Victoria Shaw, Rivers Rutherford and Dave Berg will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, in the fourth concert of the 2009 Bluebird on the Mountain series.
Held on the scenic grounds of Vanderbilt’s Dyer Observatory, Bluebird on the Mountain showcases artists from one of Nashville’s top music clubs, the Bluebird Cafe. The series was created in collaboration with Amy Kurland, who founded the Bluebird Cafe in 1982 and built the club into one of Nashville’s premier performance venues for songwriters before selling the venue to Nashville Songwriters Association International in late 2007.
Season tickets are sold out for this year’s series, but advance tickets for the remaining single shows are available through Ticketmaster, which will add a handling fee. Tickets are $95 for a carload. No RVs or buses will be admitted.
The daughter of musicians, Shaw began writing songs at an early age and performing with her sister in Los Angeles. Since moving to Nashville, she has enjoyed success as a writer, recording artist and producer. Shaw has penned No. 1 songs for Garth Brooks (“The River” and “She’s Every Woman”), Doug Stone (“Too Busy Being in Love”) and John Michael Montgomery (“I Love the Way You Love Me”). The song not only topped the charts but won an Academy of Country Music award for Song of the Year in 2003.
Shaw has recorded several albums since the mid-1990s including In Full View, Victoria Shaw, Old Friends, New Memories and Bring on the Love, with the last two albums appearing on her own Taffeta label. She has contributed original songs to popular daytime television programs including “As the World Turns,” “Days of Our Lives” and “One Life to Live” and received daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Original Song in 1999 and 2000. Shaw co-produced the debut album for country artists Lady Antebellum and served as executive producer for singer Patti Page’s album, Brand New Tennessee Waltz, which was released in 2001.
Named a 2006 Songwriter of the Year by ASCAP, Rutherford’s commercial break came when he managed to get the song “American Remains” recorded and placed on the album Highwaymen 2 in 1990 featuring music legends Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. In 1996 Rutherford signed with Universal Music Publishing and has had songs recorded by Faith Hill, Leann Rimes and Keith Urban.
In 2001 country duo Brooks & Dunn took Rutherford’s “Ain’t Nothing ‘Bout You” to the top of charts, where it remained for six weeks. The following year ASCAP named it Song of the Year. Tim McGraw took “Real Good Man” to the top of the charts in 2003 and the following year Montgomery Gentry hit with “If You Ever Stop Loving Me.”
Rutherford’s “When I Get Where I’m Going,” which was co-written with George Teren and recorded by Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton, was the basis for an inspirational book published by Thomas Nelson in 2006.
Berg moved to Nashville in the 1990s buoyed by the success of his song “I Want My Goodbye Back,” which was a Top Ten hit for Ty Herndon. The Portland, Ore., native has had chart-topping songs recorded by Reba McEntire (“Somebody”), Rodney Atkins (“If You’re Goin’ Through Hell [Before the Devil Even Knows]” and (“These Are My People”) and Emerson Drive (“Moments”).
Berg scored a string of hits in 2008 with songs recorded by Blake Shelton, Bucky Covington, Emerson Drive and Atkins and was named ASCAP’s Songwriter of the Year. He has recorded two albums, Three Perfect Days and Surface, which were released in 1999 and 2003, respectively.
Gates will open at 6 p.m. for the show and visitors 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.
If severe weather is forecast for show dates, please check the Dyer Observatory calendar for updates or call (615) 373-4897. Don Schlitz, Thom Schuyler, Fred Knobloch and Jellyroll Johnson are the scheduled performers for the next show, which is set for Saturday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m.
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/.
Media Contact: Chris Skinker (615) 322-NEWS
chris.skinker@vanderbilt.edu