The cover art for “American Spirit” was hand-painted by PENLEY (aka Steve Penley), who is one of America’s most celebrated artists with works exhibited worldwide. This powerful imagery resonated with Kelley whose “Poppy” – John Edward Kelley – served in the U.S. Army during WWII and was a prisoner of war, earning two Purple Hearts. The Atlanta-based painter is also a fan of Kelley’s music which created a natural collaboration for this bold visual.
Marking a brand-new chapter for the history-making artist-songwriter, “American Spirit” follows Kelley’s 2021 solo effort, SUNSHINE STATE OF MIND. He backed the wave-making release with sold-out shows on his MADE BY THE WATER TOUR, and remains a creative force to be reckoned with after an unparalleled decade-plus as one half of GRAMMY-nominated duo Florida Georgia Line. Kelley is already planning more new music in the coming months.
Under Big Machine Label Group, FGL became the first and only Country act to achieve two RIAA DIAMOND-certified singles with 11X PLATINUM, No. 1 breakout “Cruise” (the best-selling digital Country single of all time – SoundScan) and 11X PLATINUM, No. 1 “Meant to Be” with Bebe Rexha (holding the longest reign on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart at 50 straight weeks). The global superstars tallied 19 career No. 1 singles, 16.1+ billion global streams, sold more than 32.9 million tracks and 4.7 million albums worldwide, logged 1.9 billion video views, and played to over 4 million fans spanning massive headline tours. FGL’s earned multiple CMA, ACM, and Billboard Music Awards while expanding their creative empire with thriving business initiatives like FGL House. Diversifying his enterprise, Kelley is also hands-on with projects like cult-favorite brand Tribe Kelley with wife Brittney and a partnership with Oyster City Brewing Company.
Meanwhile, Kelley is still blazing trails into new creative territory. With an official Mint Day announced yesterday (6/30), he and Brittney have launched their limited NFT collection, Chill Cowboy Country Club (CCCC), as the Ultimate Community for Country Music. Offering 6,000 memberships in the form of Chill Cowboy or Cowgirl non-fungible tokens (NFTs) available now, fans can learn more about CCCC at ChillCowboy.com. Read the Forbes feature here. In addition, his stage production of MAY WE ALL: A NEW COUNTRY MUSICAL just wrapped its world premiere engagement at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, TN. Serving as a producer under his production company CuzBro Productions, more details are promised soon regarding a tour and concept album.
On July 22, the former college baseball player will aptly headline the CMT Hot Prospects summer concert series at The Battery Atlanta. Playing a FREE pregame concert for fans of the 2021 World Series champions, Kelley will perform on the Georgia Power Pavilion stage in Atlanta, GA, ahead of an Atlanta Braves game. He’ll also reprise his appearance at the top of the game inside Truist Park. With more details to be announced soon, tickets can be found here.
