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Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris and Special Guests Set to Perform at Best Buy Theater
The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s All for the Hall fundraiser will return to New York City for the first time in more than four years. The event, which will take place on Tuesday, February 26, at the Best Buy Theater, will again follow a “guitar pull” format, and will feature performances by Country Music Hall of Fame members Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris and special guests.
The evening offers a unique opportunity to see these acclaimed singer-songwriters interact with one another as they take turns swapping songs, stories and personal recollections. With Gill and Harris anchoring the lineup, new special guests each year ensure that the event is always one-of-a-kind; past participants include Zac Brown, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge, Patty Griffin, Levon Helm, Chris Isaak, Lionel Richie, Taylor Swift, Trisha Yearwood and Dwight Yoakam.
The “guitar pull” is a Nashville specialty; it originated in the homes of Nashville songwriters who gathered to try out new compositions for their peers. Nashville’s most storied guitar pulls were hosted by Johnny and June Carter Cash. The hallmarks of a great guitar pull are spontaneity and camaraderie.
The museum launched All for the Hall, its first-ever non-bricks-and-mortar fundraising campaign, in 2005. The campaign addresses the museum’s need for long-term financial security and will provide a safety net for the institution and its work. This is the sixth time the museum has taken its “annual giving” event on the road, hosting previous All for the Hall events in New York in 2007 and 2008 and in Los Angeles in 2009-11.
“We are delighted to be returning to New York, and look forward to offering patrons a unique country music experience and an opportunity to engage in the life of our 45-year-old educational organization,” said Museum Director Kyle Young. “This annual event facilitates understanding of the important collection, research and scholarship that are the essence of our great national museum. The contributed income derived from the event allows us to continue our mission of preserving the evolving history and traditions of country music; it helps to fund our dynamic changing exhibit schedule, our school programs, the hundreds of public programs we present each year, and more. We are very grateful for our warm welcome in previous years and look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones next month.”
The 2011 event, held in Los Angeles at Club Nokia, featured performances by Zac Brown, Kevin Cronin, Sheryl Crow, Gill and Harris. Describing that show, the Los Angeles Times’ Randy Lewis wrote, “All musicians have a story about their first instrument. At this annual round-robin ‘guitar pull’ session…the symbiotic connection between musicians and their tools is a fundamental one. That relationship is more palpable than ever since…flooding ravaged the country music capital and damaged or destroyed an untold number of instruments precious to those who not only earn a living with them, but who use them to express their deepest feelings. It was those emotions that were on display at Club Nokia during a relaxed and communal two-hour performance before an audience of about 2,000 people.”
The Orange County Register’s Steve Mirkin wrote, “It would appear the All for the Hall guitar pull is going to be around for a while. Once again L.A. Live’s Club Nokia hosted the third edition of the Country Music Hall of Fame’s benefit…and once again the two-hour show was a charming, informal look into songs and songwriters.”
All for the Hall New York patrons are offered their choice of tables of ten for $25,000 or $10,000. Individual tickets are available at $1,000 per seat. A cocktail reception and dinner will precede the guitar pull. A full list of table and ticket levels and benefits can be found on countrymusichalloffame.org/afthny. To purchase tickets or for more information, patrons may contact Rachel Shapiro at rshapiro@countrymusichalloffame.org or telephone (615) 416-2069.
All for the Hall New York is chaired by AEG Live Chairman Tim Leiweke and produced by CAA’s Rod Essig, Vector Management’s Ken Levitan and BMI’s Jody Williams.
The event is made possible by the generosity of AEG Live, Best Buy Theater and travel sponsor Southwest Airlines.
All for the Hall New York 2013 supporters to date include: Platinum Patron Greenberg Traurig, LLP; and Gold Patrons BMI, Mark Bloom (UBS Financial Services), CAA, City National Bank, NASCAR, Opry Entertainment and Vector Management.
About the Performers
Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill possesses an achingly beautiful tenor, award-winning songwriting skills and virtuoso guitar chops. Together, they’ve earned him millions of record sales, 20 Grammys and 18 CMA Awards. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007. Gill is also regarded as one of country music’s most generous humanitarians, participating in hundreds of charitable events throughout his career, including All for the Hall, the campaign to support the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Gill, president of the museum’s Board of Officers and Trustees, was also the museum’s 2009 Artist in Residence. He is a member of the Grammy-nominated band the Time Jumpers; Rounder Records released the band’s first studio album on September 11, 2012.
Emmylou Harris is a 12-time Grammy winner and Billboard Century Award recipient whose career spans 40 years. She has recorded more than 25 albums and has lent her talents to countless fellow artists’ recordings. Elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2008, she remains an inspiration to new generations of artists. Harris’ new collaborative album with Rodney Crowell, Old Yellow Moon, will be released February 26 on Nonesuch Records. In addition to music, Harris is a champion of many humanitarian causes, including landmine removal and animal rescue.
About the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The museum’s mission is the preservation of the history of country and related vernacular music rooted in southern culture. With the same educational mission, the foundation also operates CMF Records, the museum’s Frist Library and Archive, CMF Press, Historic RCA Studio B and Hatch Show Print®.
More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is available at countrymusichalloffame.org or by calling (615) 416-2001.
For more information about All for the Hall New York, please contact Carla Sacks at carla@sacksco.com, (212) 741-1000
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