Latest news with #CountryMusicHallofFameandMuseum
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
My music students will play at CMA Fest. More kids need this opportunity
I was 11 years old when I first played with a brass band on a big stage outside my home city of New Orleans. I can still remember the thrill of hearing our jazzy, rhythmic sound meet the roar of applause from an appreciative audience. This weekend, 62 adolescents and early teens from the Tremé and surrounding neighborhoods of New Orleans will, like me, get their chance to perform away from home at the CMA Fest here in Nashville. It's a big deal. These kids, part of the Marching Crusaders band program, come from low-income communities and under-resourced schools. Our afterschool program gives them the opportunity to learn the foundations of music, join a marching band, and perform live — while also getting academic tutoring, hot meals, and the chance to forge connections with their peers and the adults who care about them. I started the program in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which left our city bereft of so much — including music education. Our marching bands, a mainstay of our schools and a highlight of community events, were struggling. Fast forward two decades and the tradition is as popular as ever, particularly in high schools. More: Can music education boost grades, attendance? A new case study suggests it might Our program enrolls both elementary and middle school students and aims to get them ready for high school and college band opportunities, and — for those with the dream — life as professional musicians. But there are plenty of other reasons to provide wraparound services and music programs to students nationwide. Too many families who need aftercare programs don't have access to them. And music education isn't reaching many kids from low-income backgrounds who would benefit from the training and the support services that organizations like ours provide. We designed the Marching Crusaders program for students ages 9-14, because it's a formative time in a child's life when they can use help beyond what's available in the traditional school day. Risk taking increases, and mental health challenges are up. The Nation's Report Card shows middle schoolers are experiencing major academic declines and having difficulty making up lost ground related to the pandemic. Learning music helps children develop discipline and has been linked to positive academic outcomes. Our program also offers daily tutoring and celebrates the Crusaders' academic progress on a weekly basis when our staff distributes prizes, provided by our generous partners, to top academic achievers. I really enjoy having the kids run over to pass me their report card and get a photo of us showcasing their accomplishments. I always try to learn from others, and there are nonprofits in Music City worthy of attention and public support. I'm impressed with the work of W.O. Smith Music School, which provides low-income students with high-quality music instruction; the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's Words & Music program, focused on songwriting; and Notes for Notes, which provides youth access to instruments and recording studios, to name just a few. More: Inside the nonprofit studio that lets Nashville kids make music for free. 'When you walk in here you're an artist' And. of course, there's the CMA Foundation, which invests the proceeds from CMA Fest into music education programs, including the one I lead. But there's no question kids need more, and perhaps we should all be looking for ways to provide it. The Marching Crusaders program serves around 200 kids, but we have a waitlist that garners hundreds of applications within days of opening, even if we only have 20 slots to fill. It hurts to have to turn kids away every year. Especially at this moment of economic uncertainty and proposed education funding cuts, communities can strengthen music education. That can happen when nationally known artists, like those who call Nashville home, use their voice for good, or when communities find a way to expand and fund in-school and out-of-school music education. Helping can also mean letting young artists take the stage during events like CMA Fest — even when those kids look and sound a little different from other performers. More: Country stars share how music teachers changed their lives. Top moments from CMA Foundation awards It's also so valuable to mentor kids and provide space for them to practice and play. I got my start learning drums in the childhood home of famed jazz musician Trombone Shorty. His mom, Lois Nelson Andrews, had a big heart and open door for budding musicians. Later, trumpeter Milton Batiste put me on the stage with the Olympia Brass Band. Today, I'm just paying it forward. The Crusader Marching Band is the largest of several programs that fall under our nonprofit, The Roots of Music. The others include an in-school kindergarten and elementary program and a high school audio engineering and production program. I believe children are the roots of music. We must nourish and take care of our roots. We'll all be better off for it. Derrick Tabb is the founder and Executive Director of The Roots of Music nonprofit. An acclaimed musician, he plays the snare drum with the Grammy-award winning Rebirth Brass Band. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville CMA Fest is a great lesson, chance for children | Opinion
