HIT SONGWRITERS AND CREATORS OF GIJAMS.COM,
DENNY RANDELL AND BIDDY SCHIPPERS,TO BE HONORED AT
THE PENTAGON JUNE 14

GI Jams ® founders Denny Randell and Biddy Schippers have been invited by Marine Col Joseph Krumm to The Pentagon at the United States Department of Defense in Arlington, Va. for a special presentation of honor on June 14, 2013.

 GI Jams brings the musical talents of hundreds of veterans and active duty soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen and National Guard members to the forefront and showcases and promotes the original songs and performances of active and retired military musical artists, all branches, ranks and rates. It also provides the opportunity for them to sign up and have their own profile pages on GIJams.com, featuring their bios, pictures, blogs and music, with 100 percent of the download profits going to the artists.

Randell and Schippers have been longtime supporters of those who serve in the military and had wanted to find a special way to give back. As they say in their site’s mission statement: “While we can never repay them, each of us can certainly do our part to help and support them. One great way to do this is to give those in our military who are musically talented the opportunity to be heard and the chance to realize financial gain from their music and talent and maybe even go all the way.”  The first GI Jams Records compilation project was released in partnership with Rhino (Warner Music Group). GI Jams, Vol. 1: The Original Music Of Our Military Artists features 14 tracks by eight of the site’s most popular artists and bands. The album, which also includes two “Battlefield Music Videos” made from footage shot from active duty positions in Iraq, will now be available in all U.S. Marine stores.

Schippers says, “We are thrilled that the GI Jams Compilation album that we are so proud of will be in the U.S. Marine stores.”

Separately and as a creative team, Randell and Schippers have a wealth of history in many facets of the music industry. Randell, a renowned songwriter, producer, artist and arranger/programmer, has had over 45 of his songs reach the Billboard charts, including “A Lover’s Concerto” by The Toys, “Native New Yorker” by Odyssey (featured on “Sex and the City’s” last season on HBO), “Can’t Get Enough of You Baby” by Smash Mouth and hits by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, three of which are featured in the Tony Award winning show “Jersey Boys,” including “Working My Way Back To You” and “Let’s Hang On.”  Other artists who have recorded songs penned or co-written by Randell include Quincy Jones, Diddy, Barry Manilow, Diana Ross, The Spinners, The Monkees, Busta Rhymes, the Star Wars Cast and Penn Jillette. His songs have sold over 200 million records and he is a 2011 nominee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Schippers is a songwriter, producer, artist and programmer who has had numerous U.S. and international chart successes. She and Randell are composers, artists and producers of dance hits in the U.S. and UK, which have become, according to Allmusic.com, “club staples.” Their most recent dance and video hit “Alice in Wonderland” reached #7 on the Yahoo Video charts and was featured on video sites worldwide.

Randell and Schippers will be accompanied to The Pentagon on June 14 by LtCol Jerard Brewer, a U.S. Marine and a songwriter who is featured on the GI Jams Compilation album.

Since August 2010, Brewer has been a District Officer in charge of the southeast region for the Marine For Life Network which is an extension of the U.S. Marine Corps taking pride in taking care of its own. The program is a veteran friendly nationwide network of employers, educators and mentors that can create opportunities for Marines as they transition back into the civilian world. He has been in the Marines since 1986 and is currently stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Randell adds, “Biddy and I are deeply honored by this invitation to The Pentagon and the recognition of our GI Jams project.”

For more information on GI Jams or to hear the music, please visit www.gijams.com.

Contact: Chrissy Sutphin, LUCK Media & Marketing, Inc. (818) 232-4175

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Well-known songwriters Denny Randell and Biddy Schippers are supporting and bringing the musical talent of hundreds of Veterans and active duty soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen and National Guard members to the forefront via their cleverly titled project and website GIJams.com.

GI Jams launched in November 2009 with much fanfare among mainstream and military media, from CNBC, Billboard.biz and Celebrity Twitter—including a tweet from magician and TV personality Penn Jillette–to Purple Heart, Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times and Marine Times.

Coinciding with the one-year anniversary since the site’s launch, GI Jams goes “live” for the first time with a highly anticipated Veterans Day Weekend Show Friday, November 12 at The Club in The Cannery Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas. The concert, which features performances by eight of the site’s most popular artists and bands, begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at the Cannery box office, or via phone (702) 507-5757 and online at www.cannerycasino.com. 

“Biddy and I are thrilled when we hear how much GI Jams means to the many great musicians who also serve our country,” says Randell. “Artists are joining while based in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait…and many Vietnam veterans are on board too. Many have written to tell us that no one else has ever given them a place to put their music. We thought the concert would be a marvelous thing to raise awareness and bring more people into the experience of what we are doing while also finding another way to show appreciation for our troops. On the day after Veteran’s Day, we wanted to do something that is uplifting, positive and different.”

Scheduled performers at the GI Jams’ Veterans Day Weekend Show include Jacksonville rock band American Attitude; singer/songwriters Corey Bower and Adrian Manuel; Destruction Evolution, a San Antonio based southern rock/metal band; Marine Lt. Col. Jerard Brewer; songwriter, Hammond B-3 organ player Ric Ulsky and Rick McDermid, who will be performing songs he wrote and performed with his late partner, Don Dark, a marine who served in Vietnam, plus, country artists Joe Speed Band. 100% of the download profits on the site go to the military artists.