The idea for Jake Hoot’s brand new song “Tennessee Strong” came to him when he was flying to Nicaragua, but staying in touch with his friends and family on the ground back home in Tennessee.
And it was right after the devastating tornado tore through Nashville and Hoot’s current hometown of Cookeville, Tennessee on March 3.
“I just remember seeing all these post about #CookevilleStrong, #NashvilleStrong, #LebanonStrong, and thought, “Why aren’t we united in this?’ I also remember being so devastated at the pictures and posts from so many that had lost so much, but was blown away at the response of so many others who came together to take care of one another,” Hoot told CMT.com. “The hours and hours people stood in line to give blood, the thousands and thousands of volunteers who showed up to help clean through the rubble, and the first responders who worked for days and days to try and help every single person that they could. I was just speechless.”
Hoot explained that when inspiration struck, he wrote a good portion of the new song while he was still in the air. “Then when I got back, Jimmy Fortune, Charles Pevahouse and I wrote the melody and finished the lyrics,” he said.
The video for “Tennessee Strong” was shot in Cookeville — about 80 miles east of Nashville — which was one of the communities that was hit the hardest and suffered the most. Alejandro Medina from Third Lion Productions directed the video.
“I hope that people who see the video not only feel led to donate to these families, and see that there are still so many that are being affected, but also to be proud of the state and country that they live in,” he said, “where there are still so many amazing people.
“And most importantly is to remember and never forget that God is in control.”
All of the proceeds from the downloads and streams of the song will go towards the official Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund.
