Don’t forget to eat your breakfast on St. Patrick’s Day. On March 17th you can enjoy green eggs and ham and other breakfast itmes at Noshville Deli with locations in Green Hills, Cool Springs and midtown Nashville. 50 percent of any breakfast food item purchased between 6 and 10 am that day will be donated to the March of Dimes.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers are headed back to Tennessee to promote Mojo their first studio set to be released in a very long time. To make it an even greater show, they will be joined by Crosby, Stills & Nash. The August 12th show will be at the Bridgestone Arena (formerly Sommet Center) and tickets go on sale today through Live Nation.
Anita Baker, Tim McGraw, Big Kenny and Danny Gokey will appear at the T.J. Martell Foundation Honors Gala set for March 22 at The Hutton Hotel in Nashville. Baker and Gokey will perform at the gala along with Dave Mason and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. McGraw will join Nashville Mayor Karl Dean to present the Lifetime Humanitarian Award to Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen. Big Kenny and Ross Perot Jr. will recognize Senator Bill Frist with the Lifetime Medical Achievement Award. Throughout the evening, Brooks & Dunn, Michael Bolton and Susan Simons will also be acknowledged for their humanitarian and industry work. Proceeds from the evening benefit cancer research at the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Tickets are $1,000 and are available by calling the T.J. Martell Foundation at 615–256-2002 or via the Honors Gala Website.
The duo Montgomery Gentry is the 2010 recipient of the Academy of Country Music/The Home Depot Humanitarian Award. Their trophy will be presented during the 45th annual Academy of Country Music Awards show, scheduled to air 7 pm central, April 18th on CBS. Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry were selected for their work and support of the US Military, TJ Martell Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee, Camp Horsin’ Around in Lexington, KY, St. Jude’s Research Hospital, Hospice of the Bluegrass, Multiple Mylenoma Foundation, Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation and several other causes. Past recipients of the award include Rascal Flatts and LeAnn Rimes. Congratulations Montgomery Gentry on well-deserved acknowledgement of all you do to help others!
This year, the world’s largest all-songwriter festival is back for its 18th year and is scheduled for March 30 – April 3. Hosted by Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), the event features two nights of performances in all genres of music. The schedule will be announced on March 10, click here for schedule info.
The Colon Cancer Alliance, a national non-profit dedicated to ending the suffering caused by colorectal cancer, will present the 2nd annual Stars Go Blue For Colon Cancer benefit on March 23 at 7:00 PM at Nashville’s Loveless Barn. The concert will feature intimate acoustic performances by country songwriters including Rodney Crowell, Gretchen Peters, Mike Reid, Barry Walsh and Peter Cooper. The benefit was inspired and created by four-time Grammy nominee Charlie Kelley who was diagnosed and treated for colon cancer in 2008 only three weeks after his wife, GAC host Nan Kelley, successfully completed treatment for a different form of cancer. After making a full recovery, Charlie Kelley resolved to help others battling with the disease. Event proceeds will benefit both the Colon Cancer Alliance and newly established Blue Note Fund. Founded by Kelley, the Blue Note Fund gives small monetary gifts to colon cancer patients in need. General admission is $35. Exclusive blue ribbon tables are also available for $500 and include front row tables (four seats per table). Tickets are available by clicking here. For those who missed last year’s event, the 2009 Stars Go Blue For Colon Cancer benefit concert featuring Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Ricky Skaggs, Hal Ketchum, Jamie O’Neal, Peter Cooper, LynnMarie Rink and Charlie Kelley is available on DVD. 50% of the net proceeds from the Colon Cancer Alliance benefit DVD will be donated directly to the Blue Note Fund. To buy dvd, click here.
The Country Music Hall of Fame has announced its newest inductees: Jimmy Dean, Ferlin Husky, Billy Sherrill and Don Williams who bring the CMHF’s list to 112. Jimmy Dean, known to many for his line of breakfast foods, has had a significant impact on country music. He wrote and performed “Big Bad John” which earned him a Grammy Award in 1961 for top country record, he was the first guest host of NBC’s The Tonight Show and later hosted The Jimmy Dean Show which is credited with introducing George Jones, Roger Miller and Buck Owens. Don Williams performed a series of chart-topping hits in the 1970′ including “I Wouldn’t Want to Live If You Didn’t Love Me.” which was the top country single in 1974. Sherrill is known for adding unique musical accompaniment to his productions. In addition to producing, he was named BMIs Country Songwriter of the Century in 1999. Sherrill produced the music of Ferlin Husky who brought a unique sound to his music. Husky’s song “Gone”, became a number 1 country hit for 10 weeks and reached number 4 on the pop charts. Husky also recorded comedy records as alter ego Simon Crum. Husky and Dean were elected to the Hall in the Veterans Era category, Williams was elected in the Modern Era category and Sherrill will be inducted in the non-performer category.
You better be wearing the green when you go to historic downtown Franklin on Saturday, March 14 when the whole town celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with Feile (pro: “FAY-LA”) Franklin – a celtic festival on historic Main Street! Streets will be filled with Irish music, dance, food and fun. It’s a free street festival with a ticketed imported beer tasting in the Main Street area shops. The street will be filled with roasted potatoes, fried potatoes, turkey legs, fish and chips and all things Irish. At night, specialty and imported beers will be sampled at the shops. More than two dozen Irish bands and dance groups will be featured on two stages throughout the event. All proceeds will go to Downtown Franklin Association for promotion and continued revitalization of the historic district, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and designated by the National Trust as a Great American Main Street.
March 10th, on stage at Music City Roots the following purveyors of Americana music will be live at Loveless Barn: Pokey LaFarge, The Apache Relay, Cadillac Sky, The Band of Heathens and The Gibson Brothers. Doors open at 6:00, show starts at 7:00. Where else are you going to see such a great show for $10 / $5 students? It’s a beautiful rustic setting with all the amenities one would hope for while enjoying a concert – food and beverage are available. So come on out Wednesday night and enjoy super evening of music, food, and kinship with all the fellow concert goers. Better yet, bring your kin with you! For more info, click here.
Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller and Kathy Mattea are among the all-star line-up of musicians set to perform at the May 19 event at Ryman Auditorum called “Music Saves Mountains.” All proceeds from the benefit concert will be donated to the Natural Resources Defense Council for their campaign to end mountaintop removal in Appalachia.