Capitol Nashville’s Darius Rucker will host his 1st Annual Darius and Friends concert at Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon on June 7 to benefit the groundbreaking research and lifesaving care of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The concert will include performances by Rucker and some of his country music friends, with additional performers to be announced at a later date.

Rucker is a loyal St. Jude supporter who has visited patients at the hospital and performed at multiple events in support of the hospital’s lifesaving mission. After touring the facility in 2009, the singer vowed to create a personalized event that would raise money and awareness for St. Jude.

“This was a chance for my friends and I to do something during CMA Music Fest week that is for the fans while drawing attention to St. Jude and their incredible efforts,” says Rucker. “It’s going to be a great night of music and stories.”

All proceeds from ticket sales will help St. Jude continue its mission of finding cures and saving children fighting deadly diseases. The concert will begin at 9:00 p.m. with doors opening at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to the event will go on sale Saturday, March 13 and are available here.

Also stepping up for St. Jude is Show Dog-Universal Music’s Phil Vassar. The singer/songwriter has partnered with St. Jude for their annual St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway. A brand new home located in the Westhaven community of Franklin, TN valued at $550,000 will be awarded to one lucky winner.

“St. Jude is an amazing organization and I’m more than happy to lend my time for such a worthy and necessary cause,” states Vassar.  “We’re going to have a lot of fun this year helping out with the Dream Home.”

Vassar helps kick off the Dream Home campaign with a free concert at The Factory in Franklin, TN on March 24 from 7-9 pm.  To purchase tickets and get more information, click here.

Fred Eaglesmith To Perform at the Bluebird
Singer/songwriter Fred Eaglesmith is back in Nashville to celebrate his recent success with a show at the Bluebird Cafe on Friday, March 19. The acclaimed Canadian has enjoyed some mainstream country success of late with cuts from Miranda Lambert (“Time To Get a Gun”) and Alan Jackson (“Freight Train,” the title song from Jackson’s upcoming release).
Following up on the success of his critically critically lauded Tinderbox release, the Eaglesmith is set to release a new album, Cha-Cha-Cha on June 1. Tickets for the Bluebird gig will go on sale March 15.

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Wynonna Plays The Horses
Wynonna Judd will deliver a special performance at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The 2010 Games will feature world championship competitions in eight equestrian sports at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky from September 25 through October 10. The Games will be the largest sporting event in America this year and are renowned to be the world’s most prestigious equestrian competition.

“I could not be more thrilled to have the opportunity to return home to my roots,” Judd says. “Kentucky holds such a sacred place in my heart and to have this honor to share the home I so dearly love with my friends and family brings me great joy.”

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Willie Serves Up “Country Music”
Rounder Records is set to release Willie Nelson’s classic country collection, the aptly titled Country Music, on April 20. The album was produced by Grammy winner T Bone Burnett, who also picked up a “Best Original Song” Oscar last week for “The Weary Kind,” from the award-winning film Crazy Heart. Burnett co-wrote the song with Ryan Bingham.

Nelson will be performing songs from the new album on tour this spring and summer.

March
3  The Pageant  St. Louis, MO
12  Ameristar Casino  Kansas City, MO
13  Black River Coliseum  Poplar Bluff, MO
14  Peoria Civic Center  Peoria, IL
15  Embassy Theatre  Fort Wayne, IN
16  Overture Hall  Madison, WI
18  La Crosse Center  La Crosse, WI
19  Shooting Star Casino  Mahnomen, MN
20  Fox Cities PAC  Appleton, WI
21  Genesee Theatre  Waukegan, IL
23  Grand Theater on Artsblock  Wausau, WI
24  Rialto Square Theatre  Joliet, IL
25  Northern Lights Theatre  Milwaukee, WI
26-27  Mystic Lake Casino Hotel  Prior Lake, MN
28  7 Flags Event Center  Clive, IA

April
15  Grove of Anaheim  Anaheim, CA
17  Country Thunder Festival-AZ  Florence, AZ
20  Topeka Performing Arts Center  Topeka, KS
21  Memorial Auditorium  Wichita Falls, TX
22  Dos Amigos Cantina  Odessa, TX
23  Whitewater Amphitheater  New Braunfels, TX
24  Wolf Pen Creek Amphitheater  College Station, TX
30  Morgantown Event Center  Morgantown, WV

May
8  Seneca Allegany Casino  Salamanca, NY
14 -15  L’Auberge du Lac Casino  Lake Charles, LA

BMI will honor John Fogerty as a BMI Icon at its 58th Annual Pop Awards, slated for Tuesday, May 18 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. Hosted by BMI President & CEO Del Bryant and Barbara Cane, BMI Vice President & General Manager, Writer/Publisher Relations, Los Angeles, the invitation-only event will also honor the songwriters and publishers of the past year’s most-performed pop songs. The capstone of the evening will be an all-star musical tribute to Fogerty.

BMI Icons are selected because of their “unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” As a BMI Icon, Fogerty will join the likes of  Gamble & Huff, Kris Kristofferson, the Jacksons, the Bee Gees, Paul Simon, Brian Wilson, Willie Nelson, James Brown, Carlos Santana, Dolly Parton, and Hall & Oates.

From his legendary recordings with Creedence Clearwater Revival to his solo work and recent return to his more country side with The Blue Ridge Rangers, Fogerty is an acclaimed Grammy winner and member of both the Rock and Roll and Songwriters Halls of Fame. In honor of Fogerty and his friend Keith Urban (and the onset of spring training), here’s a video, courtesy of CMT, of a rocking version of Fogerty’s “Centerfield.”

London-based insurance broker Robertson Taylor International has promoted Reba Adams to Vice President of the company’s Nashville operation. Adams has been an entertainment, film and live event insurance specialist for over thirty years.

Founded in 1977, Robertson Taylor International provides insurance and risk management services specifically for the music and live event industries. In addition to New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, the company has a Nashville office located on Music Row.

Country and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Brenda Lee got together with members of Source, Nashville’s music business executive women’s group, to conduct a personal tour of Brenda Lee: Dynamite, the Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit dedicated to the long and successful career of the legendary singer. The exhibit, which runs through June, features artifacts and multimedia encompassing Lee’s career.

Each month the non-profit organization hosts a luncheon and invites an influential member of the industry as a guest speaker. Lee has been a longtime friend and supporter of the organization.

In other Source News, the Source Awards, an annual celebration honoring women in the music business, is scheduled for Thursday, August 26 at Nashville’s Noah Liff Opera Center. The evening will pay respect to women who helped establish the foundation of the music industry, and will also honor women in today’s music business who continue to contribute their knowledge and talents to the industry and Nashville community.

Frances W. Preston will receive the esteemed Jo Walker Meador Lifetime Achievement Award. Preston, who has been called “the most influential and powerful person in the country music business” by Esquire magazine, served as the President and CEO of BMI for 18 years before stepping down in 2004.