean Dillon song in the style of George Strait. Fans should then publish it on YouTube or Vimeo, and tag the video #TennesseeWhiskeyAudition. Be sure to share the video, get friends to share, and ask them to comment on why you’d be great in the role!
Written by Dewey Moss, Tennessee Whiskey The Musical tells the story of Dean Dillon, Country Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee, BMI Icon award recipient, and the writer of some of country music’s most popular songs by singers such as George Strait, Toby Keith, Kenny Chesney, Chris Stapleton, Pam Tillis, Barbara Mandrell, Johnny Rodriguez, Gary Stewart and many more. His music defined a generation, but it did not come without a price, personal struggles with alcoholism and drugs almost ended his life. Ultimately about redemption and success, Tennessee Whiskey is an emotional story told in a way that only country music can. Theatre and dates are still in the process of being worked out.
Tennessee Whiskey features hit songs such as “The Chair,” “Unwound,” “Marina Del Rey,” “Ocean Front Property,” “She Calls It Love,” “How Long Does It Take,” “I’m Lying In Love With You,” “I’m Into the Bottle,” “We Got ‘Em Smokin’ in the Rockies,” “Easy Come, Easy Go,” “The Road Less Traveled,” “Here for a Good Time,” “Tennessee Whiskey” and many more, along with several new songs Dillon is writing specifically for this production.
Dean Dillon (Composer) started playing guitar at the age of seven and at 15 he appeared on a variety show called Jim Clayton’s Startime as a songwriter and performer; by the end of high school, Dean Dillon had his mind set on Nashville.
In 1976, Dillon landed the role of Hank Williams in Opryland’s Country Music Show, USA. The theme park gig indirectly helped Dillon secure his first publishing deal with Nashville producer, publisher Tom Collins. Three weeks later Barbara Mandrell recorded three of Dillon’s songs. In 1979 Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius had a number one hit with Dillon’s “Lying Here In Love with You” a song he co-wrote with fellow tunesmith Gary Harrison of “Strawberry Wine” fame. It was both writers first number one hit record.
Although it was writing songs for others where Dillon’s future lay, the young singer was hell bent on making it as a recording artist. Between 1979 and 1981 Dillon released 12 singles for RCA Records. Three of the songs reached the Top 30 on the country charts, including “Nobody In His Right Mind Would’ve Left Her,” which climbed all the way to No. 25 (and later became a No. 1 hit for George Strait). As an artist, Dillon charted eight times and broke the Top 30 with “I’m into the Bottle (To Get You out of My Mind).” He also wrote hits for other country stars like the 1983 George Jones No. 1 hit “Tennessee Whiskey.” After “Those Were The Days,” Dillon took a five-year hiatus from recording, cleaned up his personal life and concentrated on songwriting. He wrote or co-wrote a number of hits during this period and had considerable success with George Strait, who took five of his songs to the charts between 1981 and 1988. The exposure landed Dillon a new contract with Capitol Records, who released two Ricky Scruggs produced albums, Slick Nickel and I’ve Learned To Live. The later featured a Tanya Tucker duet “Don’t You Even Think About Leaving.” Dillon next signed with Atlantic, where he issued his most successful album. It was 1991’s Out Of Your Mind which referenced the hard country of Dillon’s heroes, but it also flirted with pop. The LP was lauded as a throwback, an answer to Nashville’s penchant for vapidity.
In 2002, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (along with Bob Dylan and Shel Silverstein). Early the following year Dillon signed a songwriting contract with Sony/ATV Tree, which came after his fifteen-year relationship with Rose Acuff, a publishing company Sony acquired in July 2002.
Dillon has composed or co-written 63 songs for Strait, including 19 singles, 11 which went to number one. His other accolades include 1985 Billboard Country Music Artist of The Year Award; 1986 Nashville Song Writers Award; 1995, 1996, 1998 CMA Triple Play Award; Three Time Grammy Nominee; Lee Iacocca Award (American Automotive Division); Twenty-Six Number One Records Award; and the coveted 2013 BMI Icon Award.