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Marine Corps celebrating 250th birthday with week of events in Nashville
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — As part of the year-long 250th birthday celebration for the U.S. Marine Corps, numerous events are taking place around Nashville this week. According to officials, Marine Week Nashville will offer an array of military equipment, aircraft, military bands, and opportunities to meet Marines as they set up interactive displays and participate in community relations projects across the city. 101st Airborne Division welcomes new commanding general at Change of Command ceremony The Marine Corps already kicked off the celebration at the NASCAR Cup Series at the Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon on Sunday, June 1, but here's the schedule for the rest of the week: Monday, June 2 Physical training with the Marines at Bicentennial State Park in Nashville from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. (with registration at 6:30 a.m.) Morning colors ceremony at 8 a.m. and evening colors ceremony at 8 p.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville Wreath laying ceremony at the Bicentennial State Park World War II Memorial in Nashville from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Folds of Honor Tennessee Rock 'n' Jock Celebrity Softball Game at First Horizon Park in Nashville at 6:30 p.m. (with a performance by the Silent Drill Platoon, Color Guard, and Band prior to the National Anthem) Tuesday, June 3 Physical training with the Marines at Bicentennial State Park in Nashville from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. (with registration at 6:30 a.m.) Morning colors ceremony at 8 a.m. and evening colors ceremony at 8 p.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville Wreath laying ceremony at the Bicentennial State Park World War II Memorial in Nashville from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Marine Corps Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Collaboration Profectus Jiu-Jitsu at 69 Lindsley Avenue in Nashville from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Civic Plaza 250th ceremony at 111 West Vine Street in Murfreesboro from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. (with a cake cutting and proclamation with performances by the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band and the Silent Drill Platoon) Wednesday, June 4 Physical training with the Marines at Bicentennial State Park in Nashville from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. (with registration at 6:30 a.m.) Morning colors ceremony at 8 a.m. and evening colors ceremony at 8 p.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville Commemoration ceremony at Bicentennial State Park World War II Memorial in Nashville at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 5 Morning colors ceremony at 8 a.m. and evening colors ceremony at 8 p.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville Wreath laying ceremony at the Bicentennial State Park World War II Memorial in Nashville from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Marines 250 at CMA Fest in Nashville from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. 'Join us at Marine Corps Alley, climb aboard Marine Corps equipment, try on gear, test yourself with a pull-up challenge, and enjoy performances by 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band. The outdoor display will be at 4th and Broadway as well as an indoor activation across the street at Music City Center,' the Marine Week website states. Friday, June 6 Morning colors ceremony at 8 a.m. and evening colors ceremony at 8 p.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville Wreath laying ceremony at the Bicentennial State Park World War II Memorial in Nashville from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Marines 250 at CMA Fest at 201 Rep. John Lewis Way S in Nashville from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nashville Sounds baseball game featuring the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band, a flyover, a National Anthem Singer, and Color Guard, as well as a Poolee swearing-in ceremony, at First Horizon Park in Nashville, where the gates open at 5:35 p.m. Saturday, June 7 Marines 250 at CMA Fest at 201 Rep. John Lewis Way S in Nashville from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 8 Marines 250 at CMA Fest at 201 Rep. John Lewis Way S in Nashville from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. To learn more about the Marines' 250th birthday celebration, click here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Country star Lorrie Morgan's 6th husband dead at 72 after cancer battle
Lorrie Morgan is mourning the death of her sixth husband, Randy White. The country star, 65, confirmed Sunday that White passed away from mouth cancer at age 72. 'Randy has been my partner, my champion and my rock for 17 years,' she wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of the couple. 'Our big, wonderful family and I are devastated at the loss of this truly kind and incredible man.' 9 Randy White and Lorrie Morgan during 'An Intimate Night With The Morgans' in Nashville in 2017. Getty Images 9 Lorrie Morgan with her sixth husband, Randy White. lorriemorgan_official/Instagram 'I was blessed by his love. Ran-Ran, I will love and miss you forever,' Morgan added. Morgan's son, singer Jesse Keith Whitley, shared a tribute on Facebook to his late stepfather. 'As I sit here in the room with hospice, I don't know really what to think or to say about this situation,' Whitley, 37, wrote. 