NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt University’s Music on the Mountain concert series takes a turn toward songwriting-Bluebird CafÈ style-on Saturday, June 26.
Songwriters Gary Burr, Hugh Prestwood and Mike Reid will perform at 7 p.m. at "A Stellar Songwriters Evening: Music on the Mountain," presented by the Bluebird CafÈ and the Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory.
Visitors are encouraged to pack a picnic and bring blankets and lawn chairs for comfort. A limited variety of food and drinks will be sold by the Granny White Market. The grounds will open at 6 p.m.
"I got married at the Dyer Observatory last fall, and I love the space and I love the people who work there," said Amy Kurland, owner of the Bluebird CafÈ. "When we talked about doing concerts there, I couldn’t think of a more magical outdoor performance place for songwriters."
Burr, Prestwood and Reid are regulars at the Bluebird CafÈ, Nashville’s premier venue for songwriters. Hit songs by the trio include "Stranger in My House" by Ronnie Milsap and "I Can’t Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt (Reid), "Hard Times for Lovers" by Judy Collins and "The Song Remembers When" by Trisha Yearwood (Prestwood), and "I Would be Stronger Than That" by Faith Hill and "Nobody Wants to be Lonely" by Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera (Burr).
In the spirit of the old drive-in movies, admission will be $50 per carload of people. Cars can contain a maximum of eight people and no RV’s or buses will be admitted. Tickets may be purchased through Ticketmaster, which will add a handling fee. Only 100 tickets will be sold, and the concert will be held rain or shine.
"The observatory grounds are a scenic location and are especially beautiful at twilight, when the show will start," said Rick Chappell, director of Dyer Observatory. "We hope people will enjoy the music and the sunset and then will come into the observatory after the concert to look at the stars through the Seyfert telescope."
The Bluebird CafÈ opened in 1982 and quickly established itself as a haven for the songwriting community. The club has played a role in the careers of stars including Garth Brooks and Kathy Mattea and is known as a room where songwriters can expect rapt audience attention as they perform. The club was the setting for the film "The Thing Called Love" starring Samantha Mathis and River Phoenix and currently broadcasts "Live from the Bluebird CafÈ" on the Turner South cable network.
There have been three Music on the Mountain concerts at Dyer since 2003 featuring musicians from the Blair School of Music. These have included an Appalachian music group, a brass ensemble and a jazz/swing band. Officials at Blair and Dyer plan future collaborations in the concert series.
"The songwriters evening will be something new for the fourth Music on the Mountain event," Chappell said. "We’re excited about being able to partner with Amy Kurland and the Bluebird CafÈ and to connect further to Nashville’s music community."
Dyer Observatory is located at 1000 Oman Drive, off Granny White Pike between Old Hickory Boulevard and Otter Creek Road, near Radnor Lake. A map is available at www.dyer.vanderbilt.edu/directions.htm.
Media contact: Jim Patterson, (615) 322-NEWS
jim.patterson@vanderbilt.edu