As part of the event, F. Scott’s donated a portion of all food sales to the literacy organization. BooneDocks Distribution, LLC, also sponsored the event. Attendees brought new books to donate to Book’em and enjoyed live music during the evening.

Photo 1: (left to right) Joe Tatum and Book’em board member, Jessica Tatum.

Photo 2: (left to right) Book’em board member Tonya Horton with friends Scott House and Steve Smotherman.

Photo 3: (left to right) Kia Bahner, Book’em board member Reba Holmes, and Suzanne Busby sit down to dinner.

Photo 4: (left to right) Ken and Ann King at Dine Out for Book’em.

Photo 5: Event Chair Kristi Gillis and Book’em CEO Melissa Spradlin present F. Scott’s proprietor Wendy Burch with a certificate naming the restaurant and jazz bar an official “friend of Book’em.”

About Book’em:

Book’em is a local, nonprofit, children’s literacy organization focusing on two core areas: providing volunteer readers to local preschools and elementary schools, and collecting and distributing new books to children and teens in lower-income families who might not otherwise have books of their own. The organization’s mission is to inspire a love of books and reading in all children. Programs include Reading is Fundamental (RIF), Ready for Reading and The Dorothy Goldstein Memorial Library Without Walls. For more information please visit www.bookem-kids.org.

“On behalf of all American songwriters NSAI is extremely grateful to Josh for helping launch what will be a permanent series supporting the work we do.  NSAI was founded as an advocacy organization for songwriters.  In recent years the organization’s work has increased the value of and the respect for songwriters’ copyrights and helped secure the growth of future royalties,” said NSAI President, Grammy-nominated songwriter Steve Bogard.

Named by People magazine as one of Country’s Hottest Stars, Grammy-nominated Turner has celebrated back-to-back multi-week #1 radio singles and back-to-back platinum albums, Long Black Train and Your Man, now certified Double Platinum.  His current project, Everything Is Fine, was certified Gold in just four weeks.  “Another Try,” a duet with Trisha Yearwood, was recently nominated for the Academy of Country Music’s Vocal Event of the Year.  His hit singles include “Would You Go With Me,” “Your Man,” “Firecracker,” “Me and God” and “Long Black Train.”

Turner, one of the youngest members of the distinguished Grand Ole Opry, was recently the youngest member to be inducted into Nashville’s Walk of Fame.  With his passion to support music and the arts, he launched The Josh Turner Fund for the Arts that will award its first scholarship recipient this year.  For more on Josh Turner, visitwww.joshturner.com.

“I was attending an event focused on intellectual property protection where Josh was passionately speaking about these issues.  He was impressive and certainly understood the heart of NSAI’s mission.  Josh continues his work by helping assist NSAI by launching this performance series,” said NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison.

Tickets go on sale May 30 and are available for purchase at www.ticketmaster.com, as well as the Wildhorse Retail Store or by calling 615.902.8211. General Admission tickets are $20, Reserved Seating tickets are $35, and there are a limited number of $75 tickets available that include a Meet & Greet with Josh Turner.  Doors open at 6:00 p.m.  The show begins at 7:30 p.m.

About NSAI: The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) is the world’s largest not-for-profit songwriters’ trade organization. Established in 1967, the membership of more than 5,000 spans the United States and seven international countries. For over 40 years, NSAI has been dedicated to protecting the rights of and serving aspiring and professional songwriters in all genres of music. For more information, visit www.nashvillesongwriters.com.

About Wildhorse Saloon: The Wildhorse® Saloon turned a three-level historic warehouse into a 66,000 square foot live music and dance destination.  The Wildhorse is simultaneously a restaurant, bar, concert site, dance venue and television studio.  Annually, more than 1.5 million music fans stampede to the Wildhorse to have a great meal, catch the hottest concerts and learn the newest dance steps.  Over a normal year the Wildhorse uses around 3000 gallons of BBQ sauce and about 2 million pickle slices in our famous fried pickle recipe.  As for shirts, they have sold around 50,000 and we can’t leave out our bottles of beer, over 10 million bottles have been sold.  We have been involved in over 4000 television shows and tapings.  The Wildhorse is the largest per capita restaurant in all of Tennessee and also has the largest television screen in Music City.  The Wildhorse® Saloon is owned by Gaylord Entertainment (NYSE: GET), a leading hospitality and entertainment company based in Nashville, Tenn.  For more information, visit www.WildhorseSaloon.com.

