Renowned session guitarist and producer Chip Young will be saluted on Saturday, October 9, as part of the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s popular series Nashville Cats: A Celebration of Music City Musicians. The program, which will begin at 1:30 PM in the Museum’s Ford Theater, is included with Museum admission and free to Museum members. The program will also be streamed live at www.countrymusichalloffame.org.

Hosted by Bill Lloyd, the tribute to Young will include a brief performance and an in-depth, one-on-one interview illustrated with vintage recordings, photos and film clips from the Museum’s Frist Library and Archive. Immediately following the program, Young will sign autographs in the Museum Store.

For over four decades, Chip Young has lent his distinctive thumb-style picking to timeless country recordings, including Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” Elvis Presley’s “Guitar Man,” and Charley Pride’s “Kiss an Angel Good Morning.” As a producer, he has helmed recordings by acts such as Delbert McClinton, Jerry Reed, Gary Stewart (“Your Place or Mine”), and Billy Swan (“I Can Help”). More recently, Young has played on recordings by My Morning Jacket, Todd Snider and Candi Staton.

Born Jerry Marvin Stembridge in 1938, the Atlanta native began his professional career playing with guitar legend Jerry Reed and singer-songwriter Joe South during the late 1950s. Young toured with South and eventually signed with Lowery Music, where he began writing songs, engineering recordings and publishing demos. He joined the Army in 1961, and after his discharge in 1963 Young moved to Nashville to become a touring guitarist behind Reed.

Young soon became an in-demand studio guitarist in Nashville, and went on to back Ann-Margret, Eddy Arnold, Skeeter Davis, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Willie Nelson, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley, among many others. Young was also a regular member of Presley’s studio band between 1965 and 1977.

In 1968, Young bought a farm in nearby Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and opened his own studio, Young ’Un Sound. He produced recordings by country artists Reed, Swan and Delbert McClinton, as well as artists on the popular charts including Jimmy Buffett and Johnny Mathis. Young opened a Nashville studio in 1978, where he recorded Joe Ely, Larry Gatlin, Tom T. Hall, Reba McEntire, Johnny Rodriguez and the Statler Brothers.

In 2000, Young released Having Thumb Fun with My Friends, an album of guitar duets with other studio legends, including Chet Atkins, Grady Martin and Scotty Moore. Young was inducted into the National Thumbpickers Hall of Fame in 2009. He remains active today as a session musician and a producer.

Museum programs are made possible, in part, by grants from the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission and by an agreement between the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Chapter 345

ASCAP did a reboot of its country awards on Tuesday (9/14).

Rather than placing its date next to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame banquet—or anybody else—the organization elected to stage a stand-alone ceremony. Which is fine with those of us who face multiple deadlines. For the first time, the event was held at War Memorial Auditorium and on its plaza. For this 48^th annual celebration, drinks and dinner were served in a (somewhat warm) plaza tent. The meal was done buffet-style, featuring pasta dishes, seasonal vegetables, chicken, beef, breads, olives and a cheese course. Then, in reverse order of recent ASCAP fetes, came the music and the awards.

We were herded inside the War Memorial and given Fiji Water bottles. Goody, it’s the brand I already drink.

The gala featured fine musical performances. The Joe Robinson Band kicked things off with a spirited set of blues rock. “Joe has taken Nashville by storm,” said Paul Williams. “We’re glad he’s joined the ASCAP family.”

During the awards presentation, the five most-played country songs were performed by their writers. Chris Young sang “Gettin’ You Home” with flawless honky-tonk vocal phrasing. Darius Rucker and Frank Rogers did “Alright.” Dierks Bentley and The Traveling McCourys performed an acoustic arrangement of “Sideways.” David Lee Murphy sang “Big Green Tractor.” Josh Kear and Lady Antebellum drew a standing ovation for a harmony-drenched “Need You Now.”

To celebrate the ASCAP Founders Award presentation to Alan Jackson, Chris returned to do a killer version of “Wanted,” and Dierks returned to do “Midnight in Montgomery.” Then Steve Earle appeared to perform “Here in the Real World.”

“Steve Earle made me sound cool for a minute there,” said Alan. He also mused that he should have saved “Wanted” to pitch to Chris, who sang it so well. “I’m very honored and very humbled,” added Alan.

