LEBANON, Tenn., June 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cracker Barrel
Old Country Store® today launches its new Care It
Forward initiative to amplify care and connection as the
country emerges from a year of social isolation. Rooted in the
company's history of caring for employees and guests like family,
the effort aims to both demonstrate and inspire acts of care.
Cracker Barrel will lead by example with both small and large
acts of care, ranging from in-store surprises for guests throughout
the summer to a special musical content series featuring pairings
of musical artists from diverse backgrounds, genres and viewpoints.
Cracker Barrel has paired GRAMMY Award-winning musicians and
songwriters Shane McAnally,
Jennifer Nettles and CeCe Winans with aspiring artists to help coach,
mentor and support them in the next steps of their careers after a
year where nearly two-thirds of artists and creative workers
surveyed by Americans for the Arts reported being fully unemployed
because of COVID-19. Cracker Barrel is encouraging fans to use
#CareItForward on social media to share their own acts of care and
keep the positive momentum going.
"As we emerge from a season unlike any we've ever experienced as
a country, it's important to come together and demonstrate
care – not only through conversations but also through actions,"
Cracker Barrel Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer
Jennifer Tate said. "Care is not a
new concept at Cracker Barrel; we like to think of care as our
secret ingredient and it has now become our rallying cry. At
Cracker Barrel, we believe inspiring care can start by simply
inviting a diverse range of people to participate, and
you will see that in action with the launch of our Care It
Forward initiative."
MUSICIANS MENTOR RISING STARS
The hardship of 2020 has
left many musicians questioning if they will be able to continue
chasing their dreams – with #CareItForward, Cracker Barrel is
facilitating transformative moments of genuine care for several
musicians, and ideally inspiring others.
Cracker Barrel is proud to partner with McAnally, Nettles and
Winans to share stories of how their careers benefitted from
someone making an effort to #CareItForward on their behalf, and to
give these artists and songwriters the opportunity to do the same
by mentoring up-and-coming musicians. As part of Cracker Barrel's
ongoing commitment to creating inclusive content, renowned director
and producer Whitney Clinkscales
directed the #CareItForward series, which features the following
pairings:
- Shane McAnally and Kylie Morgan
- Jennifer Nettles and Special
Guest
- CeCe Winans and Tauren Wells
These artists will come together for engaging conversations
touching on their struggles and triumphs in the music business,
which will be highlighted in a compelling content series available
at crackerbarrel.com/careitforward and via Cracker Barrel
social channels. The first episode in the series, featuring GRAMMY
Award-winning Winans and up-and-comer Wells, honors Black Music
Appreciation Month and will be available Thursday, June 24, on Facebook, Instagram TV and
YouTube. Winans and Wells cover Bill
Wither's "Lean on Me." Additional content in the series will
be released throughout the summer.
GUESTS RECEIVE SUNRISE SURPRISE NATIONWIDE
Cracker
Barrel led by example early this morning when the company surprised
hundreds of guests with free gift cards, totaling more than
$30,000 nationwide. Unsuspecting
guests were given two $25 gift cards;
one allowing Cracker Barrel to "take care of" their meal or store
purchase, and a second for the guest to #CareItForward by giving a
gift card to another guest, employee or someone in the community in
need of a little extra care. This is the first of several ways the
brand will exemplify care for its guests throughout the
campaign.
"Care is at the heart of everything we do to make the guest
experience unique at Cracker Barrel – from our warm hospitality to
our made-from-scratch cooking to our carefully curated retail
offerings," Tate continued. "No matter what the world is facing
outside, everyone can find care inside at Cracker Barrel. We hope
the small gesture of care demonstrated this morning inspires our
guests to care it forward and then share their positive
stories."
Cracker Barrel guests, employees and community members who show
care for one another are invited to share their stories and inspire
others by using #CareItForward on social media. To learn more
about how the Cracker Barrel family is showing care, visit
crackerbarrel.com/careitforward.
About Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.
Cracker
Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBRL) provides a caring and
friendly home-away-from-home experience while offering guests
quality homestyle food to enjoy in-store or to-go and unique
shopping – all at a fair price. Established in 1969 in
Lebanon, Tenn., Cracker Barrel and
its affiliates operate more than 660 company-owned Cracker Barrel
Old Country Store® locations in 45 states and own the breakfast and
lunch focused fast-casual Maple Street Biscuit Company®
restaurants. For more information about the company, visit
crackerbarrel.com.
About Shane McAnally
Shane McAnally is well
established as one of the top songwriters in Nashville with over 40 No. 1 songs and three
GRAMMY awards under his belt, but he sure isn't one to rest on his
laurels. After founding a music publishing company, relaunching an
iconic record label, and creating an acclaimed stage musical, now
McAnally has expanded his reach to television as a coach on NBC's
Songland, a role that he describes as "my wildest dream job
that I never knew I wanted."