'But, I can say that the recent years of my life all the way back to when I was 22-23 years old this great man has been here and loved my mom, and also me & my sister as we were his own.' 9 Randy White and Jesse Keith Whitley. Jesse Keith Whitely/Facebook Whitley continued: 'He has shown unconditional love to my mother and been the most gentle soul to ever grace this entire family. As we say our goodbyes , I reminisce of all the good times we have had & the battles he has helped overcome.' 'We will miss you always and forever and our hearts are shattered in losing you,' Morgan's son added. 'But you have fought one helluva fight RanMan!' 9 Jesse Keith Whitley's tribute to Randy White. Jesse Keith Whitely/Facebook 9 Photos of Randy White with his loved ones. Jesse Keith Whitely/Facebook White, a retired entrepreneur, married Morgan in a private beachside ceremony in September 2010. In April 2024, Morgan announced that White was undergoing treatment for mouth cancer. 'We deeply appreciate the prayers and well wishes, and for continued support and privacy as we focus on Randy's health and on our family at this time,' she said in a statement. 9 Randy White and Lorrie Morgan attend the class of 2022 Medallion Ceremony at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Later that year, the 'Something in Red' singer told her fans that White was 'making some progress.' In April, Morgan canceled her upcoming shows due to her husband's health. 9 Lorrie Morgan with Husband Randy White backstage at City Winery in Nashville in 2015. Getty Images 9 Lorrie Morgan and Randy White attends Tootsie's Orchid Lounge 50th Anniversary Celebration in Nashville in 2010. WireImage 'Morgan's husband of nearly 15 years, Randy White, has been undergoing treatment for mouth cancer,' Morgan's manager Tony Conway said in a statement. 'White has been readmitted to a hospital in Middle Tennessee.' White was Morgan's sixth husband. Her first marriage was to musician Ron Gaddis from 1979 to 1981. They had a daughter, Morgan Anastasia Gaddis. 9 Lorrie Morgan performs during Still Playing Possum: Music And Memories Of George Jones at Propst Arena in Von Braun Center on April 25, 2023 in Huntsville, Alabama. Getty Images Morgan was then married to singer Keith Whitley from 1986 until Whitley's death from alcohol poisoning in 1989. They welcomed son Jesse Keith Whitley during their marriage. In 1991, Morgan married her third husband, former bus driver Brad Thompson. They got divorced in 1993. Morgan's fourth and fifth marriages were to country singers Jon Randall (from 1996 to 1999) and Sammy Kershaw (from 2001 to 2007).
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dolly Parton kicks off Nashville premiere of new Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit featuring lyrics, outfits and more
Dolly Parton's indomitable spirit will be displayed in a new exhibition, "Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker" at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum until Sept. 2026. The opening was celebrated with a May 19 private debut and a brief ceremony attended by Parton. It featured performances of Parton's songs 'Coat of Many Colors' and "The Seeker' performed by Alison Krauss & Union Station. "It's a long way from the top of the Smoky Mountains to the top of the world," said Parton, about her new exhibit. Access to the "Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker" exhibit is included with museum admission. A limited number of timed tickets for the exhibit are available each day. Reservations are encouraged and ticket availability can be found on the museum's website. "Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker" displays clothing, awards, handwritten lyrics, instruments, photographs, interview footage and more, including: Parton's first draft of handwritten lyrics to her classic song and No. 1 country hit 'Jolene.' A custom-built Gibson five-string banjo with a white metallic finish, rhinestone embellishments and butterfly motifs used by Parton at performances in 1992 and on her 'Halos & Horns Tour' in 2002. A cowgirl outfit Parton wore in the 1980 Hollywood film '9 to 5.' Hand-painted and beaded boots, designed by Bambi Breakstone, which Parton wore at the photoshoot for her 2002 album, Halos & Horns. The Kennedy Center Honors medallion Parton was presented in 2006 to honor her lifetime of contributions to American culture. A Tony Chase-designed lace dress, embellished with pearl beading that Parton wore when she performed the R&B classic 'I'm a Hog for You Baby.' It was a duet with the Muppets character Miss Piggy on an episode of Parton's ABC-TV variety series, 'Dolly!,' in 1987. The Gibson L-30 archtop acoustic guitar, built around 1935 — given to Parton as a gift from her brother Floyd Parton — which she played in the 1991 music video for 'Silver and Gold,' from her album Eagle When She Flies. The dress, with balloon sleeves, chiffon skirt, bugle beading and rhinestone accents, Parton wore at a 1978 photoshoot by celebrity photographer Harry Langdon Jr. The likeness of her on a Dolly Parton-themed pinball machine, made by Bally in 1979, was based on one of Langdon's photos of her in this dress. Designed for Parton by Lucy Adams, a pantsuit with bell sleeves, bell bottoms and rhinestone-and-bead embellished floral shapes, worn by Parton when she toured with her Traveling Family Band in 1975, and on the cover of Dolly, her 1975 album also known as The Seeker/We Used To. "From immediately