[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5039-5040]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         RECOGNIZING SUNDY BEST

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize an 
exceptionally talented country music duo from my home State of 
Kentucky. Kris Bentley and Nick Jamerson have vaulted their band, Sundy 
Best, from the small bars and music halls of eastern Kentucky into the 
national spotlight. The story of their rise is remarkable, and one that 
is far from its conclusion.
  Nick and Kris first met in elementary school in Prestonsburg, KY, 
where they both grew up in music-loving families. The two started a 
band together in high school but parted ways when Nick went to play 
football at Pikeville College and Kris enrolled in Centre College, 
where he played basketball. Nick's passion for music never subsided, 
though, and after college he contacted Kris to inquire about purchasing 
a drum set. As it happened, Kris's passion for music remained as well--
he didn't have a set to sell, but he would gladly come play with his 
old buddy Nick. The two friends picked up right where they left off, 
and the very next night they were playing their first gig together.
  The band's big break came in November of 2010. Nick had just moved to 
Lexington with Kris, and the two landed a gig at Redmon's, a classic 
Lexington live music establishment. Previously the two had played just 
as ``Nick and Kris,'' but for a venue like Redmon's they needed a name 
that they could promote. The two settled on one that reflected their 
musical roots in Sunday church services. As Kris tells it, ``It was 
originally going to be Sunday's Best but then we said, `No, Sundy 
Best.''' The duo dropped the ``a'' from Sunday because, ``That's the 
way we talk.''
  The show at Redmon's was an enormous success, so much so that they 
began to play a regular gig there. This consistent venue for their 
music was instrumental in establishing the band's fan base and name 
recognition. Kris acknowledges that this was when ``people started 
taking us seriously . . . because that's a premier music venue.''
  Things have been looking up for Sundy Best ever since. In 2013 they 
re-released their first album, Door Without a Screen, and watched it 
climb into the iTunes Top 10. The video for the hit song from the 
album, ``Home (I Wanna Go),'' helped drive the album's success and is a 
fixture on Country Music Television.
  As a fellow Kentuckian, I am proud of the success seen by Sundy Best. 
Nick and Kris are not only talented

[[Page 5040]]

musicians, but they are also outstanding ambassadors for the 
Commonwealth of Kentucky. Although their music is spreading further 
across the country each day, their roots remain grounded in eastern 
Kentucky.
  I ask that my Senate colleagues join me in recognizing the success of 
Sundy Best and wishing them well with the recent release of their new 
album, Bring Up the Sun.
  Kentucky Monthly recently published an article chronicling the rise 
of Sundy Best. I ask unanimous consent that the full article be printed 
in the Record.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record as follows:

                 [From Kentucky Monthly, Feb. 25, 2014]

                            The Best Men Win

                          (By Tricia Despres)

