Ben Chapman regularly hosts Peach Jam, an Allman Brothers-themed jam night at The Basement in Nashville’s Edgehill community and recruit friends to join. It’s usually an evening filled with special guests and it’s always a sellout.
The timing and the company worked out for Chapman and his girlfriend Meg McRee to host one during this year’s AmericanaFest on Wednesday (Sept. 20). Tickets went on-sale this summer before it was known that the showcase was part of AmericanaFest, and sold out quickly. As more names joined the bill, the capacity evolved to accommodate.
There were around 500 onlookers gathered for the event, which was moved outdoors to accommodate a special bill.
Peach Jam is typically held inside the venue, which caps at about 200. McRee opened with six solo tracks, leaning heavily on her 2023 album “Is It Just Me?” including the crowd favorites “Tried and True” and “Mary Jane and Chardonnay.”
The duo remained for the 90-minute jam set, backing guest vocalists including Lainey Wilson, Sam Morrow, Gabe Lee, JD Clayton and Brent Cobb.
Peach Jam Took Place During AmercianaFest In Nashvillle
Chapman’s assembled band ripped through a handful of Allman Brothers covers like “Mountain Jam.” Each artist that joined did songs of their own, including fellow Georgia native Cobb who added his “We Shall Rise.”
Morrow and Chapman joined each other for a bluesy version of “Dixie Chicken.” Chapman received likely the afternoon’s second-biggest reaction when he added his own “Georgia Dreamin,’” the namesake of a craft beer that local brewery, Southern Grist, had on hand to commemorate the occasion. He also performed his own “Night Train to Nashville.”
Hosted By Ben Chapman
Lee performed one of his recent tracks, “Buffalo Road” on keys, while JD Clayton added his “Beauty Queen.”
“You can make it as far as you want in this town if you’re nice to people,” Clayton said when he was welcomed to the stage by Chapman. “And if that’s the truth, [Chapman] is gonna make it farther than just about anybody I know.”
For the second consecutive year, Lainey Wilson crossed the Nashville barrier from mainstream country into Americana at AmericanaFest. But this time, she did it as the reigning ACM Female Vocalist of the Year and with nine nominations — including for Entertainer of the Year — at November’s CMA Awards.
Alongside Hayes Carll and 2023 Americana Awards nominee for Emerging Artist of the Year William Prince, she performed selections that soundtracked Yellowstone. Wilson took Chapman and McRee on the road with her recently, and they asked if she’d be willing to join their 90-minute AmericanaFest set. She obliged, by offering a straightforward cover of the Bob Seger classic “Old Time Rock & Roll.”
For more information on Peach Jam, follow Ben Chapman on social media HERE.