“Excuse me for being a wet blanket music lovers but I you need a dose of truth. Have you ever thought that if you added up all the money collected by modern medicine from honest Americans to find a cure for any disease that it would amount to trillions of dollars. And I am not even counting the money the government gives them. The reason I say that is because they have not found a cure for even one disease in 60 years. I remember giving donations for medical causes when I was a little boy and I am 64 now. What have they been doing all this time with all that money? I wonder if they are even trying to find a cure?”

I wanted to show you why it matters.

This is Aiden:

Kelly Ray Davis, Aiden, Rodney Crisp

Aiden, along with thousands of other kids, has Spinal Muscular Atrophy.   It’s a disease that has the potential to completely collapse the lungs and kills numerous children every year.  Last night’s SMA Benefit helped raise much needed research for this devastating disease.  Doctors have made tremendous progress over the years and the progression has led, for the first time, into human trials.  They are getting very close.

I ended up responding to the note above and this is what I wrote back:

“I believe that in the medical field exist great individuals who really care about making a difference. These are people who may not personally be affected by the disease they are researching, but they certainly know the effects that disease have on the people who have it.

I personally would rather spend trillions of dollars giving families and those affected by such sickness hope of a cure, than simply throw it down the drain of corporate welfare. Despite the high cost and the seeming lack of movement in finding actual cures, progress is being made.

For example, Warren (the person holding this benefit) was told his son would die by the time he was 6 years old. Through events like this and others held throughout the country, researchers have given Aiden (Warren’s son) 14 years of life – with many more to come! They have made progress over the years in finding out the ‘what’s’ and the ‘why’s’ and the ‘how’s’. Much work is left to do, but Aiden is a wonderful, upbeat, positive kid who has really suffered more than anyone could possibly imagine – and I promise you he lives his life, to the best of his ability, to the fullest.

Everyone wishes that cures could be found for these diseases. And great strides are being made in numerous places – from diabetes to lupus and lymphoma to cancer – and yes, researchers are closer than ever to discovering a cure for SMA.

The bottom line is, what we do today isn’t always for those who suffer today. It’s for those who may suffer in the future. Those who could be cured. Despite the financial cost, I care more about the human cost – and sincerely believe that one day, God will give those who research and study these illnesses the answers we’ve all been looking for.”

I hope that the majority of people don’t share the view of the person above.  I hope that Nashvillians will always come together for great causes and try to help each other out like they did last night.  I believe you will!  Nashville is a great and caring community.

More pictures from last night’s SMA Benefit concert:

Warren Silvers

Red Neck Yacht Club – Thom Shepherd

Aiden with Bernie Nelson

Amanda Williams, Shawn Meyer, Memarie Gayle, and Gabe Garcia

Bridgette Tatum – She’s Country!

Thanks to all the artists who showed up and performed, and all the good folks from Nashville who came out and contributed, the benefit was a huge success!  Thank you all so much.

Nashville’s Bells Bend KEEP IT COUNTRY Benefit Concert will take place Saturday, July 11, 2009 from 6pm – 11pm. Featured artists include: Jaime Kyle, Jonelle Moser, Buffalo Rome, Thom Shepherd, Todd Cerney, Casey Kelly, Leslie Ellis, Don Henry, Bill Lloyd, Charlie Morgan, Lance Hoppen, Bil Cumo, Pat Meusel, Marilyn Martin, and Beth Hooker.

$20 per person in advance or $25 at the door. Cash bar.

Contact: Adelle Wood 665-1010, Ellen Jacobson 279-5656 for more information or visit www.lovelessbarn.com. crj@skinmdpllc.com

All of the proceeds will be benefit Women Rock For The Cure and the Greater Nashville affiliate of Susan G. Komen For The Cure®. The funds raised by the Komen Race for the Cure® Series help support breast cancer research grants, meritorious awards, and community outreach programs.  The Komen foundation raises awareness for the fight against breast cancer, celebrates breast cancer survivorship, and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease.

Let’s Rock and Find A Cure!

About Women Rock For The Cure

WRFTC was founded in 2007 by four friends with ties to the music industry: Jensen Sussman, Liz Lee Schullo, Rebekah Lee Beard and Tara Austin who all met through the Society of Leaders in Development (SOLID), an organization for young music business professionals.  With the support of SOLID, the girls set out to organize an all-female, writer-in-the round benefit concert – later called Women Rock For The Cure – to help raise awareness and funds for SOLID’s Race For The Cure team.  Since then, WRFTC has worked to support the Greater Nashville affiliate of Susan G. Komen For The Cure®, raising money and increasing breast cancer awareness locally.  After two amazing years of standing-room-only concerts, the founders decided to make WRFTC a non-profit organization.  With the group’s new status, WRFTC is pinker than ever and always rockin’ to reach the organization’s vision; WRFTC is committed to fighting breast cancer by utilizing the passion, creativity and strength of the entertainment industry to find inspiring ways to raise money for Susan G. Komen For The Cure® Greater Nashville, as well as creating awareness programs for men and women of all ages.

