A Benevolent Man

Interestingly, the post you are now reading has been in the planning stages since the beginning of the year. Sometimes it takes a while to make certain items available for publication. One of the first things that begins the process is searching for a word or two that describes the artist or their particular news item. Today, I was able to combine all of my descriptive words into one – benevolent. It is an adjective that describes a person as well-meaning and kind. Other words related include humanitarian, and philanthropic. Certainly, benevolence has described the efforts and kind gestures of many musicians past and present. This time we use it to describe the community building efforts of country music star Lucas Hoge. Why did I choose the word benevolent to describe Hoge? We will discuss that after a brief introduction.

Hoge’s journey began in Hubbell, Nebraska, a small town of only 44 people. Like many entertainers, he first honed his musical skills in church. “My family was pretty much the whole choir at our church,” Hoge remembers with a smile. “My mom and dad had a worship band. Our preacher saw me playing a little drum set at church and literally took me down to the band room at school and said, ‘This kid really has something. You might want to help him along,’ so I started playing drums and played drums all through high school.”

At the age of 17, he started to play the guitar. Hoge attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebraska. Hoge earned a degree in architecture and business then returned home to start his own construction company, but the music bug wouldn’t leave him alone. Always an over achiever with an abundance of energy and an impressive work ethic, Hoge ran his construction company and fronted three bands at the same time. The devoted Christian launched a worship band called Extreme Devotion that became a favorite at local college campuses and churches. He was also the leader of a Southern rock band called Southern Cross.

“I also started a straight up country band called Borderline with some friends,” Hoge says, “so I had three bands going because I just had to be playing wherever I could play.” Local residents of the small town raised $2,500 to help launch his career. Hoge moved to an apartment in Nashville and started work, performing in small clubs in the evenings. Hoge continued, “When I decided to go to Nashville, I didn’t want to have that ‘What if?’ factor in the back of my head my whole life. So I just loaded up my truck and I left.”

Because of the benevolent act of his fellow Nebraska residents, Hoge got a much-needed head start on his music career. Once he moved to Nashville, Hoge’s willingness to work hard combined with his songwriting prowess proved to be a winning combination. Warner Bros. featured his song “If I Only Could” on the hit TV show “Smallville.” Soon after, he began racking up many TV, film and commercial credits. He scored a 13-episode series for HBO, wrote a jingle for Lipton Tea and appeared with Faith Hill in the TV campaign for Sunday Night Football. He wrote the title song and starred in the Animal Planet TV show “Last Chance Highway,” a reality show focused on rescuing dogs and transporting them to their forever homes. He also penned the theme song “Give a Damn” for the GAC TV show “Tom’s Wild Life.” Most recently, Hoge wrote the theme song for Hero Brand and is appearing in their commercial ad campaign airing nationwide now.

Hoge’s benevolent nature was on full display even while he started to find his career path. He gained recognition in the Christian Country genre when he answered a woman’s dying wish, Natalie Fognani, and wrote the song “How Was I To Know”, inspired by her poem. Around the same time, Hoge played several concerts in Colorado, where Natalie lives, including opening for Martina McBride.

In April 2017, he released the title track “Dirty South” of as the lead single from the album. The album Dirty South was released on July 28, 2017, and debuted at No. 12 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums with 7,000 copies sold. It is Hoge’s first appearance on a Billboard chart. The following week it reached No. 5 on the chart and was the best-selling country album of the week with 9,900 copies sold.

Hard work paid dividends, and Lucas Hoge now had the career he sought years ago. Like many other country music artists, Lucas Hoge works to create that special connection with his audience. “I love performing live and I like telling stories,” he says. “I want people to feel like they are sitting in my living room watching us play and that they are a part of the show. I want the audience to feel like I’m talking straight to them.”

Hoge’s drive to connect with people permeates everything he does. He’s a tireless humanitarian who loves animals and supports the military. He combines both as the official spokesperson for Guardian Angels for a Soldiers Pet, a group that fosters animals for soldiers deployed overseas. Yes, Lucas Hoge is a benevolent man. He is a benevolent artist.

Earlier this year Hoge partnered with Special Olympics Tennessee as their celebrity plunger for their 19th annual Polar Plunge. The Music City Polar Plunge is one of Special Olympics Tennessee’s key fundraisers, and directly funds the programs sponsored by Special Olympics and the athletes who compete in local, state and international competitions. “The Polar Plunge is an opportunity for Tennesseans to take part in something exhilarating and out of the ordinary while contributing to a great cause,” said Adam Germek, President of Special Olympics Tennessee.

He also pays homage to one of his major influences on “Power of Garth.” The song is a potent testament to the impact of great music and is as much a celebration of Hoge’s personal philosophy as it is an homage to Mr. Brooks. “I was eight or nine-years-old when Garth came out with the No Fences album,” Hoge recalls. “From then on, when other people were going to pasture parties, I’d be sitting in my room playing guitar. I just loved Garth’s music and the stories he would tell. This is a song so many people are going to relate to because what Garth did transcended music. He paved the way for so many people today.”

Hopefully Lucas Hoge will pave the way for younger artists to come. It would be good if they not only followed his musicianship, but also his benevolent nature as well.

photo by Jen Wood