When Elvis Presley enlisted in the army in 1958, the King’s musical career went on hold. If only GI Jams existed then.
GIJams.com is a social music network for military musicians. Husband and wife songwriting team Denny Randell and Biddy Schippers launched the site in November 2009.
“Our vision has always been really, really big,” Schippers said in an interview. “We definitely see this as a completely expansive project.”
GI Jams released its first compilation disc April 25. Fans can buy it for $10 at GIJams.com.
Both active duty personnel and veterans from all branches post their music. The site’s only requirement is that all music be original. A lot of the artists are country, rock and alternative musicians, but any genre is accepted.
GI Jams is not a record company, but it is an online storefront for the music acts. While only members of the military can post music, civilians can create fan pages.
On June 27, GI Jams formed a partnership with EMI Music. That means the world’s largest music publisher will work to get the songs of GI Jams artists into commercials, movies, radio and other media worldwide.
“We always saw [GI Jams] as a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional, multimedia project,” Schippers said.
Denny Randell, who wrote several chart toppers for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, three of which were featured in the hit musical ‘Jersey Boys,’ is now spending part of his time promoting the work of others artists. For Randell, GI Jams serves those who serve.
“These people have talent but are busy defending us and don’t have a chance to follow their dreams,” Randell said. “Now there’s a place for their songs.”
Listeners can stream songs on GIJams.com for free or pay 99 cents to download individual tracks. Some acts sell full albums and proceeds go toward the artists.
Randell and Schippers have hosted several GI Jams concerts; Arizona Senator John McCain attended one last year. Other congressional members have met with the two to discuss meet-and-greets for GI Jams artists and Las Vegas declared May 20 ‘GI Jams Day.’
Last year, The Military Times wrote about the Joe Speed band, one of the first artists to post on GI Jams. The soldiers from Wyoming recorded their first track for the website Christmas Eve 2009 in a tent in Iraq. The band’s story and song helped propel both Joe Speed and GI Jams into the spotlight.
GI Jams released its first album April 25. One of the artists featured on that album, Adrian Manuel, recorded a music video for his song ‘Freedom’ while piloting a Black Hawk helicopter in Iraq. The video is available exclusively on GI Jams: Vol. 1.
Currently, GI Jams showcases more than 100 artists.
“The vision is to give any military artist a chance to show off musical talent,” Randell said. “This site – it’s about them.”