For information on all upcoming events and how to become a fan of this group, visit www.womenrockforthecure.org, www.myspace.com/womenrockforthecure and www.twitter.com/wrftc.

I recently contacted Kelly Ray Davis of Crisp & Davis and asked him to participate in a short interview about the event – and his own career.

How did you find out about the MUSIC FOR A CURE – SPINAL MUSCULAR ATROPHY BENEFIT?

Warren Silvers (the host) called me up on the phone and ask if Rodney and I wanted to be part of this benefit and before he could get finished with his sentence I interrupted him and said sign us up.  I met Warren a few years back on myspace and he and I have been keeping in touch with each others work ever since.  So when he decided to put this benefit together, Rodney and I was one of the acts that popped in his head to invite and we are very honored to be a part of something so great!

You’re coming all the way to Nashville from West Virginia to participate in the show – did you have any second thoughts about accepting the invitation?

Second thoughts? No way! Rodney and I are all about helping out and giving back. God blessed us with the greatest talent in the world * which is music *.  Rodney and I both believe firmly that if you don’t use your talents for the right reasons they will soon enough be taken away! Like I told Warren just the other day, if it is just Crisp & Davis and Warren Silvers on the bill and we only draw a crowd of 3 people at the show we will be there Lord willing!  My great friend and adviser Paul King from Nashville Hype ask us to do a benefit a little over a year ago for tornado victims and we was all over it with out question! We worked our butts off getting press, radio, etc… involved in that benefit that Paul and the Red Cross put on and I can honestly say I am proud that we was apart of the Supercell Benefit.

So, you’ve been to Nashville before, have you made any inroads with your music?

Oh yes we have been involved in the Nashville scene for a few years now. Me personally have made tons of great friends and hooked up with some of the biggest names in the business. I now call most of them my buds. I have had a few small cuts and a small writers deal for a while so I’m no stranger to Nashville by no means, I just don’t wear my welcome out there. I’m still not sure if that is a good or a bad thing yet! (laughing)

How would you describe your music?

Appalachian country rock ‘n’ roll is the first thing that comes to mind when ask that question.

Do you have a big following in West Virginia?

Oh yes Crisp & Davis has a huge following in the tri-state area of West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. Hometown fans are the best fans that any artist could ever have and we love them all. If we book a show you can bet your butt that the venue will be wall to wall with people! Maybe even some folks in the parking lot that can’t get in because the show sells out! Now that’s great fans huh?

Have you had any radio exposure?

I don’t think there has been a week go by that I haven’t heard Crisp & Davis on the radio since we started this project 3 years ago. We usually stay on the local charts. I’ve not looked at them in a while but I know we was at #3 a few weeks ago with the song “Without You”.

How often do you make it to Nashville?

We make the trip to Nashville often. Here lately we have been cutting in the studio in Kentucky so we haven’t done much of anything but that. We don’t really play the Nashville scene much. Of course we have done the Broadway gigs and a few others but that’s about it. When we come to Nashville it’s usually for a writing session, meetings with a label or a publishers. We want to do more gigs there but we just haven’t found a good booking agent that can get us in good venues like 12th and Porter, Douglas Corner, etc….. in other words the places that we want to play – but hey, we are not that picky, we’ll play about anywhere we can.

What do you hope MUSIC FOR A CURE – SPINAL MUSCULAR ATROPHY BENEFIT will accomplish?

Awareness first and foremost. We want people to be aware that this is a serious disease and it effects thousands of people worldwide. If we can do just a small part in raising awareness, that would be a blessing in it’s self. I pray that all goes well and more benefits for this disease are in the near future. They are very close to finding a cure for this disease and I would like to look back and say that God blessed me to be a part of helping out in some small way. I can tell anyone reading this that Crisp & Davis is going to be a part of this benefit for the right reasons. We won’t be selling cd’s, t-shirts, or any merchandise at the show. I wish that we could and give it all to the cause but unfortunately our budget will not allow us to do so but we will have our hearts in the right place and I hope that our small portion of the show helps out.

