Meet Drew and Ellie Holcomb, the University of Tennessee Homecoming Parade grand marshals
Homecoming week is here at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and the annual parade should be one of the biggest in history.
Leading the parade are UT alumni Drew Holcomb, of the Americana group Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, and his wife, Ellie, a singer-songwriter and author. The couple, who met as students at UT, released their album "Coming Home: A Collection of Songs" earlier this year.
Originally from Memphis, Drew and his band have performed with other Americana/folk acts like The Avett Brothers, Brandi Carlile and the Zac Brown Band. The Neighbors has released 13 albums and garnered more than 1.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Its recent albums, "Dragons" and "Souvenirs," peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard U.S. Americana/Folk charts.
The most-listened-to song on the Neighbors' Spotify page is "What Would I Do Without You" from its 2013 album "Good Night" with more than 32 million plays.
Nashville native Ellie, who started with the Neighbors but ultimately pursued a solo contemporary Christian music career, has had four albums hit the top 10 Christian albums charts. With more than 1 million monthly Spotify listeners, her song "Sweet Ever After" featuring NEEDTOBREATHE founding artist Bear Rinehart, has more than 8 million plays. She's the daughter of music producer Brown Bannister.
Despite dropping out of the Neighbors, Ellie continued to collaborate with her husband. In 2019 they toured as a duo, and in 2020 they released a series of covers recorded in their kitchen as concerts were canceled and people self-isolated during the early days of the pandemic. They also took their family on a road trip across the state to promote COVID-safe travel.
Drew hasn't just stuck to writing and performing music. He founded the Moon River Festival hosted in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He's also launched a vinyl subscription service, Magnolia Record Club.
Becca Wright: Higher education reporter at Knox News
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Drew and Ellie Holcomb to lead University of Tennessee homecoming parade
