Average Joes Entertainment
| Average Joes Entertainment | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founder | Colt Ford and Shannon Houchins |
| Distributor(s) | Average Joes |
| Genre | Country, alternative country, country rap |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Location | Nashville, Tennessee |
Average Joes Entertainment Group is an American record label specializing in country music, alternative country, and country rap. The label was founded in 2008 by country rap artist Colt Ford and producer Shannon "Fat Shan" Houchins. Ford has released four albums for the label, three of which have reached the top 10 of the country albums charts including 2012's chart topping #1 "Declaration Of Independence".[1]
Average Joe's roster also includes Montgomery Gentry, LoCash Cowboys, JB and the Moonshine Band, JJ Lawhorn and Daniel Lee and is responsible for launching the careers of other artists such as Brantley Gilbert and Rachel Farley.
In 2010, Backroad Records was formed as a subsidiary of Average Joe's, specializing in country rap. Its roster features The Lacs, Lenny Cooper, Bubba Sparxxx, Danny Boone from Rehab, Demun Jones from Rehab, Moonshine Bandits, Charlie Farley, Redneck Social Club and Twang & Round. Backroad also releases an annual compilation series titled "Mud Digger". Volume 1 was released on August 3, 2010 and features songs from Average Joe's Entertainment and Backroads Records artists such as Colt Ford, Brantley Gilbert, The Lacs, Corey Smith and Sunny Ledfurd. Mud Digger Vol. 2 was released on July 19, 2011. Mud Digger Vol. 3 was released on June 12, 2012. Mud Digger Vol 4 was released on July 2, 2013. Mud Digger Vol 5 was released on May 19, 2014. Mud Digger Vol 6 was released August 28, 2015. Each compilation has sold well over 100,000 units each.[2]
In addition to country music, Average Joe's founded a southern urban genre-oriented subsidiary imprint called AVJ Records, specializing in southern rock, pop, R&B and hip hop artists, including Nappy Roots, Anamul House and Rehab.
In 2014, AVJ was also converted into a Country-Rap brand. Rehab was the only previous artist that remained on AVJ. A minor re-alignment also took place at this time moving Demun Jones and new artist Sarah Ross to the Average Joes brand and Danny Boone and Twang & Round to AVJ.
Marketing Practices
In the early days of Average Joes, the company used unique practices to market their music by creating concert events at mud bogs.[3]
Roster
Artists on Average Joes
- Cap Bailey
- Colt Ford
- Cypress Spring
- Demun Jones
- Montgomery Gentry
- Sarah Ross
Artists on Backroad
- Charlie Farley
- The Lacs
- Lenny Cooper
- Moonshine Bandits
- Tommy Chayne
Artists on AVJ
- Twang & Round
- I4NI
- J Rosevelt
- Exit 24
Average Joes Imprint
- Brantley Gilbert
- Corey Smith
- Daniel Lee
- Ira Dean
- JB and the Moonshine Band
- JJ Lawhorn
- Josh Gracin
- Kevin Fowler
- LoCash Cowboys
- Matt Stillwell
- Rachel Farley
- Sunny Ledfurd
- Trailer Choir
Backroad Imprint
- Bubba Sparxxx
- Moccasin Creek
- Redneck Social Club
AVJ Records Imprint
- Anamul House
- Bizarre
- Crucifix
- Danny Boone
- Lindsey Hager
- Nappy Roots
- Rehab
- Space Capone
- Vonnegutt
References
- ↑ Talbott, Chris (4 June 2010). "Ford takes a different country road". GoErie.com. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
- ↑ "About". Backroad Records. Retrieved 19 Apr 2012.
- ↑ "The Unlikely Rise Of Hick-Hop". Wall Street Journal. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.