Evening Celebrates Launch of New Album
Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City
Available in Stores June 16

NASHVILLE, Tenn., – June 4, 2015 – To celebrate the release of Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City, a two-disc audio companion to the exhibition of the same name, the Country Music Hall of Fame ® and Museum will host a FREE concert to be held on 5th Avenue South, between Demonbreun Street and Korean Veterans Boulevard, on July 7, hosted by Hippie Radio’s Whit Hubner and Chris Lucky.

The all-star line-up of artists set to perform includes John Carter Cash and Ana Cristina, Julie Christensen, Radney Foster, Jeff Hanna (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Jamie Hartford, Al Kooper, Kathy Mattea, Tracy Nelson (who contributed to the album’s liner notes), Michael Nesmith (Monkees), Jason Ringenberg (Jason & The Scorchers), Britt Ronstadt (Linda Ronstadt’s niece), and special guests. Tracks from the new album will be performed live by Music City favorites the Long Players led by Bill Lloyd (serving as the evening’s house band) and by some of the legendary session players from the original recordings, including Nashville Cats Mac Gayden, Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie McCoy and Norbert Putnam.

The family-friendly evening begins at 5 p.m. with face painting and balloon artists for kids.  Some of Nashville’s favorite food trucks will be on hand, and guests will be able to purchase Mexican cuisine, including tacos, quesadillas, and flautas—as well as wine, beer and margaritas—from Bajo Sexto Taco, located at the museum. The concert begins at 6:00 p.m. and the first 200 attendees to arrive will receive a commemorative Hatch Show Print poster.

“When Bob Dylan came to Nashville, he provided a catalyst for many other pop, rock and folk artists to record in Music City,” says Kyle Young, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum CEO. “We are thrilled to assemble some of those artists on one stage for one night only. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate that magical time and the unforgettable recordings they created than with a community concert.”

The album Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City, featuring a previously unreleased version of Bob Dylan's "If Not for You" and 35 other essential tracks, will be released on June 16. Issued jointly by Sony Legacy Recordings and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum,  the collection features classic recordings such as the Byrds’ “You Ain’t Going Nowhere,” J.J. Cale’s “Crazy Mama,” Johnny Cash’s “It Ain’t Me, Babe,” Leonard Cohen’s “Bird on the Wire,” Bob Dylan’s “Absolutely Sweet Marie,” George Harrison’s “Behind That Locked Door,” John Hartford’s “Gentle on My Mind,” Paul McCartney’s “Sally G,” the Monkees’ “Some of Shelly’s Blues,” Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer” and Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold,” among others. The CD set closes with Derek & the Dominos (fronted by Eric Clapton), Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash performing “Matchbox” on the Johnny Cash Show in 1970.

Fans can also follow a special Spotify playlist with cuts from the album and commentary from Charlie Daniels, who worked as a studio musician, playing lead guitar and bass, on albums by Dylan, Cohen, and others.

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum exhibition Dylan, Cash, and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City Presented by Citi, opened March 27, 2015, and runs through December 31, 2016. For more information, including an exhibit summary, photos, and video, click here. Follow @countrymusichof on Twitter and join the conversation using #DylanCashExhibit.

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®. Museum programs are made possible, in part, by the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and under agreements with the National Endowment for the Arts.

More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.org or by calling (615) 416-2001.