deciding to embrace country music instead of being a pop singer, or when she moved her career to Los Angeles (in the 1980s), then started the Dollywood amusement park and the Imagination Library, Dolly's always remained her own person in often making choices that countered (what people advised her to do)," said Michael McCall, associate director of editorial, at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. "Dolly fought each step of the way to maintain her vision, alongside being a charismatic entertainer and talented performer." She highlighted that even at the start of her career, making her Grand Ole Opry debut at age 13 alongside her Uncle Bill Owens in 1959, she received three encores on country music's most prestigious stage. Despite this, Opry stage manager Walter Kilpatrick initially deemed her too young to perform. Knoxville-based Opry members Carl and Pearl Butler convinced fellow Opry member Jimmy C. Newman to agree to give up one of his regular Saturday night spots to Parton, who was introduced to the stage by Johnny Cash. "From the beginning, because of how she envisioned her career's success, it was as if she was destined to manifest global stardom," added McCall. "I love that we have Dolly's fax machine in the exhibition," McCall continued. In the early 1980s, Parton needed a fax machine to review multi-million-dollar global contracts, as her gamble on becoming a Los Angeles-based film and music star had paid off handsomely. She released "Islands in the Stream," a triple-platinum pop crossover hit duet with Kenny Rogers, penned by the Bee Gees. Additionally, she starred in the films 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas' and 'Rhinestone' alongside Burt Reynolds and Sylvester Stallone, respectively, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1985, Parton invested $5 million in the Silver Dollar City amusement park in her native Sevier County, Tenn. One year later, the park was rechristened as "Dollywood." Meanwhile, per U.S. census data, the population of Pigeon Forge jumped 66% between 1980 and 1990, and over 100% from 1990 to the present day. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum will hold a variety of programs, including public programs and arts and crafts programming for families. Visitors can find more information on the exhibit and upcoming related programming via An illustrated and in-depth exhibit companion book supplements the gallery presentation, featuring historical photographs and artifacts from the exhibit. The book is now available via the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's store. It will also be available in bookstores and online outlets through a distribution partnership with the University of Illinois Press. An additional display that celebrates Parton's literacy community, created through Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, is presented in the museum's Taylor Swift Education Center. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What's in Dolly Parton's new Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit?
San Francisco Chronicle
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Linda Ronstadt tribute concert to feature Emmylou Harris, Trisha Yearwood
An all-star lineup of country and rock luminaries is expected to gather in Nashville this summer to honor one of music's most boundary-breaking voices. Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris, Patti Scialfa, Rodney Crowell and James Taylor are slated to perform in a tribute concert celebrating Linda Ronstadt and the Los Angeles country-rock scene on July 22 at the CMA Theater. The event pays homage to Ronstadt, whose soaring vocals and genre-defying catalog made her a defining figure of the 1970s country-rock movement. 'Linda Ronstadt is a big reason I wanted to be a singer,' Yearwood said in a statement. 'I'm honored to be a part of celebrating Linda and this incredible era of music that is such an important part of the history of country music.' The evening will spotlight Ronstadt's enduring influence through performances of her songs and other country-rock classics. It also highlights her deep connections to several of the performers. Crowell, Harris and Taylor — all award-winning artists in their own right — were key contributors to the genre's rise. Scialfa, a longtime member of Bruce Springsteen 's E Street Band, will also lend her voice to the celebration. The concert is presented in conjunction with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's exhibition 'Western Edge: The Roots and Reverberations of Los Angeles Country-Rock.' Ronstadt has not performed publicly since losing her voice to a rare neurological disorder in 2012. Still, her influence remains profound — especially for Yearwood, who commemorated her at the 2019 Kennedy Center Honors with a performance of the 1974 hit 'You're No Good' that moved her husband, Garth Brooks, to tears and earned a standing ovation from Ronstadt. 'To be a part of honoring Linda at the Kennedy Center last night was a lifelong dream fulfilled,' Yearwood later wrote on Instagram. 'Thank you, Linda for teaching me through your life and music to trust myself and follow my instincts. I love you.' Though Ronstadt spent her early years in Tucson, Ariz. and the Rio Sonora region of Northern Mexico and rose to fame in Los Angeles, she has lived in San Francisco's Sea Cliff neighborhood for the past three decades. To mark her 78th birthday last year, the city's Board of Supervisors officially declared a Linda Ronstadt Day in her honor.
