CHRISTMAS 4 KIDS NEWS: Christmas 4 Kids is going ahead – but with a few changes due to the pandemic. Fundraising kicked off November 7 when Lindsay Ell and Mitchell Tenpenny hosted “When Pigs Fly”, an evening of fun and music to benefit Christmas 4 Kids, the organization that provides hundreds of underprivileged children in Middle Tennessee with their very own Christmas shopping spree. On November 23, Phil Vassar & Friends host an at-home virtual concert starting at 7:00 PM/CT. Online tickets are $25.00 each and can be purchased at philvassar.com. Virtual meet-and-greet passes can also be purchased for an additional amount. Due to current social distancing restrictions, the shopping spree will be done a little differently this year. Each child will still receive the $150.00 shopping spree, but the kids will provide “wish lists” to volunteers who will personally shop for them at the Hendersonville Walmart on December 7th8th. The Christmas gifts will then be delivered to the children at their appropriate schools on December 15. Tickets, info and how you can help at https://christmas4kids.org/c4k2020/
CMA NEWS:
The 54th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker, aired live nationally on November 11 with a few changes due to restrictions caused by COVID-19 concerns. Members of the country music community were able to celebrate and perform live for the first time in many months. The event was moved to Nashville’s Music City Center with two performance stages, one at each end of the room, and a separate podium in the center where winners received their awards. Billed as Country Music’s Biggest Night™ the evening was filled with great performances and memorable moments as well as emotional tributes to Charlie Daniels, Kenny Rogers, Mac Davis and Joe Diffie. Charley Pride received the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award and sang “Kiss an Angel Good Morning” with presenter Jimmie Allen. Among the many star performers: Eric Church, Maren Morris, Jason Aldean, Brothers Osborne, Dierks Bentley, Ashley McBryde, Little Big Town, Jon Pardi, Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber, Chris Stapleton and (from Australia) Keith Urban. Video and more at https://cmaawards.com/
CMHoF NEWS: More than $743,000 was raised for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Coronavirus Relief Fund during the premiere of BIG NIGHT (at the Museum), and all of those donations help sustain the Museum and its mission of preserving and protecting country music history. The CMHoF stated that they were: “immensely grateful to the artists, our partner YouTube, and to the music fans who tuned in to help make BIG NIGHT (At the Museum) a success.” Every contribution, big and small, offers much-needed support to the nonprofit organization, which has lost nearly $35 million in revenue as a result of the pandemic. The entire BIG NIGHT (At the Museum) program, as well as individual performances from the film, are now available to view on demand on the Museum’s YouTube channel and via https://countrymusichalloffame.org/
DUO NEWS: The Bellamy Brothers join legendary British entertainer Sir Cliff Richard on “I Could Be Persuaded” off his new album, Music: The Air That I Breathe, available now via eastwest Records. The 12-track album celebrates Sir Cliff’s incredible career spanning a massive 60+ years in music. “I Could Be Persuaded” was originally released in 1990 as the first single off the Bellamy Brothers’ album Reality Check. Written by David and Howard Bellamy with Don Schlitz, the single landed in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. Sir Cliff shared, “David and Howard were easy to work with. They knew exactly what they wanted of me and I did my best to please them. When I first heard the Bellamy’s’ ‘I Could Be Persuaded,’ I loved the song and when they asked me to join them on the re-make, I was thrilled and honored.” More at https://bellamybrothers.com/
INDIE MUSIC NEWS: NashvilleMusicGuide.com
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