NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Allen Shamblin, Steve Seskin and Chuck Jones will perform 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 13, at Dyer Observatory. This final show of the 2007 Bluebird on the Mountain series closes the third year of the highly popular outdoor concerts.
Bluebird on the Mountain spotlights artists from the stage of Bluebird Café, a mecca for Nashville’s songwriters. The series is booked by Amy Kurland, founder and owner of the Bluebird Café.
Shamblin arrived in Nashville from Austin two decades ago. The one-time real estate appraiser worked a variety of odd jobs in Nashville until he landed a writing deal in 1988 with Hayes Street Music, a publishing company owned in part by songwriting great Don Schlitz. The following year Shamblin’s song “He Walked on Water” was recorded by Randy Travis and earned him the attention of the Nashville songwriting community. Shamblin now has over 700 songs to his credit that span a variety of musical genres.
Just a few of the artists who have recorded Shamblin’s songs include Bonnie Raitt, “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” (co-written with Mike Reid), David Ball, “Thinkin’ Problem” and Keith Urban, “Where the Blacktop Ends,” (co-written with Steve Wariner).
Seskin is among Music City’s most well-respected writers of the last decade. He has penned seven No. 1 songs, including the Tim McGraw hit, “Grown Men Don’t Cry.” Others who have taken Seskin’s songs to the upper tier of the charts include Neil McCoy, “For a Change” and “No Doubt About It,” John Michael Montgomery, “No Man’s Land,” and Kenny Chesney, “All I Need to Know.”
Seskin is also a much in-demand performer, teacher and speaker. He is a top draw at such well regarded festivals including those anchored in Kerrville, Texas, Napa Valley and Vancouver, B. C. and is a regular instructor at songwriting workshops.
His song “Don’t Laugh at Me,” which was co-written with Shamblin, served as the inspiration for a children’s book and the Operation Respect project, which promotes character education among children. Seskin performs at school assemblies around the country in support of the project.
Jones, who rounds out the performance, began his musical career in Memphis performing in rock, pop and soul bands. Jones moved to Nashville in the 1980s, where he focused on his songwriting, signing with Hamstein Music in 1989.
In 1994, Jones scored a pair of hits with John Berry’s recording of “Your Love Amazes Me,” a No. 1 country single that was named the TNN/Music City News Country Song of the Year and “Love a Little Stronger” (co-written with Billy Crittenden and Gregory Swint), which was recorded by Diamond Rio. Other artists who have recorded Jones’ songs include Patti LaBelle, Peter Cetera, Ronnie Milsap, Deanna Carter and Clint Black.
Tickets for the concert are priced at $80 for a carload and $30 per person. The show will be held rain or shine.
Concert attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket, lawn chairs and pack a picnic basket. Weather permitting, visitors can linger after the show to stargaze 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/.
Media contact: Chris Skinker, (615) 322-NEWS
chris.skinker@vanderbilt.edu