The fourth Bluebird on the Mountain concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11, and promises to be one of the highlights of this year’s series. Singer-songwriters Don Schlitz, Thom Schuyler and Fred Knobloch, whose work dominated the country charts in the 1980s and ‘90s, will perform at Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory. Harmonica player Kirk “Jelly Roll” Johnson will also perform at the concert.
Bluebird on the Mountain presents artists from the stage of Nashville’s Bluebird Café singing on scenic observatory grounds overlooking the city. The series is booked by the club’s owner, Amy Kurland, who founded the Bluebird Café in 1982.
A member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Don Schlitz is the only writer to win four consecutive Country Songwriter of the Year awards from the publishing organization ASCAP. Just five years after moving to Nashville, Schlitz hit it big with Kenny Rogers’ recording of his song, “The Gambler,” which was named the CMA Song of the Year and the Grammy’s Country Song of the Year in 1979. Randy Travis, The Judds, Alabama and the late Keith Whitley are just a handful of the artists whose careers were shaped by Schlitz’s songs. Schlitz has amassed an enviable string of successes, some 40 Top Ten hits in all, including “On the Other Hand,” “Strong Enough to Bend,” “I Feel Lucky” and “When You Say Nothing at All.”
Thom Schuyler has won numerous songwriting awards since arriving in Nashville in the late 1970s. Lacy J. Dalton’s recording of Schuyler’s poignant ode to songwriters, “16th Avenue,” remains a perennial favorite of country radio. Additionally, Schuyler scored the chart single “Love Will Turn You Around” with Kenny Rogers and has had his songs recorded by artists ranging from Paul Overstreet to The Judds and Levon Helm of The Band. For six years, Schuyler was a vice president of operations at RCA Records and is currently writing a non-fiction collection of stories entitled How to Get Out of the Music Business.
Bluebird owner Amy Kurland credits Fred Knobloch with the “in the round” concept that is now so familiar on Nashville stages. A native of Mississippi, Knobloch landed work as a part-time session guitarist for the R & B-blues-gospel based MALACO Studios before enjoying a solo career on the West coast.
Since moving to Nashville in the early 1980s, Knobloch has achieved success not only as a songwriter but as a member of the group SKB with fellow tunesmiths Schuyler and Craig Bickhardt, who recorded a pair of successful albums for MTM. As a songwriter, Knobloch has been a fixture on the Billboard charts with such hits as “If My Heart Had Wings” by Faith Hill, “Meanwhile” by George Strait and Lorrie Morgan’s “Back in Your Arms Again.” Additionally, Knobloch had cuts by Ray Charles, Trisha Yearwood and John Anderson.
Johnson, who won the Academy of Country Music’s award for best Specialty Instrument in 2003, has appeared on numerous albums since moving to Nashville in 1984. His credits include work with Alison Krauss, Shania Twain, B. B. King, Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw.
Advance tickets are available through Ticketmaster, which will add a handling fee. Tickets are sold by the carload (up to eight people per car) for $80. Tickets are limited, and past performances have sold out in advance of the show, so it is advisable to purchase tickets early. All concerts will be held rain or shine.
Concert attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket, lawn chairs and pack a picnic basket. After the show, visitors can linger to stargaze using the observatory’s Seyfert telescope.
The next Bluebird on the Mountain show is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15, and will feature Pat Alger, Marc Beeson and James Dean Hicks. The final show of the season is on Oct. 13 with Steve Seskin, Allen Shamblin and Chuck Jones performing.
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: Chris Skinker, (615) 322-NEWS
Chris.skinker@vanderbilt.edu