NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The popular Bluebird on the Mountain concert series returns for its second season at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory with a show featuring top singer-songwriters Gary Nicholson and “Big Al” Anderson along with multitalented performer Kenny White.
Gates will open at 6 p.m. Advance tickets are available through Ticketmaster, which will add a handling fee. Tickets are limited, and past performances have sold out prior to the day of the show. The concert will be held rain or shine.
Nicholson has written more than 350 songs in various genres, including traditional and contemporary country and western, blues, pop/rock, folk and bluegrass. An accomplished guitarist, he released the album “The Sky is Not the Limit,” featuring artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Vince Gill, Ivan Neville and Steve Cropper, and has toured or recorded with Delbert McClinton, Guy Clark, Billy Joe Shaver, Bobby Bare and Tracy Nelson.
Nicholson’s production work with McClinton won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues, and he has produced other works for several artists, including The Judds, Wynonna and T. Graham Brown. His songs also have appeared in films such as “Urban Cowboy,” “Major League,” “City of Hope” and “Message in a Bottle.”
Anderson has won four BMI awards and one ASCAP award for his songs, which have been recorded by artists like Rascal Flatts, Hank Williams Jr., Tim McGraw, the Allman Brothers, The Mavericks, Etta James, Leann Rimes, Vince Gill and Trisha Yearwood.
He was the 2000 BMI Writer of the Year and won the 1996 ASCAP Country Award for most performed song with “Without Your Love.” A longtime singer-songwriter and guitarist with The New Rhythm and Blues Quartet, Anderson has released three solo albums.
A wizard on the piano and keyboards, White has worked with several artists as a producer and also has released two solo albums and an EP. His latest album, “Symphony in Sixteen Bars,” was released last year on folk legend Judy Collins‘ record label, Wildflower Records.
White began his career writing and producing television and radio commercials, which allowed him to work with stars such as Linda Ronstadt, Dwight Yoakam, Gladys Knight, Aaron Neville, Ricky Skaggs, Al Jarreau and Kim Carnes. He went on to produce the Grammy-nominated song “I Don’t Know Why” by Shawn Colvin and Peter Wolf‘s critically acclaimed album “Fools Parade & Sleepless,” working with Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.
Bluebird on the Mountain presents artists from the stage of Nashville’s renowned Bluebird Café singing on scenic observatory grounds overlooking the city. The series is booked by Amy Kurland, founder and owner of the Bluebird Café. Other dates for the 2006 season are June 10, July 8, Aug. 12, Sept. 9 and Oct. 14.
Season tickets for carloads with a maximum of eight people are $300 for six shows, and single season tickets are available for $150. No RV’s or buses will be admitted. Single show tickets are $70 for a carload and $30 per person. Visitors are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs and pack a picnic basket.
After the show, visitors can stay to look at the heavens using the observatory’s Seyfert telescope.
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: Todd Vessel, (615) 322-NEWS
todd.vessel@vanderbilt.edu