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  • Steve Madinger, owner of the Texas Roadhouse franchise in Anderson, started Legendary Road, a record label looking to help aspiring country artists. Don Knight / The Herald Bulletin

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August 28, 2010

Anderson-based label to promote local country artists

By Abbey Doyle The Herald Bulletin

ANDERSON, Ind. — Steve Madinger has always been a fan of country music. And it fits right in with the feel of the 16 Texas Roadhouse restaurants — including the one here in Anderson — that he owns.

So starting a country-music record label — Legendary Road — was almost destined.

“If we could do something to help aspiring country artists and help Texas Roadhouse it seemed like a win-win situation,” Madinger said of the label. “We are excited about the opportunities.”

The first CD Legendary Road released is “Roadhouse Jukebox, Volume 1.” The CD features well-known chart-toppers and legends like the Oak Ridge Boys, The Band Perry, TelluRide and Starlume alongside local artists who are on the verge of making it big, Madinger said.

“We thought a compilation CD would be a great way to promote the local artists,” he said. “It is really encouraging to see all the excitement from all of the artists and record labels about the CD.”

The area artists featured on the CD are Seth Cook, Dane Clark Band, Jessie Brown, Cook and Belle and Casey Jamerson.

This is just the beginning for Legendary Road. Madinger said he thinks they may try to do similar CDs with local artists near the other restaurants. He owns six in Indiana with locations also in Muncie, Fishers, Pyramids, Avon and on Shadeland Avenue; four in Columbus, Ohio; two in Chicago and four in northern California.

In addition to selling the CDs in the restaurants and on i-Tunes, Madinger said they are playing the songs on the restaurants’ jukeboxes for even more exposure.

Pendleton native Casey Jamerson is excited about the potential of being associated with Legendary Road and the well-established artists. She was one of the artists from the CD to perform Wednesday at the Texas Roadhouse in Muncie.

“It seemed like a great opportunity to help our community and be a part of something that is musically very good,” she said. “There were a lot of people out Wednesday that were very supportive.”

One of the things Jamerson is most excited about is the partnership Madinger has formed with Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana. The proceeds from Wednesday’s event went to Second Harvest and Madinger has also pledged half a million meals to the food bank by matching meals purchased by customers at the Anderson and Muncie restaurants.

“I’ve been involved with Second Harvest volunteering for years so it seemed like the right thing to do,” Jamerson said of joining the Legendary Road team.

Second Harvest development associate Susan Land said the commitment by Texas Roadhouse means a lot to the food bank.

“It was very generous,” she said. “It is making a huge impact for us. A half million meals obviously will feed a lot of people. The need out there is so great. So this help is going a long way to meet that need.”

In addition to helping the community with fundraising for Second Harvest and by promoting local artists, Madinger said he hopes Legendary Road continues to grow and can help provide even more jobs to the area.

A few years ago, Madinger’s restaurants passed the 2,000 employees mark and he hopes the growth continues.

“We are all excited about the opportunity,” he said. “We’ve created something we are all proud of.”



Contact Abbey Doyle, 640-4805, abbey.doyle@heraldbulletin.com.

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