       When kids grow up with something to prove, they can become 
     stubborn and a bit hardheaded. But when those kids grow up to 
     be adults who want to make a living as musicians . . . well, 
     they just might become superstars.
       So goes the story of Sundy Best.
       Blending an eclectic mix of acoustic guitar with the beat 
     of the cajon drum and the compelling vocals of Nick Jamerson 
     and Kris Bentley, Sundy Best looks as if they are about to 
     embark on a career many others are often left to dream about. 
     Just last year, the Kentucky-based duo released a deluxe 
     version of their album Door Without a Screen and watched as 
     it landed in the Top 10 on iTunes. The video for their single 
     ``Home (I Wanna Go)'' reached the top of CMT Pure's fan-voted 
     poll for multiple weeks. A brand-new album in 2014 is sure to 
     help the duo prove to the rest of the world that, sometimes, 
     the underdogs win.
       ``Growing up, I always seemed to have a chip on my 
     shoulder,'' says Jamerson. ``As a kid who loved playing 
     sports, I was smaller than anyone else, so I always had 
     something to prove in everything that I did. It was the 
     attitude I would ultimately have with everything in my life. 
     I was just always super competitive.''
       It was an attitude Jamerson seemed to inherit from his 
     close-knit family. ``Three of my grandparents had a college 
     degree, which, coming from a small mining town in Kentucky, 
     was not at all common,'' he recalls. ``I mean, my grandmother 
     could build anything. Being around those kinds of people all 
     my life and seeing how driven and successful they were . . . 
     it definitely made an impression on me.''
       As a 5-foot-10 kid basketball player from Prestonsburg, 
     Bentley also was up against his share of obstacles, none of 
     which he hadn't learned to conquer during his childhood years 
     growing up within the sacred walls of the church, hence the 
     name Sundy Best. ``I would play drums every Sunday with my 
     dad and brother,'' recalls Bentley, describing himself as a 
     good kid who ``put Mom through the wringer . . . church 
     really was the only outlet to get out there and do music, 
     especially in eastern Kentucky.''
       Besides sports and a childhood spent within the church, the 
     two also shared a musical foundation formed within their 
     homes, often spending countless hours listening to a diverse 
     mix of rock, pop, and bluegrass. ``Everyone would get 
     together at my grandparents' house and play the old bluegrass 
     standards,'' recalls Jamerson. ``The doctor up the road would 
     come over and play the fiddle, Grandpa played the banjo, 
     Grandma played guitar, and my great-aunt played the 
     mandolin.''
       First meeting in elementary school, Jamerson and Bentley 
     would go on to form a firm foundation of friendship through 
     their teenage years, which continues to benefit them to this 
     day. ``When you know someone as long as we have, you know 
     each other's dynamics,'' says Jamerson. ``He is like a 
     brother to me. It's gratifying to do this whole music thing 
     alongside someone you have known for so long.''
       After high school, the pair's goal to play sports often 
     competed with the draw they shared to ultimately pursue a 
     music career. ``Music was the one passion that I always had, 
     but looking back, I am glad my parents talked me into getting 
     a college degree,'' says Jamerson, who was on the Pikeville 
     College football team. ``The people I met and the experiences 
     I had in college made me the person I am now. That's where 
     songs come from. You need perspective and life lessons as a 
     writer.''
       The end of college (Bentley attended and played basketball 
     for Centre) brought the beginning of the duo's quick, yet 
     organic, ascent to musical success. After their joint move to 
     Lexington and a brief stint working at the local cable 
     company, the two began performing at patio parties, 
     restaurants and clubs, often playing four-hour sets each 
     night. A regular gig at Lexington's Redmon's helped the two 
     establish a growing fan base eager to find out more about the 
     band.
       ``Thank goodness for social media,'' says Bentley, who cut 
     his musical teeth trying to emulate the songs of artists such 
     as Bob Seger and Tom Petty. ``Good ol' Facebook was the only 
     way to connect to our fans and tell them where we were going 
     to be every night. We would always have 20 or 30 people from 
     eastern Kentucky who knew us from when we played sports drive 
     up on a weeknight to see us perform. Seeing that kind of 
     support when we were just out there playing cover songs was a 
     huge boost to our confidence.''
       Then, Sundy Best recorded the song that would change their 
     career: ``Home (I Wanna Go).'' ``That song took off right 
     around the same time when the winter had set in and the patio 
     gigs had shut down,'' recalls Bentley. ``Once people heard 
     that song, the whole thing just grew. People knew we were 
     serious about doing music.''
       In 2012, the duo recorded some of their songs that they 
     self-produced with friend and filmmaker Coleman Saunders, and 
     independently released Door Without a Screen.
       Last year, they were asked to play the jewel of all venues: 
     the Grand Ole Opry. ``As a musician and performer, I don't 
     think I will ever be the same,'' says Jamerson. ``I cried 
     when I found out we were playing there. It was like being at 
     church and feeling something on your heart and you don't know 
     what it is. We had been touring all year, so sharing it with 
     our families was an unbelievable feeling. I mean, what else 
     could top that? I was watching Netflix the other night and 
     they were doing a two-day concert special on Neil Young and 
     were showing this concert he did at the Ryman Auditorium, and 
     I mean, he was walking through the same doors we did when we 
     were playing there for the Grand Ole Opry. Every time we get 
     the chance to play there, it ends up being quite the 
     spiritual experience.''
       The year 2014 brings Sundy Best fans the much-anticipated 
     new album Bring Up the Sun, a collection of songs that just 
     might take their longtime fans a bit by surprise. ``Our first 
     album was quite Kentucky-centric,'' says Jamerson, who spends 
     any spare time he has at home in Lexington with his two dogs 
     and cat. ``The music just feels good in our bones. It's a 
     really broad album, which everyone we work with has a hard 
     time explaining. But everyone will find something different 
     in it. It's good music, but it's coming from a bit of a 
     different angle now, so I suppose people are going to be 
     surprised. Some people want every record to sound the same, 
     but once your fans think they know you, you are done. You 
     won't grow as musicians if they think they have you figured 
     out.''
       ``We definitely have a vision of where we want to be,'' 
     says Bentley, who with Jamerson played more than 190 dates 
     out on the road in 2013. ``I would never have expected to be 
     where we are today just one year ago. I think 2014 is going 
     to be another growth year for us. A lot of people still don't 
     know who we are, so we want to definitely continue to play 
     new markets. We are excited to see what happens with this new 
     record and then determine what happens next.''
       No matter where their musical journey might still yet lead 
     them, one thing is for sure: These two will continue to give 
     credit where credit is due.
       ``You hear people all the time talking about how they are 
     Texas proud or Georgia proud or even Tennessee proud,'' says 
     Bentley. ``When you are from eastern Kentucky, you are 
     automatically proud. You can be anywhere in the world, and if 
     you meet someone from eastern Kentucky, you are immediately 
     friends. Plus, they are the craziest fans ever. We love 
     Nashville and all, but we would just rather stay right here 
     in Kentucky. The people here have been the biggest driving 
     factor in our career, and we can never be too thankful.''
       ``Before I moved to Lexington, my whole life had been spent 
     living in eastern Kentucky. I had never had a chance to miss 
     living in the country. And as we have begun touring more, I 
     now know it was something I myself took for granted,'' says 
     Jamerson. ``We love Kentucky and will always want to carry 
     that flag . . . but we can't wait to spread the word to 
     everyone else, too.''

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