Kentucky Folk Artist Partners with Local Musicians to Produce ‘Big E’ Tribute Song.



[Rumsey, KY]- Kentucky Folk Artist and Kentucky Art’s Council Performing Arts Directory member Heath Eric has partnered with several local artists and musicians to produce a song that pays tribute to the history and impact of the Executive Inn Rivermont in Owensboro, Kentucky. It also highlights the sad reality of the hotel’s untimely and unfortunate demise.



The original song, “Big Pile of Bricks,” written and composed by the songwriting team of Americana Songwriter Rick Miller and Heath Eric, features the talent of several area musicians including: Heath Eric, Jeff “Wildman” Hardesty, Molly G. Troutman, Bill Blakeley, and Randy Lanham. Every artist on the project donated his or her time, talent, and resources.



“Big Pile of Bricks” will debut Thursday, November 5th, at 8:30am on the Joe Lowe Morning Show on 1490 WOMI AM – Owensboro, Kentucky. The song is also available for FREE streaming / listening at: www.heatheric.com/music.html . Copies will be available for purchase soon.



“Big Pile of Bricks” was recorded and produced at Rumsey Records, LLC (ASCAP) located in Rumsey, Kentucky. It is being released and published through Kentucky Roots Music, LLC (ASCAP), a publishing company partnership focused on promoting Kentucky music and heritage, formed by Rick Miller, Randy Lanham, and Heath Eric.



Although the song was conceived and recorded with the Executive Inn Rivermont in mind, it speaks to a much greater issue facing our nation, and indeed the world, on a daily basis.



Co-writer and lyricist Rick Miller stated, “When I wrote the words for "Pile of Bricks" the Executive Inn was open for business and the thought of destroying in it was inconceivable. I simply wanted to express the sadness felt by a community when a historic building is demolished. It’s a familiar story from town to town; some short sighted bean counter crunches the numbers and decides a particular piece of property is worth more without the building and down it goes.”



There is however, a certain "if these walls could talk" value that all too often is not considered. Unfortunately that is the case with the Executive Inn.”



Miller further stated, “When the decision was made to restore the Bill Monroe home place, it was a decision based on more than dollars and cents. It reflected a community’s pride in it heritage and the unwillingness to sacrifice it for any price. On the other hand, the irreplaceable aura of the Executive Inn was deemed of no value. The demise of "The Big E" provided the incentive to release the song in hopes that we can avoid similar cases of ill considered destruction in the future.”



Heath Eric also shared his thoughts on the hotel, “Some of my fondest memories are of going to the Big E with my Granddad to eat, swim, listen to music, and run around the walkways! It is near impossible to properly express the impact the Big E had on our community, our economy, and our lives. I felt compelled to be a part of this project and feel very blessed to be able to give back just a tiny portion of everything the hotel has given to so many of us through the years. It’s tough to even imagine all of the lives that were touched and made better through Bob Green’s dream, the Showplace on the Ohio. It’s so surreal for me…I hate to see it go. I hope folks remember and I hope we learn…”