Award Winning Manager, Pam Lewis, Reopens Management Division with Flagship Group, Century Drive
Trailblazing manager, Pam Lewis, relaunches her management division signing the applauded country/rock group Century Drive.
“When I met Century Drive and we got a chance to work together, my team and I were all sold on them as writers, musicians, and unique performers,” says Lewis. “I was not planning to manage them, but am thrilled to have the opportunity to open doors for them and insure their magical music gets heard by the broadest audience possible. They are both nostalgic and new with killer familial harmonies, well-crafted songs, a dynamic live show and a stellar work ethic.”
We are so excited to team up with Pam Lewis for management and with PLA Media,” adds Chad Chapin, Century Drive’s Grammy-nominated, DOVE, and BMI award-winning drummer. “From day one, the conversations were so inspiring that we knew it was a good fit for us as a band. Never before have we been this excited about what this team is capable of.”
Lewis cracked the glass ceiling in the late 80s becoming one of the first Nashville-based, female artist managers. She has been honored by Pollstar, Performance Magazine as “Manager of the Year” and snagged a Country Music Association SRO Award among additional distinctions throughout her storied career.
Century Drive will be a releasing their next single Wild Hearts, Wild Highways in May.
Connect with Century Drive:
Website: centurydriveband.com
Facebook: @centurydriveband
Instagram: @centurydrive_band
Twitter: @Centurydrive
TikTok: @Centurydrive
YouTube
Spotify
Apple Music
About Century Drive
Century Drive is a four-piece country-rock band made up of two sets of brothers hailing from Bend, Oregon. Corey and Casey Parnell and Chad and Lonnie Chapin are all sons of preachers that are using their ingrained devotion and conviction to write, record, and release their own lane of Pacific Northwest, pavement-pounding country rock.
Their storytelling and brotherly harmonies are celebrated among some of Nashville’s hottest songwriters, including 17-time number one writer Brian White who said, “The first time I stepped in the room to write with Century Drive I knew something special was happening. The energy and vibe were simply contagious. Unbelievable musicians, great singers, and songs set the bar high. I’m a huge fan.”
The Parnells approached the Chapins to write songs in the early days of the pandemic, and their whiskey-fueled all-nighters have resulted in a catalog of songs that punch through as they blaze their own trail in the Country genre.
After teasing their audience with a string of singles, the group debuted their sound on an EP in 2022 titled Staring at Stars. That project landed a spotlight on CMT and The Country Network in addition to profiles in MusicRow Magazine, AntiMusic, The Digital Journal, The Country Note, Country in the UK, The Bend Bulletin, News Break, Broadway World, Center Stage Magazine, and more. The title track was also featured on the official Academy of Country Music’s New Music Friday Playlist alongside Jason Aldean, Reba McEntire, Maren Morris, Jake Owen, Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and Chris Young.
Before banding together for this group, they garnered success across a variety of genres and built a brotherhood friendship spanning more than two decades. Lonnie is the band’s Grammy and Dove award-winning bassist and Gospel Music Hall Of Fame alum as a member of the Christian rock band Petra. He also co-wrote the #1 hit song If I Had To Die For Someone for Petra before becoming a founding member of the Grammy-nominated band Tait with his brother Chad. Chad is a Grammy-nominated drummer, Dove award winner,12-time BMI Music award winner, and recipient of the legendary BMI “Song Of The Year” award for his song To Ever Live Without Me. Lead vocalist and country songwriter Corey Parnell has shared stages with noteworthy artists Kris Kristofferson, Trace Adkins, and Lindsay Ell, and has co-written songs for Steve Fee and Shannon Bex of Danity Kane. His brother and lead guitarist Casey has recorded, written, and produced for Shannon Bex of MTV’s super group Danity Kane and Thunderstorm Artis of NBC’s The Voice.
This year, Century Drive will be releasing new singles as they continue to build audiences of fans across the globe.
