The Mountain Archives

Mark Collie Hopes ‘Alive at Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary’ will ‘Lead To Something Positive’

The doors at Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary have been closed for seven years, since 2009. However, once upon a time, the facility was a place that you didn’t want to enter if you were in the Volunteer State. The maximum-security prison was home to some of the South’s most hardened criminals. And, in 1999, it brought Mark Collie one of his artistic triumphs. It was at that point that the singer – known for such 90s hits as “Born To Love You” and “Even The Man In The Moon Is Cryin,” – began to film [...]

Mark Collie’s unlikely friendship with an ex-con

Andy Dixon says little about the kidnap-for-ransom conviction that put him in prison for most of his adult life. “It wasn’t pretty,” the 60-year-old says softly with a rural Tennessee twang. Dixon was 22 when he, his brother and a friend, using a gun, kidnapped an 18-year-old woman and shackled her to a bed in a concrete-block cabin in a wooded area of Henry County, authorities told the Lawrence Journal-World. The woman escaped three days later, and her attackers were captured shortly after that. “It was an ugly case,” he said. “One of those [...]

“The Mountain” New Air Times!

The Blaze Network has just released new air times for Mark Collie's documentary, "The Mountain"! The Mountain will air on theBlaze at 8Eastern/7 Central on Wednesday, October 12th, 8E/7C on Saturday, October 15th, and 8E/7C on Sunday, October 16th. Tune in!

Interview: Nashville’s Mark Collie discusses new country album

Singer-songwriter Mark Collie, also known from the show "Nashville," chatted with Digital Journal about his new album, "Alive at Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary." Regarding his songwriting process for the album, Collie said, "I basically started writing the songs when I spent time with some ex-cons, and I was moved and inspired by the work of Johnny Cash. The song selection was an evolution in the process of my visits. I had a lot of help with some great producers that worked with me such as Tony Brown." Collie listed "On The Day I Die" [...]

Mark Collie On New Documentary ‘The Mountain’ & Singing With Prisoners

Mark Collie‘s new album Alive At Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary was inspired by the singer and actor’s visits to Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, which also inspired a documentary. MARK COLLIE ON ‘THE MOUNTAIN’ Collie recorded his live album at Brushy Mountain in Morgan County, Tennessee, 15 years ago, back in October 2001. The visit proved to be deeply affecting, with Collie witnessing the tragic goings on within what was once one of America’s largest maximum security prisons. “There were a lot of young kids in there and some guys in there who doped, either dealing [...]

“The Mountain” to Premier on The Blaze Network on 8/24/16

Mark Collie’s “The Mountain”, a documentary about his mission to bring music and healing into the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary will premier on The Blaze Network on August 24th, 2016 at 8PM Eastern. Check your local listings for channel lineup and additional airings. “I believed the songs could matter. I wanted to make something that people could find hope in, or redemption, or restoration, or forgiveness.” -Mark Collie at Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary