Hattiesburg native and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame member, Craig Wiseman, returned to his beloved hometown for the dedication of Wiseman Bandshell and the unveiling of a Mississippi Country Music Trail marker honoring Wiseman’s contributions to country music at Midtown Green Park on Thursday. To celebrate the occasion, Hattiesburg’s Mayor Toby Barker signed a proclamation designating March 27 as Craig Wiseman Day in the Hub City and presented Wiseman with a key to the city.
“From a drummer scratching out gigs in this town to the highest points of songwriting, future generations can see what you have accomplished and know that a boy or girl at Thames Elementary, Hattiesburg High or any of our other schools can dream big and make those dreams happen,” said Mayor Barker. “We thank you on behalf of them for that legacy.”
After performances by Thames Elementary School Children’s Choir of “The Ballad of Hattiesburg” written by Wiseman at the age of 19, USM’s JAZZTET led by Professor Larry Panella and a speech by Professor Emeritus of USM Dr. Jay Dean, Wiseman performed a selection of chart-topping country songs he’d written which were inspired by Hattiesburg such as “Summertime”, “Young”, “Live Like You Were Dying” and “Believe”.
The bandshell itself, generously built and then given to the city by Wiseman, marks the completion of construction at Midtown Green, which opened to the public in February. Special recognition and thanks were given to Rion Snowden of VERB Architecture, Tom Eaves of Landarc Consulting, Scott Humphrey of BW Sullivan Contractors, Michael Dixon of Pinebelt Community Foundation, Robert St. John, Kym Garraway and the Midtown Merchants Association.
Following the dedication of Wiseman Bandshell, a Mississippi Country Music Trail marker was unveiled celebrating the contributions, success and philanthropy of the songwriter.
At the age of 24 years-old, Wiseman made quite the entrance onto the country music scene with his first chart success, “The Only One” performed by Roy Orbison in 1989. He went on to write 30 number 1 hit songs, 150 singles and over 400 cuts for artists such as Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney and Blake Shelton.
His publishing company, Big Loud Shirt, was founded in 2003 with the goal of developing new talent and elevating bold, new talent. Within its first year, the company released its first single, “Live Like You Were Dying” performed by Tim McGraw, which went on to top the charts for ten weeks, was named Song of the Year by Nashville Songwriters Association, Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music and won a Grammy for Best Country Song. The success of Big Loud Shirt led Wiseman to found two partner divisions, Big Loud Mountain and Big Loud Records, solidly securing what is now known as a powerhouse conglomerate, Big Loud.
No stranger to philanthropy, Wiseman hosted Stars for Second Harvest, a concert event held each year at the Ryman Auditorium with proceeds benefitting Second Harvest of Middle Tennessee, a charity committed to fighting hunger. Over his tenure of 18 years from 2005 to 2023, he raised over $2 million for the organization before passing the torch.
“I cannot thank y’all enough,” said Wiseman. “My heart is full of gratitude and love.” Thanks to his generosity, the Hub City has a new venue space for musical performances, festivals and much more on the horizon.
