LISLE, Ill. – Eckrich announced the winner of the "Music City Sing-Off" qualifying event held during the Milwaukee Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisc. Tyler Wied was crowned the winner and will move to the final round for the opportunity to win a $50,000 brand ambassador contract with Eckrich and the chance to record a single with Grammy-nominated producer, Dave Brainard.
Tyler Wied was the last person standing after competing against three other qualifiers. Wied, from Milwaukee, Wisc., wowed the judges during his performance. Wied received a trophy and $1,000 in free groceries at Pick 'n Save. Wied joins Ben Rue and Karla Davis as finalists.
Eckrich, the makers of naturally hardwood smoked sausage and savory deli meats, has been an integral part of the country music landscape for several years. The brand is a partner of two of today's most popular country music artists, Randy Houser and Easton Corbin. In addition, they support several up-and-coming country music artists across the country.
Tyler Wied, Center, is Presented with $1,000 in Free Groceries at Pick 'n Save for Winning Saturday's "Music City Sing-Off" Regional Contest in Milwaukee, Wisc.
"We want to congratulate Wied for winning this round of our 'Music City Sing-Off' competition in Milwaukee," said Chuck Gitkin, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Smithfield Foods. "This competition has seen a lot of great talent who are rising stars in country music. Today's competition was just another example and we are looking forward to seeing him perform again at the finale in October."
Wied was honored to be the winner of the Milwaukee regional competition.
"This was such an amazing experience," said Wied. "I am excited for the next round of competition and I'd like to thank Eckrich for giving me this opportunity."
There is only one more qualifying event before the finale. Singers will compete at the Oregon Jamboree on July 31 in Sweet Home, Ore. The finalists will compete in Nashville, Tenn. on October 12 where the champion will be crowned after the final round at Tootsie's World Famous Orchid Lounge Birthday Bash.
For more information about the Eckrich "Music City Sing-Off," please visit www.eckrichsingoff.com.
About Eckrich
Founded by Peter Eckrich in 1894, Eckrich has a rich heritage starting from a small meat market in Fort Wayne, Ind. Through it all, Eckrich meats have been recognized for their great taste and supreme quality, craftsmanship, care and pride. For more information, visit www.eckrich.com.
About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $14 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Nathan's Famous®, Farmland®, Armour®, John Morrell®, Cook's®, Kretschmar®, Gwaltney®, Curly's®, Margherita®, Carando® and Healthy Ones®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com.
About Dave Brainard
Dave Brainard's deciBel Nashville is a laboratory of creativity and invention for adventurous and passionate musicians, and Dave is the mad scientist of sound. Dave is a self-taught producer who started in the demo business, working with Chris Tompkins, Dierks Bentley, and a famous Country music underdog – Jamey Johnson, producing They Call Me Country, the album that kick-started Johnson's career. "Creative effort is such a personal pursuit," Dave explains. "I am more driven by artistic curiosity than I am by someone's sales potential. I'm inspired by the thrill of creation and how the story unfolds." Those stories have unfolded great success for Dave, including producing albums for Ray Scott, Jerrod Neiman (including the #1 hit "Lover Lover" and the top five "What Do You Want") and earning him a Grammy nomination for Brandy Clark's acclaimed and Grammy-winning album, 12 Stories. "12 Stories is one of those rare albums whose every song is worth hearing," said NPR's Ken Tucker. "Every one is that striking, that textured and finely detailed… smoothly crafted, emotionally rough compositions."
Also an accomplished songwriter, Dave's songs have been recorded by Brooks & Dunn, Neal McCoy, Sammy Kershaw and Ricochet. He co-wrote his most recent hit with Jason Mraz, "Everyone's Got Someone But Me," which Hunter Hayes ran up the charts.
Source: Smithfield Foods
