NASHVILLE – A diverse lineup of music will be part of the city’s July 4th television broadcast honoring healthcare heroes, frontline workers and first responders: Folk rocker John Hiatt; rock Americana artist Lilly Hiatt; genre-bending blues and Americana artist Keb’ Mo’; and singer-songwriter Tenille Townes. The performances can only be viewed on the television broadcast and livestream, as there will be no public concert.
As previously announced, Music City will honor healthcare heroes, first responders and frontline workers with a televised show from downtown Nashville on July 4th. There will be no public concert or spectators allowed in parks. The show will air locally on NewsChannel 5 from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. CDT. The televised show will include the live music performances and a short fireworks display set to recorded music by Nashville artists. The four Nashville-based artists will perform one live song during the televised show. Go to visitmusiccity.com/july4th for information on the livestreamed event.
“While quite different from year’s past, this is a way to keep the music playing to fans around the world while honoring our healthcare heroes and frontline workers,” said Butch Spyridon, president and CEO, Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. “We’ve done a lot of preparation to make this a safe event, and we hope in this time of social distancing that everyone enjoys watching the show on TV from home. A special word of thanks to several of our partners who are covering the cost of the fireworks.”
Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th presented by Dr Pepper is taking a different tone this year in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to social distancing guidelines and the desire to responsibly keep the community safe, Riverfront Parks will be closed to discourage spectators.
Country music superstar Brad Paisley, who was previously scheduled to headline this year’s July 4th event, will instead headline in 2021, giving the community something to look forward to and visitors a reason to book a trip to Nashville next year.
Typically, the event attracts tens of thousands of spectators to Lower Broadway and generates millions of dollars in visitor spending by hosting a full day of free family activities, a free concert with a diverse lineup of Nashville-based talent and a 30-minute fireworks show choreographed to a live performance by the Nashville Symphony.
Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th is produced by the NCVC in support of the city. No Metro Nashville general fund revenue is used to put on the event. Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th is presented by Dr Pepper and partners include NewsChannel 5, Jack Daniel’s, Kroger, Omni Nashville Hotel, Tennessee Highway Safety Office: Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk and General Jackson Showboat.
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John Hiatt
Since 2000, John Hiatt has been on a remarkable run lately, releasing nine acclaimed studio albums and embarking on numerous tours in the United States and abroad. In fact, even as he prepared for the release of The Eclipse Sessions, Hiatt could be found traveling the robber’s highway in Europe with his old backing band, the Goners (featuring slide guitarist extraordinaire Sonny Landreth) for a tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of his 1988 album, Slow Turning. Since the release of his 1974 debut, Hangin’ Around the Observatory, rarely has more than a year or two passed without a new Hiatt collection hitting the shelves. His songs have been recorded by artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt (“Thing Called Love”), Emmylou Harris, Iggy Pop, Rosanne Cash (No. 1 country hit, “The Way We Make A Broken Heart”), the Jeff Healey Band (“Angel Eyes”), and even the cartoon bear band of the Disney film, The Country Bears. He earned a GRAMMY nomination for Crossing Muddy Waters, while B.B. King and Eric Clapton shared a GRAMMY for their album Riding With The King, the title track from which was a Hiatt composition. Hiatt has received a star on the Music City Walk of Fame, the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting, has been inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and was saluted at the Indiana Governor’s Arts Awards. johnhiatt.com
Lilly Hiatt
Written during a winter of deep stillness and self-reflection, Lilly Hiatt’s striking new album, Walking Proof, artfully balances the songwriter’s rough rock and roll exterior with her tender, country roots, exuding a bold vulnerability as she takes a long, hard look in the mirror and deconstructs her relationship with herself and the world around her. Produced by former Cage the Elephant guitarist Lincoln Parish and featuring guest appearances from Amanda Shires, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and legendary songwriter John Hiatt (who appears on record with his daughter here for the very first time), the collection is fueled by longing and gratitude in equal measure, effortlessly shifting from gentle intimacy to brawny grit and back over the course of its eleven insightful tracks. lillyhiatt.com
Keb’ Mo’
Keb’ Mo’ is a musical force that defies typical genre labels. Fourteen albums in total, he has garnered five GRAMMY awards, including his most recent 2019 release, Oklahoma, which won in the Best Americana Album category. Keb’s list of GRAMMY recognitions continues with 12 GRAMMY nominations, in total, including his 2014 self-produced release, BLUESAmericana, earning three nominations on its own, as well as a producer/engineer/artist GRAMMY Certificate for his track on the 2001 Country Album of the Year, Hank Williams Tribute – Timeless. The talented artist has also been awarded 14 Blues Foundation Awards and 6 BMI Awards for his work in television and film. In 2017, Keb’ Mo’ released TajMo, a collaborative album with the legendary Taj Mahal. The project won the 2018 GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Blues Album. It was also awarded Album of the Year and Contemporary Blues Album of the Year at the 39th Annual Blues Music Awards. Keb’ also took home the title of Contemporary Blues Male Artist of The Year. The multi-generational duo went on to tour the United States and Europe in support of their album. He has been featured in TV and film, playing Robert Johnson in the 1998 documentary “Can’t You Hear The Wind Howl,” appeared three times on the television series, “Touched By An Angel,” and was the ghostly bluesman Possum in John Sayles’ 2007 movie, “Honeydripper.” Keb’ has been a long-time supporter of the Playing For Change Foundation (PFCF), a nonprofit organization that creates positive change through music education. He is a celebrity mentor with the Kennedy Center’s Turnaround Arts program, which focuses on elementary and middle schools throughout the country. kebmo.com
Tenille Townes
The 26-year-old singer-songwriter earned accolades for her wise-beyond-her-years ballads even before she moved to Nashville in 2013. After years of taking in sets at the Bluebird Café and pushing herself in writing sessions, she started winning over Music Row with the songs that would eventually shape her acoustic EP, Living Room Worktapes. After signing with Columbia Nashville, Tenille connected with Jay Joyce in the fall of 2017. “Somebody’s Daughter” grew deafening with thunderous drums, handclaps and a reverberating electric guitar line, while “White Horse” and “Where You Are” popped with driving beats and galloping arrangements as well. Columbia Nashville released Living Room Worktapes by way of introduction in 2018. The revamped version of “Somebody’s Daughter” followed as her first single that fall, which quickly reached No. 29 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart. Her amplified sound got the welcome it deserved as she opened for Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town and Dierks Bentley on the road, and she took home four honors at the 2019 Canadian Country Music Association Awards. February 2020 delivered her Road to the Lemonade Stand EP; that served as a first taste of The Lemonade Stand, which Columbia Nashville will release in partnership with RCA Records on June 26. Named for a line from “Somebody’s Daughter,” Townes has savored the gradual build to her full-length debut as it encouraged her to reach new depths in her music while forging a deeper connection with her listeners. tenilletownes.com
The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp
The mission of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp is to maximize the economic contribution of the convention and tourism industry to the community by developing and marketing Nashville as a premier destination. Visit the NCVC’s website at www.visitmusiccity.com and follow us on social media:
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