MURFREESBORO, Tenn.  — Veteran singer-songwriter and alumnus Brice Long will take the main stage of Middle Tennessee State University’s Party in the Grove on Saturday, Sept. 21, subbing for The Cadillac Three, which late Tuesday canceled its campus appearance due to illness.

Long, a 1995 recording industry graduate in MTSU’s College of Media and Entertainment, has been in the music business for more than 25 years. As a songwriter, he has over 140 of his songs cut with multiple artists such as Garth Brooks, George Strait, Chris Stapleton, Hank Williams Jr., Reba McEntire and former MTSU student Chris Young.

Party in the Grove, the official pre-game tailgate of Blue Raider Football, will begin at noon in Walnut Grove, the traditional campus gathering point in an open field between Peck Hall and the Cope Administration Building. It is among many activities planned for the grove and around campus Saturday as part of homecoming, which culminates with MTSU playing Duke University at 3 p.m. in Floyd Stadium.

Other homecoming activities include:

• Mixer on Middle Parade Watching Party, set for 9:30 a.m. at the Alumni House grounds, 2259 Middle Tennessee Blvd. The party will include music, souvenir photos of groups and inflatables for the kids. Phillips Bookstore will be selling MTSU gear. Middle Tennessee Electric will be serving up gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches from their Electric Griddle. No reservations needed. Parking available in the back lot of the Sam Ingram Building.
• Homecoming Parade, 10 to 11:30 a.m. The parade will begin on East Main Street at Maney Avenue. It will continue on East Main Street, turning left on Middle Tennessee Boulevard and ending before Greenland Drive. 

Long’s writing credits include the No. 1 singles “Heartache on the Dance Floor,” by Jon Pardi, and “Nothing On But the Radio” by Gary Allan. A native of Hopkinsville, Kentucky, he earned a share of a Country Music Association Song of the Year nomination for Randy Houser’s “Like a Cowboy.”

President Sidney A. McPhee said the university appreciated Long’s willingness to fill the void left by The Cadillac Three’s departure. “We’re looking forward to welcoming Brice back to campus,” he said, “and we’re pleased that we can continue to brag that all six of our Party in the Grove acts are featuring MTSU alumni.”

Recording Industry associate professor Odie Blackmon, coordinator of the recording industry department’s songwriting concentration, and Media and Entertainment Dean Beverly Keel reached out to Long after learning The Cadillac Three would not be able to play on Saturday. Blackmon and Long attended MTSU together as undergraduates.

“Brice and I met in a mass comm class, sitting behind him in a class in the Learning Resource Center, and we became fast friends,” said Blackmon, who co-wrote “Nothing On But the Radio” with Long and Byron Hill. “We have a long history, and it all started at MTSU.”

The tailgate winds down at 2:15 p.m. with a “Follow Me to Floyd” parade, led by Student Government Association President Michai Mosby and Blue Zoo President Bretlyn Warner, who will also be the emcees. The tailgates are being produced by Division of Student Affairs, the College of Media and Entertainment and Blue Raider Athletics.

— Andrew Oppmann (andrew.oppmann@mtsu.edu)