Forever Country Live Presented by Southwest Airlines Kicks Off Country Music Month (October) and Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the CMA Awards and the Museum
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Country Music Association (CMA) and the Country Music Hall of Fame ® and Museum will partner to host Forever Country Live presented by Southwest Airlines®, a FREE concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of both the museum’s opening and the CMA Awards. The community event will be held Sunday, Sept. 25, at Walk of Fame Park in downtown Nashville, with performances by Warner Bros. recording artist Charlie Worsham and Grammy-nominated ensemble The Time Jumpers, featuring Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill, Kenny Sears, “Ranger Doug” Green, and Paul Franklin.
The event is the official launch of Country Music Month, celebrated in October. Festivities culminate Wednesday, Nov. 2, with the live, national broadcast of “The 50th Annual CMA Awards” on the ABC Television Network. The concert also kicks off the museum’s initiatives to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017.
“This free community concert underscores the rich traditions upheld by both organizations,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “We hope guests will leave this event inspired by our shared legacy and excited about the future of Country Music.”
“The museum opened its doors in April 1967, almost 50 years ago,” said museum CEO Kyle Young. “That same year the very first CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year was presented to Country Music Hall of Fame member Eddy Arnold. With a shared mission of preserving Country Music’s history and advancing its cultural importance, it is only fitting that we partner with CMA to celebrate our half-century milestones with an evening of timeless music.”
“Celebrating 30 years of service as Nashville’s hometown airline, we’re excited to partner with CMA and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to honor Music City and 50 years of Country Music,” said Kimberly Greiner, Southwest Airlines Manager of Community Engagement.
The family-friendly event begins at 3:00 PM/CDT. Kids of all ages can enjoy making buttons, playing an instrument in the musical petting zoo, pulling their own Hatch Show Print postcard, and creating a community mural. Some of Nashville’s favorite food trucks will be on hand, and attendees can enjoy cuisine from 2|22, Red Onion, and Bajo Sexto Taco, located at the museum. The museum will also offer $5 off admission on Sept. 25, and remain open until 7:00 PM/CDT. A special pop-up exhibit chronicling 50 years of the CMA Awards will be hosted in the museum’s Mike Curb Conservatory.
The concert begins at 4:00 PM/CDT with Worsham opening the show. The Time Jumpers will take the stage at 5:00 PM/CDT. Past CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Patty Loveless will join The Time Jumpers for a special appearance.
For more information visit forevercountrylive.com. Follow @countrymusichof and @CountryMusic on Twitter and join the conversation using #ForeverCountry and #ForeverCountryLive.
About the CMA Awards: The first “CMA Awards Banquet and Show” was held in 1967. The following year, the CMA Awards was broadcast on television for the first time – making it the longest running, annual music awards program on network TV. The CMA Awards have aired on ABC since 2006. ABC will be the network home of the CMA Awards and CMA’s other two television properties, “CMA Music Festival: Country’s Night to Rock” and “CMA Country Christmas,” through 2021. “The 50th Annual CMA Awards” airs live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Wednesday, Nov. 2.
About The Time Jumpers: The Time Jumpers’ third album, titled Kid Sister, will be released on September 9 on Rounder Records. This treasury of 14 tunes—new and classic—is both a sweet tribute to the group’s late “girl singer,” Dawn Sears (the “Kid Sister” of the title), and a sparkling celebration of western swing and traditional country music. The band members are Vince Gill, vocals and guitars; Kenny Sears, fiddle and vocals, Joe Spivey and Larry Franklin, fiddles and vocals; Paul Franklin, steel guitar; “Ranger Doug” Green, guitars and vocals and founding member of the Grand Ole Opry’s Riders In The Sky; Billy Thomas, drums and vocals; Jeff Taylor, accordion, piano and vocals; Andy Reiss, guitars; and Brad Albin, bass. Gill produced Kid Sisterwith the entire band creating the arrangements.
About Charlie Worsham: Originally from Grenada, Mississippi, Charlie Worsham studied music at Berklee before moving to Nashville, where he wrote and produced the entire 11-track Rubberband (co-produced by Ryan Tyndell, executive produced by Arturo Buenahora) before releasing the album on Warner Bros. Records to rave reviews. Celebrating the release with performances on the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and “Fox & Friends,” the album impressively landed on several of 2013 Best Of lists; including Spin’s “Best Country Albums,” American Songwriter’s “Top 50 Albums,” and Billboard’s “Top 10 Country Albums.” iTunes also featured Rubberband as one if its “Best of 2013 Editor’s Choice and Top Sellers” as well as being featured in Rhapsody’s “Top 25 Albums of 2013.” Worsham is currently completing his sophomore album with producer Frank Liddell (Miranda Lambert, Eli Young Band, Lee Ann Womack), due out early next year, and will join Kenny Rogers on his final world tour in Europe this fall. For more information, please visit www.charlieworsham.com or follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum: The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum collects, preserves, and interprets country music and its history for the education and entertainment of diverse audiences. In exhibits, publications, and educational programs, the museum explores the cultural importance and enduring beauty of the art form. The museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, and in 2015 welcomed over one million patrons, placing it among the ten most-visited history museums in the U.S. The Country Music Foundation operates Historic RCA Studio B™, Hatch Show Print® poster shop, CMF Records, the Frist Library and Archive, and CMF Press. Museum programs are supported by the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission and the Tennessee Arts Commission.
About Southwest Airlines: In its 46th year of service, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) continues to differentiate itself from other air carriers with exemplary Customer Service delivered by more than 52,000 Employees to more than 100 million Customers annually. Southwest operates more than 3,900 departures a day during peak travel season across a network of 98 destinations in the United States and seven additional countries with service to three airports in Cuba expected to begin later this year, subject to governmental approvals.
