Like many trends on Music Row, sometimes traditions fade away. That has not been the case with the annual Music Row Ladies Golf Tournament, benefitting the United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee (UCPMidTN). Women from all facets of the music industry have gathered in the heat of the summer to play golf, support a good cause, have some drinks and dress in funny costumes for 33 years, which makes it the longest running known charity event held for women in the music industry.

The 33rd annual tournament will be held on Monday, Aug. 19 at Old Natchez Country Club in Nashville. To register and for more information, visit mrlgt.com.

Multi-Platinum, Grammy-winning Capitol Nashville recording artist Keith Urban has signed on to become the Presenting Sponsor of the event for the fourth consecutive year. The benefit will once again benefit United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee (UCPMidTN) and feature title sponsors ASCAP (a founding sponsor), City National Bank and Tim McGraw. Additional confirmed sponsors of the MRLGT include the Academy of Country Music, The AMG, Country Music Association, Live Nation, Monster Energy, Music City Chicken Co., Peg Leg Porker, Ryman Auditorium and more.

Former ASCAP executive and golf pro Herky Williams, and John Pickett, United Cerebral Palsy’s Home Access Program Director, recently stopped by the MusicRow offices to talk about the popular, and meaningful, annual event.

MusicRow: How did the Music Row Ladies Golf Tournament get started?

Williams: The girls [I gave lessons to] were different from the guys. They would help me pick the balls up and we’d hit them again. The guys, when they wanted me to help them with their golf game, they would hit the balls, write me a check and leave. But we developed a great relationship. I knew when I moved here the girls were either The Man or stood in front of The Man I needed to do business with. So that was my angle.

So they have the tournament down at the Henry Horton [Golf Course], the HoriPro tournament, and one of them told me one day, “Why don’t you get your little girls to come play in our tournament?” Well, they had never been on a golf course; they had only hit balls. And I said, “Well, you know, it’s a two day tournament. The second day after everybody has tee’d off, we’ll play a hole or two and then we’ll have dinner with y’all and whatever. They said, “No, if they want to act like men, they need to play like men. It’s $250 and it’s 18 holes a day.” Then the light went off in my head and we started our own tournament, because that wasn’t the whole intention of where we were going in the first two years.

Sondra Loggins, Dave Loggins’ wife, and Pat Halper volunteered and helped out cerebral palsy [charities]. And we had to do something with our money; so they said, ‘Would it be okay if we gave it to cerebral palsy?’ So that started our relationship.

MR: John, what does it mean to have this ongoing support from the music industry? What does United Cerebral Palsy of Middle Tennessee do?

Pickett: The tournament is our biggest fundraiser event. By far. What it does for UCP is it allows us to continue programming that we already offer and develop new programs, based on the amount of money that that tournament raises for us. I’ve been involved with this tournament at UCP for over 20 years, and this tournament is a vital part of keeping our doors open and our lights on.

We are a safety net for the under-insured and non-insured in Nashville. We’re under the UCP affiliate, but our agency from the get go has said that everybody that has a need, not based on just one central disability, we’re going to help. We help with basic services [like providing wheelchairs and ramps], but without those services, a large percentage of the people that we serve would not have their needs met.

With our equipment exchange program, we will give out close to a million dollars in durable medical equipment a year, free of charge to anybody who needs it. It might be Ms. Mary over here in Nashville, it might be Ms. Jones in Memphis, but if they have a need and they’re in the state of Tennessee and we’re able to supply that, we do it. UCP, across the state, we’re right at 3,000 ramps since 2000.

MR: The costume contest is a signature part of the Music Row Ladies Golf Tournament. What are some of your favorite costumes from years past?

Williams: Paige Levy—she was a A&R at Warner Brothers when we started and was instrumental in the beginning of the tournament—she had a group called the DelBeano Sisters and it was Robin Palmer, Kim Jones, Pat Halper and her; and at the second tournament at Percy Warner Park, an old tour bus drives up and they’re dressed in sombreros and Freddy Fender gets out and plays and sings and they dance around. That’s one of my favorite memories.

Connie Bradley, Pat Rolfe, Donna Hilley and Mary Ann McCready showed up during Desert Storm with one of the generals from the base over here in a Desert Storm HUMV. So it’s gone to the extreme.

 

Luke Combs, Tanya Tucker, The Highwomen, Midland and Cassadee Pope are among the artists releasing new tracks today (Aug. 2).

Luke Combs makes amends on his new song “Let’s Just Be Friends,” which released Friday (Aug. 2). The track is part of Angry Birds Movie 2, which releases in theaters Aug. 16.

 
 
Tanya Tucker offers her own take on one of Miranda Lambert’s signature hits, “The House That Built Me.” The track is from Tucker’s upcoming album While I’m Livin’, which releases Aug. 23 and was produced by Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings.

 
 
She’s bringin’ back cheatin’ songs/The kind of hurt that gets you singin’ along/Something circa 1973/She’s lying with him and she’s lying to me, sing Midland‘s Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy and Mark Wystrach on their latest heartache-driven track. The trio wrote the song alongside Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne. The song is from Midland’s upcoming album Let It Roll, which releases Aug. 23.

 
 
The Highwomen—Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Natalie Hemby and Amanda Shires–offer a straightforward rendering of the Fleetwood Mac classic “The Chain,” released as part of the movie The Kitchen, featuring  Elisabeth Moss, Tiffany Hadish and Melissa McCarthy, which releases Aug. 9.

 
 
Cassadee Pope re-released the track “I’ve Been Good,” from her indie album Stages. Pope, who headlined the 2019 CMT Next Women of Country World Tour, has spent the summer performing on the fair and festival circuit.

Blanco Brown, Canaan Smith and Payton Smith are the latest artists announced who will be performing at FGL Fest on Sept. 7 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They join headliners Florida Georgia Line and previously announced special guests Dan + Shay, Nelly and Mitchell Tenpenny.

The star-studded concert amplifies the Big Machine 400 at the Brickyard Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, which courses through the legendary 2.5-mile oval. Tickets for the concert event are on sale now.

FGL will headline their multi-year namesake event as it moves to Fourth of July weekend in 2020. FGL Fest and the Big Machine 400 at the Brickyard Powered by Florida Georgia Line will shift to a summer highlight in Indianapolis and the national sporting calendar next year.