A ‘Coming Attraction’: Myrtle Beach artist who performed on ‘The Voice’ gets big break
Jimmy Mowery’s heard the pitches many times over the years.
They’d all go along the lines of one person knowing another person who knows another person high up in the music industry.
Even after the Myrtle Beach-based artist made waves by performing on Season 16 of “The Voice,” the conversations all ended in false hope and disappointment — until just recently.
While attending the celebration of life for a friend who passed away, Mowery performed a set and caught a DJ’s attention. That, in turn, led to a deal with Elite Sports and Entertainment Management Group, which plans to help the Altoona, Pennsylvania native produce original material in the coming months that will ultimately be pitched to record labels.
“I’m just thinking, like any other situation normally dealing with that stuff, ‘OK, yeah,’” Mowery said of his conversation with the DJ. “And it turned out to be real.”
Mowery said he’ll soon be traveling to Nashville, Tennessee to collaborate with Grammy Award-winning and multi-platinum producer/songwriter Aaron Pearce, who’s worked with the likes of Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, John Legend and other big names.
“Just looking at the client list of who he’s worked with was just crazy,” said Mowery, who’s played at bars and restaurants along the Grand Strand and beyond for the last nine years. “That’ll open doors alone.”
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A ‘Coming Attraction’
Since placing in the top 24 on “The Voice,” Mowery has continued to pursue his dream. Last summer, he released single “Coming Attraction,” which got some rotation on local radio station Energy 92.1. He said a couple folks who work at the radio station played a big role in getting it some air play.
“They were super awesome by giving it some rotation,” Mowery said.
However, aside from some local buzz, the song — and video filmed at local bar Klocker’s — didn’t generate much progress toward getting a record label’s attention. The video sits at over 5,000 plays on YouTube.
Still, Mowery was pleased with the response he got locally, saying he’d hear from Grand Strand folks and have fans request it at gigs he’s played.
“I’d get messages like ‘Hey, I just heard your song on the radio. That’s awesome,’” he said.
Mowery remains a local star. But signing with Elite Sports and Entertainment Management Group, which he says has clients such as Uncle Kracker and Donnie Wahlberg, is the break he’s been waiting for. Mowery said Elite Sports and Entertainment Management Group, with which he signed with this summer, has connections to some record labels, and the plan is to get some more singles out there to pitch to them.
“I’m just completely ready to get out there and get to play more of my original material and actually get to play big venues and shows and all that instead of just playing at these three- to four-hour cover gigs on the beach,” he said.
Reuniting with a Legend
Mowery’s journey on “The Voice” started as a member of Team Adam Levine before he made his way to Team John Legend. Despite leaving the show earlier than he had hoped, the NBC reality show did not prove to be the last Mowery saw of Legend.
Legend was set to perform at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island as part of Audrain’s Newport Concours & Motor Week last October when his team needed an opener for the event. They contacted Daughtry guitarist and vocalist Brian Craddock, who recommended his friend Mowery.
Mowery proved to be quite the bargain as he performed essentially for free after having his travel expenses taken care of. On top of that, his connection to Legend just made sense.
Mowery said that Legend set up a visit between the two before going on stage. They chatted for five to 10 minutes as Legend inquired about the status of Mowery’s career.
“That was cool to catch up really quick,” Mowery said.
When it was time for Legend to go on stage, Mowery walked with the Grammy winner and his security to backstage, where the Myrtle Beach resident got to watch Legend perform.
“I was like ‘This is not real life,’” Mowery said.
With his recent big break, only time will tell.
This story was originally published September 21, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