Nelly is better known as Mr. Nelson to long time guest at 3rd & Lindsley.  He’s been the door man at the venue for many, many years and sadly, lost his wife Cheryl to a battle with cancer.  Last nights show was indicative of what can happen when Nashvillians come together to help one of their own.

The evening started with super-songwriter and artist George Ducas, and ended with Kentucky Thunder.  In between those two awesome artist were a half dozen more fantastic sets by the likes of Dave Pahanish, Bekka Bramlett (joined on stage by her mother, the legendary Bonnie Bramlett), Kree Harrison, Jack Pearson, Tim Buppert, Old Union, and Ashley Cleveland.  Each of these artists were joined on stage by other special guest such as Jeanne Richardson, Rachel Williams, (host) Etta Britt, Vicky Carrico, and Jonell Mosser.

Rachel Williams had this to say about the show, “Last night’s show just floored me… Etta, Jonell, Bekka, Ashley, Vickie, Bonnie— INSANE! Five & a half hours after the show started, I went home a VERY happy girl & feeling extremely blessed that I live HERE and get to do stuff like THAT…”

Nashville Benefits feels the same way.  It was an amazing show that helped a very good man.

Photo’s courtesy of Jeanne Richardson:

Bekka and Bonnie Bramlett

Bonnie, Bekka, Etta, Jeanne, Jonell, others

Michelle’s Angel’s Foundation (MAF) will host Michelle’s Angels Foundation’s 1st Annual Angel Artist Appreciation and Celebration Concert fundraiser at 7 p.m. on July 17 at the Listening Room in Nashville, Tennessee. The three hour celebration will feature performances by MAF’s Music Director, Ken Harrell, along with Nashville singer-songwriters Rob Harris, Greg Johnson, Tom Kimmel, A. J. Masters, Kim Parent, Marcia Ramirez, Tonja Rose and Nicole Witt. During this inaugural fundraising event, the MAF will honor Josette Amsilli, a Nashville resident who lost her husband to cancer in February 2008—and she herself, just 10 months later, was diagnosed with cancer. There is no charge to attend. Seating is limited. To reserve your space go to http://michellesangelstribute.eventbrite.com. For more information call MAF President Herb Knoll at (615) 579-8136.

In addition to being the foundation’s inaugural fundraiser, the concert is a tribute to the gifted singer/songwriters referred to as “Angel Artists” who have donated their music to those who visit the Michelle’s Angels website www.MichelleAngels.com in search of hope, peace and prayer. Guests may pledge a tax deductible donation at the event. The Listening Room is located at 209 10th Avenue South, Nashville. Attendees will be able to purchase food and beverages.

“We invite the Nashville community to come out and support a great cause,” said the foundation’s music director, Ken Harrell. “We’ll be celebrating the musical gifts the Nashville-based singer/songwriters make available to our website. Their music lifts our visitors’ spirits and supports their hopes. WOW! What a night this will be.”

About Michelle’s Angel’s Foundation

The Michelle’s Angels Foundation, Inc. was incorporated to support those who are facing any one of life’s many challenges. The foundation’s application for a 501c3 designation is pending. MAF was created in memory of Michelle R. Knoll — formerly of San Antonio, TX, Nashville, TN; Orlando, FL; E. Greenbush, NY; and Youngstown, OH. While fighting a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer, Michelle concerned herself with the troubles of others. She passed on March 7, 2008. The Michelle’s Angels Foundation, Inc.’s mission is to provide love, hope and assistance to those facing any one of a wide range of illnesses or life’s challenges. The foundation’s website www.MichellesAngels.com serves as the principle vehicle for helping others and their loved ones.

Media Contact: Herb Knoll
President of Michelle’s Angels Foundation
Phone: (615) 579-8136
E-mail: herb@michellesangels.com
Web: http://www.michellesangels.com

Yesterdays event offered skate demos, live music,  local food vendors, airbrush tattoos, game booths, silent auction items and giveaways.  Performing for the large crowd yesterday were Pearl Heart, LoCash Cowboys, Ricky Young & Red White Blue, and Jeffrey Steele.

Pearl Heart started out the days entertainment and despite the 90 degree heat, a large crowd had already gathered for their 2pm performance.

Pearl Heart

The Girls of Pearl Heart

By the end of the evening when Jeffrey Steele took the stage, hundreds had gathered to make this by far the most successful of the 3 events so far.

Jeffrey Steele - photo courtesy of Jeanne Richardson

Jeffrey Steele Rocking Out - photo courtesy of Jeanne Richardson

Make plans to attend next years event.  Please visit their website: Remember Alex