Contact: Steve Levesque, Chrissy Sutphin
LUCK Media & Marketing, Inc. (818) 232-4175
info@luckmedia.com, www.luckmedia.com

HIT SONGWRITERS AND GI JAMS CREATORS DENNY RANDELL AND
BIDDY SCHIPPERS ARE HONORED WITH A SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE AT THE PENTAGON, PRESENTED BY PAUL D. PATRICK, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR RESERVE AFFAIRS

Arlington, VA – Founders of GI Jams® (www.gijams.com) and hit songwriters Denny Randell and Biddy Schippers were recognized at The Pentagon at the United States Department of Defense in Arlington, Va. during a special presentation of honor on June 14, 2013, where a dedicated plaque was presented to them by Major General, U.S. Army (Retired) Paul D. Patrick, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (Readiness, Training and Mobilization). Randell and Schippers also each received from him a special military coin, which is given to individuals in appreciation for and to recognize certain events and circumstances.

 The songwriting duo was escorted to The Pentagon by Marine Col Joseph Krumm, who first initiated their special invitation for their founding and co-directing of GI Jams and its website, GIJams.com. They were accompanied by LtCol Jerard Brewer, a U.S. Marine and a songwriter who is featured on the GI Jams Compilation album.

During their visit, Randell and Schippers presented Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Patrick and Marine Col Krumm each with a copy of GI Jams CD Album - Vol. 1: The Original Music Of Our Military Artists. Their visit to the Pentagon also included a stop at the office of the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Bringing the musical talents of hundreds of veterans and active duty soldiers, marines, sailors, airmen and National Guard members to the forefront, GI Jams 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.

This 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 the U.S. Marine stores.

Schippers says, “We’re excited that the GI Jams compilation album will now be available in all the Marine stores. We were very proud on behalf of our military artists to personally present the GI Jams album to Deputy Assistant Secretary Patrick and Col Krumm at this special trip to The Pentagon.”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.”

Randell and Schippers have a wealth of history in many facets of the music industry, both separately and as a creative team. 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.

LtCol Brewer has been a District Officer in charge of the southeast region for the Marine For Life Network since August 2010, 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 a Marine since 1986 and is currently stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Randell said, “Biddy and I feel extremely honored and grateful to have been invited to the Pentagon and to have received from Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Patrick the special plaque in appreciation for our support of members of the military through our GI Jams company and project, and to also personally receive from him the two special military coins.”

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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