Craig Wiseman

The Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is gearing up for the 6th annual Stars For Second Harvest benefit on September 28 at 7:30 PM at the Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Hosted by acclaimed songwriter Craig Wiseman, the concert will feature an unplugged acoustic style performance by some of music’s brightest stars including Uncle Kracker, Chris Young, Josh Thompson, Sam & Ruby, esteemed songwriters Mac McAnally and Tony Mullins and comedian Henry Cho. Sponsored by O’Charley’s, the evening will help raise awareness of hunger issues in the Nashville community and will close out the food bank’s four-week run of activities in recognition of September as Hunger Action month.

In the last five years, this event has raised $326,695 to feed the hungry in Middle Tennessee. Because each dollar provides four meals, the funds raised from the concert provided Second Harvest with the funds to supply 1,306,780 meals.

“Second Harvest is one of the best charities that I’ve ever been involved with, Wiseman says. “We thought an unplugged night of songwriters and artists at the historic Ryman would be great. It is hard to believe we’re in our 6th year. Thanks to O’Charley’s sponsorship it allows every penny to go to Second Harvest of Middle Tennessee and feed the hungry in our community. I’m so excited for this year’s lineup. We’ve got pop, country, indie, comedians and who knows who else will show up. It will be a great night!”

In light of this year’s post-flood shortages, Wiseman is upping the ante to motivate the giving public with some additional offers. For anyone who steps up this week with donations, the hit songwriter is offering some special bonuses.

• Bonus #1: Donate any amount and you’ll receive some sample cans of 2nd Harvest’s private label soups and chili.

• Bonus #2: Donate $250 and get two premium tickets to Tuesday night’s benefit show.

• Bonus #3: Write a really big check and they will get you tickets and “other goodies.”

For more details or to donate contact Amy@bigloudshirt.com

Event tickets are on sale now for $35 at ticketmaster.com. For preferred seating please contact the Second Harvest Food Bank at 615-329-3491. Proceeds from the concert go to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee in their efforts to feed hungry people and work to solve hunger issues in our community.

For more information contact Leigh Clark at 329.3491 or visit Second Harvest’s website at www.secondharvestmidtn.org.

The glamour, history, backstage stories, and memorable moments from more than 40 years of the annual CMA Awards are collected in a new, unique book, The CMA Awards Vault, now available nationwide.

Author Deborah Evans Price traces the show’s 43-year run from a one-hour, radio-only broadcast in 1967 to the glittery three-hour, network television spectacle of today. Evans Price interviewed dozens of country music’s biggest stars, from Sonny James, the host of the first CMA Awards Banquet and Show, to Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, who will host The 44th Annual CMA Awards for the third time in November. In the process, the author takes the reader behind the scenes and recalls the greatest performances, the famous – and sometimes infamous – fashion trends, and the art of putting together a top-rated network gala.

Deborah Evans Price

“As someone who grew up watching the CMA Awards, and was then privileged to go to the Awards for the past 25 years, I couldn’t think of anything that would excite me more than doing a book on the institution,” said Evans Price.

What really sets this book apart from other Country Music histories, however, is the unique “scrapbook” approach. The CMA Awards Vault contains never-before-published photographs, artwork, and memorabilia. Tucked into dozens of pockets throughout the book are replicas of such items as a program from that first CMA Awards in 1967; a note to the CMA from the Charlie Daniels Band in 1980; a ticket to The 40th CMA Anniversary show; and the set-design blueprint from the 2009 CMA Awards.

“I’m thankful for the wonderful journey this book provides through the history of the CMA Awards,” writes Barbara Mandrell in the book’s afterword. “Reading it makes one feel so ‘behind the scenes,’ ‘inside,’ and as though they’re having conversations with many of the great artists in country music.”

With a foreword by four-time CMA Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney, The CMA Awards Vault is published by Whitman Publishing, LLC, of Atlanta. The 144-page hardcover 12-inch by 10-inch book with slipcase is available for $49.95 in bookstores and online retailers. The book can also be ordered at www.CMAawards.com and www.WhitmanVaultBooks.com. CMA members can purchase the book for $35 at the CMA office.

Mercury Records artist Shania Twain has signed an agreement with Atria Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, to publish her autobiography, it was announced today by Judith Curr, Executive Vice President and Publisher of Atria Books and Washington Square Press. Atria plans to publish the book in spring 2011.

In this yet to be titled autobiography, Twain shares her challenging and sometimes shockingly painful upbringing in rural Ontario, the tragic death of her mother and stepfather, her “against all odds” rise to fame, the hurdles she faced as a female outsider in the male-dominated world of country music and the recent struggles in her personal life.

“When I read Shania’s manuscript, it amazed me how rich, clear, unfiltered and honest she was,” said Curr. “There is a depth that comes through in her writing. The book will be a help and inspiration to many, and those who think they know her from her music will be surprised at the raw and personal place she writes from.”

“There are times in your life that are meant for reflection, and this was one of them.,” Twain said.  “I began writing this book with a sincere respect for the past, present and future as something never to be taken for granted.

Shania Twain rose to fame in the early 1990s with her debut album Shania Twain (1993), and achieved worldwide success with her 1997 album Come On Over, which became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician, and the best selling country album of all time.  A five-time Grammy winner, Twain has also achieved major success as a songwriter, winning 27 BMI awards. Despite the fact Twain has released very few albums, she has sold over 75 million albums worldwide to date, including 48 million in the U.S. Her docu-series on The Oprah Winfrey Network will debut in the spring. This is her first book.