Senator Bill Frist Joins the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance and Smithsonian Institution Advisory Council for the 2003 Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee has agreed to become a member of the 2003 Birthplace of Country Music Alliance and Smithsonian Folklife Festival Advisory Council. The Council will advise and offer general direction to the Smithsonian 2003 Folklife Festival and the Curatorial Committee, which is responsible for developing the festival program, based upon the theme of the musical heritage of the heart of Appalachia.

Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee has agreed to become a member of the 2003 Birthplace of Country Music Alliance and Smithsonian Folklife Festival Advisory Council. The Council will advise and offer general direction to the Smithsonian 2003 Folklife Festival and the Curatorial Committee, which is responsible for developing the festival program, based upon the theme of the musical heritage of the heart of Appalachia.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is held annually in Washington DC on the Capital Mall between the Washington Monument and the Capital Building. The Festival, held the last week of June and the first week of July, attracts upwards of one and half million people from around the United States and the world. The 2003 Festival will be the culmination of a yearlong celebration of the musical heritage of Appalachia, which will begin with the 75th Anniversary of the Birth of Country Music in July of 2002.

We are deeply appreciative that Senator Frist has accepted the invitation to join the Advisory Council," said Mr. Leton Harding, president of the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance. Without the support and encouragement of leaders such as Senator Frist, we would not have this opportunity to present our region to the nation and the world."

Other members of the Advisory Council are:
ˇJanette Carter, Co-Founder of the Carter Family Memorial Music Center, Inc.
ˇDr. Ralph Stanley regarded by many artists as the authentic representative of mountain music in its purist form.
ˇThe Honorable Rick Boucher, Congressman, 9th District of Virginia, and the Honorable Bill Jenkins, Congressman, 1st District of Tennessee, sponsors of House Resolution 214 recognizing Bristol and the heart of Appalachia region as the official Birthplace of Country Music.
ˇDr. Paul Stanton, President, East Tennessee State University.
ˇJoe Wilson, Director, National Council for the Traditional Arts.

The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance is a non-profit group dedicated to the music and culture of Appalachia and the role played by the region in the development of Country Music. To learn more about the BCMA, call (540) 645-0111 or visit the BCMA website at www.birthplaceofcountrymusic.org.