Throughout his career, McAnally has won dozens of awards and
accolades including three GRAMMY Awards (out of 11 nominations),
three ACM awards (21 nominations), and a CMA award (12
nominations). McAnally is also the CEO of the publishing,
management, and artist development company SMACKSongs, which he
founded in 2012.
About Kylie
Morgan
Kylie
Morgan began writing songs at the age of 12 and
gained national attention from music producers and television
executives after releasing her music independently. This early
success led Morgan to begin making regular trips to Nashville, crafting her voice and polishing
her songwriting. When she turned 19, she made the decision to call
Music City home. An avid yoga enthusiast, Kylie has earned her
official Yoga Alliance Certification and participates in yoga
daily. While stuck at home and unable to tour, Kylie created the
#namasteathome series where fans can participate in short
yoga flows/light workouts. Morgan was previously selected as one of
three artists for the CMA KixStart program and was named as one of
VEVO's 2021 DSCVR Artists to Watch. The only country artist to
make the list, the program highlights 19 of the world's top
emerging artists poised to break out over the next year. Morgan
co-wrote six of the songs on her recently released debut EP
Love, Kylie, which was produced by Shane McAnally and Ben
Johnson.
About Jennifer Nettles
Jennifer Nettles is a
superstar entertainer on multiple platforms who will
soon expand her musical versatility with a
much-anticipated genre defying new album of American Songbook
classics, titled "Always Like New," out June 25. She
most recently appeared as a judge on TBS' mega-hit competition
series, "Go-Big Show." Nettles
portrayed "Aimee-Leigh Gemstone" on HBO's hit series "The Righteous
Gemstones" and delivered a powerful and provocative performance in
Focus Features' Harriet Tubman
biopic. In 2019, Jennifer released an EP titled "I Can Do Hard
Things." Previously, she released two solo albums titled "Playing
with Fire" and "To Celebrate Christmas," as well as a Sugarland
album named "Bigger." Sugarland's song "Stay" was a platinum No. 1
hit which earned two GRAMMY® Awards for "Best Country Song" and
"Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group," and Jennifer earned
another GRAMMY for her collaboration with Bon Jovi on "Who Says You
Can't Go Home." Her other
achievements in music include five ASCAP awards, three ACM Awards,
a CMA Award, the Human Rights Campaign's Ally for Equality Award
and the Artist Impact Award from Lincoln Center. Jennifer made her
Broadway debut in 2015 as "Roxy
Hart" in the Tony® Award-winning, record-breaking musical
Chicago and starred as "Donna" in
the Hollywood Bowl's summer production of Mamma Mia!. She is also
currently developing a musical about 17th Century Crusading
Poisoner Giulia Tofana.
About Tauren
Wells
Tauren
Wells is an eight-time GRAMMY® nominated artist,
six-time GMA Dove award-winner, platinum-selling,
singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, entrepreneur, as well as
a public speaker. With 2M monthly
listeners on Spotify, 780 million total solo career global streams
with over 2.4 billion audience impressions in the US, Tauren has
established himself as one of the most talented and exciting young
artists in the music industry today. Known for tracks like the
Platinum-selling hit "Hills and Valleys," as well as the
Gold-certified "Known," the six-time No. 1 hitmaker released his
second full-length album Citizen of Heaven in
January 2020. He has collaborated
with GRAMMY & Oscar winner H.E.R., country artists Jimmie Allen and Gary LeVox, Gospel music's
Kirk Franklin and pop
singer/songwriter Emily
Weisband.
About CeCe Winans
The
best-selling and most-awarded female gospel artist of all time,
CeCe Winans has long since cemented
her status as one of the most accomplished and celebrated women in
modern music history. She has released a myriad of solo and
collaborative albums that crossed genres and influenced generations
of gospel and secular vocalists. Her mantel today holds a
staggering 12 Grammy Awards, 23 Dove Awards and 15 Stellar
Awards. Staggering accolades include being inducted into the
Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and receiving stars on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame and Nashville Music City Walk of Fame. In
addition to being named a Trailblazer of Soul by BMI and garnering
multiple NAACP Image Awards, Soul Train Awards and ESSENCE Awards,
this music pioneer continues to break through barriers. She has
sold 17 million records world-wide, topping the gospel charts
repeatedly while managing to cross over with smashes like "Count On
Me," her stunning duet with Whitney
Houston, which sold two million copies and cracked the Top
10 on the Pop, R&B, and Adult Contemporary charts. She touched
millions more with inspirational performances everywhere from
singing before the Pope to The White House. With her newest
album "Believe For It," Winans is adding her first ever live album
to her meteoric and expansive catalogue.
Cracker Barrel Media Relations:
615-235-4135
media.relations@crackerbarel.com
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SOURCE Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc.