My name: Mo Pitney

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Pitney 02/23/2015

Country Weekly magazine highlights Mo Pitney as 'new act to watch in 2015'.

By Ray Moffitt



The Country Weekly magazine in its February 23, 2015 issue highlights MWAH! troupe alumnus Mo Pitney as a 'new act to watch in 2015.'

Mo's debut single, 'Country,' was released by Curb Records in December 2014. The song, written by Mo, along with songsmiths Bill Anderson and Bobby Tomberlin, proclaims that 'Country' isn't a place on a map, but rather a place in the heart. Mo has written or co-written every song on his upcoming album, which is slated for a 2015 release.

Mo's debut single has been featured in Spotify's coveted 'Spotlight on 2015 Country' playlist, which focuses on new country artists which Spotify's in-house music experts predict will have the biggest impact in the next year.

The single was produced by legendary producer Tony Brown and is available on iTunes at Mo Pitney Country.

Mo's most recent appearance with the MWAH! troupe was August 27, 2012 when he and his brother, Blake, performed as guest artists during the troupe's appearance at John Deere Middle School in Moline, Illinois in the Quad Cities.

Blake continues as bass guitarist with the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys.

A special 'Legacy Country Fair' tribute in Rockford to his cousin,
Sydney Ives, by country artist Mo Pitney


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Two thumbs up by Mo and his cousin, Sydney Ives
(photo submitted by Sydney's mom, Tasha Ives)
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photo submitted by Mo Pitney

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Mo Pitney performing on June 5, 2013 as part of a late night fundraising jam at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
(photo by Jon Freeman)

Mo received a couple of distinctions during June 2013.

He was featured as one of country music's 'new talents' at the revered Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville on June 5, 2013, followed later in the month by being part of a story about the event which appeared in Country Weekly magazine.

Mo was invited by country singer Marty Stuart in what was billed as the annual 'Marty Stewart Late Night Jam' old-school fundraiser, which this year benefited the Country Music Association's 'Keep the Music Playing' Fund and the MusiCares program.

Also performing were the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys with Mo's brother, Blake, on mandolin and bass guitar.

Also featured at the Ryman were such country music veterans as Bobby Bare, Brandy Clark, Don Maddox, Jamey Johnson, and the Oak Ridge Boys.

Mo and Blake Pitney returned to perform as guest artists with the MWAH! troupe at the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year during the troupe's appearance at John Deere Middle School in Moline, Illinois in the Quad Cities.



moP_Signing
Mo singing the Jason Michael Carroll country ballad 'Alyssa Lies' at Rochelle Middle School in Rochelle, Illinois on December 18, 2009. The song was part of a drama piece on the awareness and prevention of child abuse.
(photo by Daniel Williams of Lifeworks Photography in Rochelle)



MWAH! troupe alumnus Mo Pitney, a rising country music star, has posted a YouTube video (link below) which focuses on his thoughts as a songwriter.

Thoughts of Rising Country Music Star Mo Pitney as a Songwriter
Video on YouTube

    Here



Originally from Cherry Valley, Illinois, adjacent to Rockford, Mo moved to the Nashville area with his parents, his brother, Blake, and his sister, Holly, about four years ago and has been signed to Curb Records. Mo, Blake, and Holly became part of the MWAH! troupe during the spring of 2007.

The video shows his passion for writing heartfelt stories and using his guitar and voice to convey those stories through song.

Mo first performed on the stage of the revered Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in June 2014.


A video of Mo Pitney singing 'Clean Up On Aisle Five' during the summer of 2014 at the legendary Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Mo's sister, Holly Pitney, adds background harmonies.

To see this video, please click Here.



As a special tribute to his cousin, Sydney Ives, at the Legacy Country Fair in Rockford, Illinois, on October 12, 2013, Mo Pitney, a MWAH! troupe alumnus, is shown in this video singing for the first time the song 'Love You More' which he had just written.
Please click Here for video.

After a courageous year-long battle with inoperable stage 3 brain cancer, Sydney passed away in November 2009 at the age of 11. Prior to her passing, she and Mo, during their frequent visits together at her home and at St. Jude's Children's Hospital, would playfully tell each other these three words.

