Mullins excited to give back in return to UNG

Shawn Mullins' musical skills have taken him all over the world and produced No. 1 hits that made him a household name. The 1991 University of North Georgia (UNG) graduate said all of that may have never happened without his four years at his alma mater.

Mullins was a member of UNG's Corps of Cadets and the Golden Eagle Band, a longtime cadet specialty unit.

"I don't think music would have gone the way it did for me without North Georgia. The school molded me and also let me do my thing," Mullins said. "I needed some discipline. I needed something to believe in, something to be proud of. You need to have that right foundation first."

The singer-songwriter is returning to UNG for an Oct. 16 concert benefiting the Golden Eagle Band. He will perform in the Hoag Student Center Auditorium, with fellow cadet alumni and songwriters James Corbin '02 and Wayne Baird '89 serving as the opening acts. It feels like a full-circle moment for Mullins, who once held a successful fundraising concert as a student to fund dress-blue uniforms for the Golden Eagle Band.

"Any way I can raise money or awareness to support North Georgia, I'm all about it," Mullins said.

Seats are nearly sold out, but a few tickets may still be available. Visit unggive.org/shawn-mullins to check availability or to make a gift to the Golden Eagle Band Endowment Fund.

Mullins jump-started his music career with the release of his 1998 album "Soul's Core," which featured iconic No. 1 hit "Lullaby." He also scored a No. 1 with "Beautiful Wreck" off his 2006 album "9th Ward Pickin' Parlor." His song "Shimmer" was used in promotions for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and it was also on the "Dawson's Creek" soundtrack.

He co-wrote "All in My Head," which was featured in episode one of the TV sitcom "Scrubs." Mullins was also a co-writer on "Toes," the No. 1 country hit performed by the Zac Brown Band.

It is only natural to come back "home" to UNG for Mullins, who said he still keeps in touch with his college roommate and many other classmates and Golden Eagle Band members. Mullins was the only member of the Golden Eagle Band from his time in school who went on to a professional music career, but he said UNG offered him and his friends something even more important than a career.

"It made a lot of us grow into caring, good people," Mullins said.

Mullins came to UNG as a commencement speaker in December 2024, when he noted the influence of Dr. Joe Chapman, one of his music professors who still worked at UNG and was playing commencement music that day. He said Chapman was illustrative of the dedication of so many to make North Georgia a special place. Mullins is thrilled to be coming back this October to a place that means so much to him.

"North Georgia is a one-of-a-kind place. I've been to so many campuses," Mullins said. "There's something in the red dirt. There's a bliss and heavenly vibe that I don't get anywhere else."