The Bluebird on the Mountain concert series returns to Vanderbilt’s historic Dyer Observatory for its sixth season beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 22. Gates will open at 5:30. This year’s series opens with a show featuring performances by Rodney Crowell, Beth Neilsen Chapman and Marcus Hummon.
The 2010 series – which includes six concerts – runs from May 22 to Oct. 2 and will showcase more than a dozen of Nashville’s most popular singer-songwriters.
Season tickets are available through Ticketmaster, either online or by calling (615) 256-9600. A limited number of advance tickets for single shows are also available through the ticket outlet, which will add a handling fee. Single show tickets are $95 for a carload. No individual tickets will be available for the series. In the event of severe weather activity, check the Dyer Observatory calendar or call (615)373-4897 for updates the day of the concert.
Visitors are encouraged to bring a blanket, lawn chairs and a picnic basket. After the show, visitors can linger to stargaze using the observatory’s Seyfert telescope. No RVs or buses will be admitted.
Since moving from his native Texas to Nashville in the early 1970s to hone his skills as a songwriter, Crowell has worn many hats. He was a charter member of Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band, formed and recorded with the Cherry Bombs (a band that included Vince Gill), and produced highly acclaimed albums by Rosanne Cash ( King’s Record Shop ), Guy Clark ( Better Days ) and Jim Lauderdale ( Planet of Love ). Throughout the ’80s songs penned by Crowell dominated the country charts and include chart-toppings hits by Crystal Gayle (“’Till I Gain Control Again,”) Waylon Jennings (“I Ain’t Living Long Like This”) and the Oak Ridge Boys (“Leavin’ Louisiana in the Broad Daylight”).
In 1989 Crowell won a Grammy for Country Song of the Year for his recording of “After All This Time,” one of five No. 1 singles from the album Diamonds and Dirt . Crowell’s other recordings included Life is Messy (1992), The Houston Kid (2001) and more recently Gasoline and Sex (2008). In 2003 he was inducted in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Chapman has enjoyed a successful career as both a songwriter and adult contemporary radio artist. Chapman wrote her first song at age 11 and began her career performing in clubs in Mobile, Ala. After relocating to Nashville, Chapman worked as a session vocalist while also writing hits for Willie Nelson (“Nothing I Can Do About It Now”) and Lorrie Morgan (“Five Minutes”). Faith Hill’s 1998 recording of “This Kiss,” which Chapman co-wrote with Robbie Lerner and Annie Roboff, topped the country charts and rose to the No. 3 position on the adult contemporary charts.
In 1990 Chapman released the first in a series of albums for Reprise, Beth Neilsen Chapman , which broke the Top 20 on Billboard’s album chart. Her follow-up albums for the label included You Hold the Key and Sand and Water . Since that time, Chapman has recorded for the Artemis, Compass and her own imprint BNC labels. Beginning in 2004, Chapman began an exploration of religious music culminating in the release of Hymns and Prism: The Human Family Songbook . Chapman’s songs have also been featured in the films Prince of Egypt , Message in a Bottle and Where the Heart Is . Chapman’s next album, Back to Love , is scheduled for release on May 25.
Hummon is known not only as a top country songwriter, but also as a writer of prose and musical dramas. Moving to Nashville in search of a recording career, Hummon landed a deal with Columbia Records and released his first album, All in Good Time , in 1995. Prior to that release, however, he had established himself as a major songwriting force providing hits for Alabama (“Cheap Seats”) and Wynonna (“Tell Me Why”). Subsequent recordings of his songs by the Dixie Chicks (“Cowboy Take Me Away”), Sara Evans (“Born to Fly”) and Rascal Flatts (“Bless the Broken Road,” for which Hummon won a Grammy) all reached the top of the music charts.
In the 1990s, Hummon began to explore other outlets for his songwriting and began working in musical theater. His credits include American Duet , Francis of Guernica , Warrior , The Piper , Atlanta and Surrender Road . Hummon formed his own label, Velvet Armadillo, in 1997 and has released a series of albums on that imprint including The Sound of One Fan Clapping and Looking for the Child . Hummon published his first book, Anytime, Anywhere: A Little Boy’s Prayer in 2009.
Additional show dates for this season’s series are scheduled for June 19, July 24, Aug. 21, Sept. 18 and Oct. 2. Gates will open at 6 p.m. for the 8 p.m. shows. The Oct. 2 show, however, has a 7 p.m. start time with gates opening at 5:30 p.m.
Other artists scheduled to appear during this year’s series include Thom Schuyler, Kent Blazy, Allen Shamblin and Lori McKenna.
Dyer Observatory is located at 1000 Oman Drive, off Granny White Pike between Old Hickory Boulevard and Otter Creek Road, near Radnor Lake. Directions are available at http://www.dyer.vanderbilt.edu/ .
Built in 1953, Dyer Observatory was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. The property consists of the observatory, 1953 house and garage and 2006 Star Chamber. The observatory serves as a community resource for the teaching of science as well as a venue for public, private and corporate events.
Media Contact: Chris Skinker, (615) 322-NEWS
chris.skinker@vanderbilt.edu