About Pam Lewis
Pamela Lewis, a native of upstate New York, is an entrepreneur, preservationist, philanthropist and author. A graduate of Wells College with a B.A. in Economics/Marketing and a minor in French and Communications. Lewis spent a year in Paris studying at COUP (Center of Overseas Undergraduate Program) affiliated with The Sorbonne University. In New York City, she did additional graduate course work at Fordham University, The New York School for Social Research, The Publicity Club of New York and Scarritt Bennett. Lewis is also a graduate of University of Tennessee’s Institute of Public Service Local Government Leadership Program (third level), of the Belmont University College of Business Administration’s Scarlett Leadership Institute Mini Executive MBA program, of Leadership Music, of the Citizen’s Police Academy and of the Leadership Middle Tennessee 2020 program.
From 1980 to 1984, Lewis was part of the original publicity/marketing team of WASEC (Warner Amex Satellite Entertainment Company), a joint venture of Warner Communications and American Express, that launched MTV to the world. She also worked with MTV’s sister cable channels Nickelodeon, The Movie Channel, and the Arts & Entertainment Network (A&E). Lewis was relocated to Nashville from New York City to accept the position of National Media Director at RCA Records helping to shape the careers of top country stars such as Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, The Judds, and Alabama.
In 1985, Lewis opened her own PR firm, Pam Lewis and Associates (which later became PLA Media). In 1987, she formed award-winning Doyle/Lewis Management with partner Bob Doyle. The first client Lewis agreed to represent was an unknown Oklahoma crooner named Garth Brooks, who she worked with until 1994. Lewis also managed Trisha Yearwood‘s early career, landing her a record deal at MCA Records. Under Lewis’ guidance, Yearwood released her debut self-titled album in 1991, becoming the first female country musician to sell one million records off her first single “She’s In Love With The Boy.” The album went on to be certified double platinum, and Yearwood went on to win the Academy of Country Music award for Top Female Vocalist later that year. The two enjoyed a successful partnership which broke new ground in music winning all of the following: Performance Magazine’s “Country Music Managers of the Year” two consecutive years ’92 and ’93, Pollstar Award “Personal Manager of the Year ’92, Country Music Association’s “Artist Manager of the Year”, SRO Award ’01 (The first female executive to win this award), Nashville Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 listing in ’95 & ’96, Who’s Who in Executives, International Society of Poets Distinguished Member, Franklin Police Department Order of Excellence ’15 & Tennessee Association of Museums Award in recognition of superlative achievement for publications PR kit. Eventually, Doyle and Lewis parted ways, and Pam turned her focus solely to PLA Media.
In 2003, Lewis made her first foray into the world of politics running for office of alderman-at-large in Franklin, Tennessee. She won a four-year term, and was the only female on the board for two years. She also served as Vice Mayor for one year, and was elected to the Franklin Planning Commission and Historic Zoning Commission. In 2016, she was voted as a one of the top Female Entrepreneur by Your Williamson Magazine, and was invited to be part of the 2017-2018 class of Leadership Franklin.
Lewis has served on or chaired multiple committees, including: The Tennessee State Museum, Tennessee First Lady Andrea Conte’s You Have The Power, BRIDGES Domestic Violence Center, Sister Cities of Franklin, Battlefield Commission, mayor-appointed Franklin Housing Commission, Nashville Historic Commission, Historic Cemetery Commission, ARC Board and the Tennessee Preservation Trust.
Her other community outreach efforts include historic preservation and green space causes, women and children’s advocacy, educational scholarships, fair housing and environmental and animal rights protection. Since its inception, the Pam Lewis Foundation has given away a million dollars to numerous charities.
She has been recognized for her business success/entrepreneurship, community outreach and preservation efforts by the Metro Nashville Historic Commission, Franklin Tennessee Heritage Foundation, African American Heritage Foundation, Tennessee State Museum and Tennessee Preservation Trust. In 2017, she produced a documentary of African American remembrances and contributions and was honored to give the commencement address at her alma mater Wells College, Aurora, New York in May 2017. She is a 2020 graduate of Leadership Middle Tennessee.