D.L. Yancey II is a former football player with the University of Tennessee. He got his degree in nuclear engineering from there and today works for TVA at Sequoyah Nuclear Plant. He's also a musician, music teacher and community advocate.
On Saturday, April 27, he is hosting a CD release party at The Spot, 1800 E. Main St., from 5 to 7 p.m., that is also the coming out party for the next phase of his DLY2 initiative.
The acronym used to stand for his initials, but he said over time his brand and mission have evolved. Now it stands for Develop and Lead Yourself 2. The mission of DLY2 is to "help individuals discover their true purpose and tangibly activate it," he said.
"Unlike most personal brands, our goal is to maximize the greater good of society by increasing individual contribution."
Yancey will be performing songs from "Life is Love" on Saturday. He recorded the nine tracks at ByDZyne Studio here with producer Evron Stewart. Stewart and the group ByDZyne appear on a couple of tracks along with Don Yea.
"A good portion of the album is gospel-centered, so it all fits with the mission or brand I'm trying to build.
"We have these networking opportunities for businesses, but rarely do I see mixers for this where you get like-minded people in the same place to talk about social issues, religious issues, political issues or whatever. Whether they are specific to one neighborhood or one race or one gender, we can talk about them and see if we can't all work together.
"I see it as a collaborative space designed to help the greater good. I think there are people out here wanting to help, and not realizing somebody down the street needs help or can help."
Admission to the event is $15, which includes a copy of the CD.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6354.