Now a 21-year-old artist with Curb Records in Nashville, Mo returned with his country music band to his home town area for the 'Love You More — Sydney Ives Foundation' benefit at the Veterans Memorial Hall in downtown Rockford.

Mo, his brother, Blake, and his sister, Holly, became part of the MWAH! troupe during the spring of 2007.

Blake currently plays bass guitar with the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys, an upstart youthful bluegrass band based in New Jersey and managed by Dreamcatcher Management. Holly, also managed by Dreamcatcher, provided the opening for Mo's benefit concert.

Mo has been selected as part of the music line-up for an Eastern Caribbean cruise February 23-March 2, 2014, sponsored by Larry's Country Diner in Nashville, where Mo has performed. Other country and bluegrass artists signed up include Bill Anderson, Ronda Vincent, Gene Watson, Billy Dean, and the Church Sisters.



The troupe became aware of mo on March 23, 2007, at a Naperville, Illinois, bluegrass festival. He and his family observed a troupe performance at the Haven Middle School in Evanston about two weeks later and his first MWAH! performance was April 18, 2007, at Serena Grade School in Serena, Illinois.

mo graduated from high school in June 2010 and has been touring at various bluegrass festivals around the country as part of his family's bluegrass band,"Morgan Daniels Band". Also performing from time to time with the troupe are mo's brother, Blake, and his sister, Holly. They live in Cherry Valley, Illinois, located next to Rockford.


Mo, a guitarist and singer/songwriter who was born in Rockford, Illinois, and raised in Cherry Valley, has relocated with his family to Nashville and plans to release his first single to mainstream country radio within a few months. He was signed at age 18 to the Universal Music Group in Nashville.

He became part of the MWAH! troupe in 2007 while also performing with his family's bluegrass band. His sister, Holly, and his brother, Blake, also became part of the MWAH! issues-oriented, touring ensemble.

Mo's entire family has a distinct and treasured background in gospel and bluegrass music.
Mo Signing 1
     Mo Signing 2
Mo Pitney signing his recording contract with Curb Records in Nashville on May 14, 2012

Pitney 06/27/2014
Photos supplied, in part, by Curb Records.
To enlarge these photos, please click Here for Pic 1,

please click Here for Pic 2,

please click Here for Pic 3,

please click Here for Pic 4,


MWAH! alumnus Mo Pitney, a rising star in country music, made his first appearance June 20, 2014 on the legendary stage of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Following the performance of his new single, 'Cleanup On Aisle 5,' with his sister Holly on harmonies, he and she received a standing ovation.

An interview with Mo via Skype about his Opry debut may be seen here as it aired June 27 on WTVO–TV (ABC) in his home town area of Rockford, Illinois. Interviewing Mo was reporter Matt Rodewald as part of the Eyewitness News Morning Show.

Founded 89 years ago, the Grand Ole Opry has hosted the biggest stars of country, bluegrass, folk, and gospel music. Considered an American icon with its weekly stage concerts and attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world and millions of radio and internet listeners, the Opry has been called 'the show that made country music famous' and 'country's most famous stage.' Whoever is invited to appear for the first time generally is destined to achieve huge success in the country music industry.

In his television interview, Mo, age 22, tells of his struggles following his move to Nashville from Cherry Valley, Illinois, adjacent to Rockford, four years ago. Because of his passion for music, he was determined to keep writing songs while patiently waiting for a record deal that would work for him. His signing with Curb Records about 18 months ago seems to have made that wait worthwhile as his first album is expected to be released by early 2015.

Immediately following his Skype television interview on June 27, Mo returned to the recording studio with someone who has 'been there, done that' – Alison Krauss, age 43, a bluegrass–country singer–songwriter with her band 'Alison Krauss and Union Station.' Born in Decatur, Illinois, Alison, as of 2012, has won 27 Grammy awards from 41 nominations, tying her with Quincy Jones as the most awarded living recipient. Alison is collaborating with Mo on at least one of the songs on his debut album.

Mo and his brother, Blake Pitney, returned to perform as guest artists with the MWAH! troupe on August 27, 2012 during the troupe's appearance at John Deere Middle School in Moline, Illinois in the Quad Cities.

Blake currently is bass guitarist with the Sleepy Man Banjo Boys, based in New Jersey, who recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live and in the famed Carnegie Hall in New York City.
By Ray Moffitt


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