“I don’t feel worthy,” Alan said earlier on the red carpet. “I don’t feel any different than when I first moved to Nashville.” He asked for Steve to be there, he added. “I didn’t think he’d do it, but there he was.”

The Global Impact Award was given to Jessi Alexander for her massive Miley Cyrus hit “The Climb.” Connie Bradley, who recently left ASCAP, was surprised to learn that the Nashville office’s conference room is being named The Connie Bradley Board Room in her honor. She served ASCAP for 34 years. “You couldn’t work for a better organization or better people,” she said. “ASCAP and its people have been a blessing in my life.”

Dierks won Artist-Songwriter of the Year. Publisher of the Year went to an indie, Sea Gayle Music, instead of a multi-national corporation. So that was cool. Josh won Song of the Year for “Need You Now.” “Thanks for letting me be a part of it,” he said, “an amazing, amazing ride.”

Brett James earned a standing ovation when he was announced as Songwriter of the Year. “It’s amazingly humbling to be standing in front of you people,” he said. “I just feel luckier than heck to be in this business.”

Brett was dressed in a stylish black velvet jacket. As is customary, this gala had glamour. Invitations read, “creative black tie,” and many were garbed just that way. Richard Young chose a dark denim shirt with a beaded bolo tie. He says he has seven songs ready for the next Kentucky HeadHunters CD. The group still tours constantly. Gary Burr and Wayland Holyfield wore black-on-black shirts and jackets. Angelina Presley was a dish in a roses-print frock. Tom Roland wore pin stripes. Erika Wollam-Nichols was fetching in floor-length ebony. Joey + Rory arrived in cowgirl boots and overalls, respectively.

Sea Gayle Music, Publisher of the Year, (L-R): Chris DuBois, Frank Rogers, Brad Paisley

Bucky Covington chose a pale blue t-shirt, jeans and a trim black jacket. Kellie Pickler wore a scalloped and sequined cream-and-black mini cocktail dress with a wide black belt and sky-high stilleto heels. Love & Theft were colorfully garbed. Hillary Lindsey was in a white, Grecian-draped, off-the-shoulder cocktail dress. Craig Wiseman wore a black sequined shirt instead of a Big Loud one. Jonathan Singleton was in a dressy vest with sporty tennis shoes. Darrell Brown chose worn blue jeans and a gray jacket. Jason Sellers had on a sleek silver shirt.

Carla Wallace was eye catching in a figure-hugging crimson satin, knee-length dress. Chris Stapleton’s beard and long hair were topped with a tan cowboy hat. Brett Jones was in a white, tails-out western shirt. Barry Coburn wore a metallic blue tux jacket. Turning heads everywhere was Liz O’Sullivan in a floor-length, strapless shimmering blue evening gown.

Others arrived with news rather than fashions. Robert Ellis Orrall, for example, has the farewell Judds single. Pat Alger is being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame next month. Don Schlitz is being presented with the ACM’s Poet’s Award next week. Jerry Bradley is back on the scene, looking remarkably well.

Victoria Banks was fresh from the Canadian Country Music Awards, having won both the Female Vocalist and Songwriter prizes. Marc Beeson has a new CD, as does pop princess Alyssa Bonagura. Steve Williams was celebrating his new FAME job. Beverly Keel was freshly minted as a Universal exec, and it was kind of fun watching her having to introduce herself to her own artist, David Nail.

Merrily mixing and mingling were fabulons Radney Foster, Gloriana, John David Souther, Will Byrd, Jimmy Webb, Tree Paine, Roger Murrah, Amy Kurland, David & Carolyn Corlew, David & Karen Conrad, David & Susana Ross, David Ewing & Alice Randall, Doug Johnson, Doug Howard & Linda Edell, Denise Stiff and Garth Fundis.

We gabbed in the evening air alongside and/or with Bobby Rymer, Ron Stuve, Rivers Rutherford, Kay West, Ronna Rubin, Jo Walker-Meador, Bob Doyle, Katie Gillon, Adam James, Barbara Cloyd, Deanna Bryant, Ken Levitan, Mark Ford, Hal David, Roger Greenaway, Trent Willmon, Chris DuBois and Anita Hogin.

Co-host Tim DuBois introduced Mayor Karl Dean and Nashville First Lady Ann Davis in the audience. “Thank you for coming,” Tim said to us. “I’ve worn a number of different caps, and I’m proud to be wearing the ASCAP.”