Ronnie Milsap to Join Darryl Worley at 12th Annual Tennessee River Run
Savannah, TN (PRWEB) July 15, 2013 -- Darryl Worley’s Tennessee River Run, presented by Bumpus Harley-Davidson, will bring Ronnie Milsap to downtown Savannah on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013. Milsap, whose hit songs include "Smoky Mountain Rain," "It Was Almost Like a Song," "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me," "Stranger in My House," "Any Day Now" and dozens more, will join Worley and special guests Brandon Lay, Jami Grooms, Donica Knight and Parker Forbes.
Tickets are available at the Darryl Worley Foundation Office at 325 Main St. in Downtown Savannah, Hardin County Convention and Visitors Bureau, all banks in Hardin County and Bumpus Harley-Davidson in Jackson. Individuals can pay with a credit card by calling 866-484-3877. Tickets for the concert are $30 until the day of the show and $35 at the gate for adults. Children six and younger can enter free with a paying adult. Tickets for those seven to 12 are $15, and admission for teens 13 to 18 is $20. Gates will open at 3 p.m., and Forbes will take the stage then. The first 200 people through the gate with receive a free CD with three of Forbes' songs.
On Thursday night, Sept. 12, Grits, Glam and Guitars, the Worley and friends songwriters’ event, will be held at the home of Mayor and Mrs. Bob Shutt (White Pillars at 320 College St. in Savannah). Beginning at 6:30 p.m., the country cocktail event will feature songwriters Worley, Anthony Smith, Brett Jones and Walt Aldridge, who will perform their hits and share the stories behind them. A variety of items will be sold at auction. Prices are $3,500 for a golden circle table, $750 for a corporate table and $100 for an individual ticket. Reservations are available by calling 731-607-3375 or 731-926-5076.
The TRR Golf Tournament will be Friday, Sept. 13, at Shiloh Golf Course in Adamsville. With a 9 a.m. tee time, the tournament is already full. On Saturday, Sept. 14, the TRR 5K Run will begin at 8 a.m. at Pickwick Landing State Park. Pre-registration is $15, and registration will be $20 on the day of the event. The TRR Motorcycle Poker Run will begin at 10 a.m. at Pickwick Landing State Park. Fees are $25 per bike/$20 per rider. (The annual TRR Bass Tournament is planned for Nov. 9.)
An after-party will be held at the Savannah Moose Lodge (195 Moose Lodge Loop) following Saturday night’s downtown concert. Dead Horse, the 2012 TRR Battle of the Bands Winner, will perform from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., and the public is invited. Proceeds from all events help others through the Darryl Worley Foundation, and details are online at http://www.tnriverrun.org.
In addition to Bumpus Harley-Davidson, several sponsors make Darryl Worley’s Tennessee River Run possible. They include: City of Savannah, Hardin County, PCA, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, West Tennessee Healthcare, Jerry Van Woerden, Hardin County Bank, Hardin Medical Center, Savannah Homes, Sitters & More, KELLOGGS, Clayton Homes, Charter Business, Savannah Healthcare and CB&S Bank. Other businesses making donations include Top o’ the River, Huddle House, Pepsi, Budweiser and Integrated Communications.
In discussing the Tennessee River Run, Worley said, “We’ve continued to bring in great entertainment and hold a variety of events for people all around my home town. We have worked to refine it in ways that bring in even more for the charity, which is the bottom line.” Through TRR proceeds, Worley was able to make a final $200,000 payment in 2012 to the local cancer treatment center bearing his name, paying off the debt completely.
A tireless performer for troops here and overseas, Worley wrote “Have You Forgotten?” following a 2002 visit to Afghanistan, Kuwait and Uzbekistan. He has been back nine times since then, playing both full band concerts and special acoustic sets at remote Forward Operating Bases for troops who rarely receive celebrity entertainment. Worley has been honored with the VFW’s Americanism Award, the USO Merit Award and the U.S. Army Appreciation Award. His career has produced nearly 20 hit singles, including three No. 1s, chart-topping albums and sales in the millions, including “I Miss My Friend,” “Have You Forgotten?” and “Awful, Beautiful Life.”
Milsap provided country music with one of its most important voices as it moved from its rural roots into mainstream modern entertainment. Steeped in the mountain music of the North Carolina hills and schooled in classical piano, he found inspiration in a variety of music from early in his life. Milsap said that even as he mastered Beethoven and Mozart, his heart belonged to hardcore country and rhythm-and-blues — music he heard from powerful radio stations in Nashville. He explained that its earthy sounds about life and love provided an impoverished, blind boy with a connection to a world beyond the harsh reality of his daily existence. Following those humble beginnings, his success with dozens of hits and albums has spanned generations.
Brandon Lay, a singer/songwriter originally from Jackson, Tenn., resides in Nashville. He received national recognition when his song, “The House,” was featured in the Spring 2011 edition of American Songwriter Magazine. Lay released his debut album, “Me and Dixie,” in 2012.
Jami Grooms moved to Nashville the morning after he graduated high school in rural Arkansas. The singer/songwriter has entertained diverse crowds with the Catfish Johnston Band — from playing one-night stands to serving as house band at the world famous Wildhorse Saloon to sharing the stage with Sammy Kershaw, Confederate Railroad, Rascal Flatts and others. He signed an exclusive writing deal with Sony ATV in 2011 and has had songs cut by Matt Kennon, Buddy Jewel, Bucky Covington and Bush Hawg.
Prattville, Ala. singer/songwriter Donica Knight joined the group Luckytown in college. In the summer of 2011, she began traveling to Nashville between gigs to write, sing and chase a long-held dream. Successes since that time have included when Knight sang two of her own songs and acted in the movie “LA Dirt.” She also performed two duets with Milsap, including one she co-wrote, and has begun recording her own album.
The Darryl Worley Foundation, a 501c3 public benefit corporation, has existed since 2002 to serve people in the Mid-South. It directly helps individuals in need and serves others through nonprofits, including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center and Darryl Worley Cancer Treatment Center. Foundation information is available at http://www.darrylworleyfoundation.org, and updates on events can be found at http://youtu.be/Jv5nC46Qh1Y, http://www.facebook.com/TennesseeRiverRun, http://www.darrylworley.com and http://www.tnriverrun.org.
Dawn Bramblett, Bramblett Group, http://bramblettgrp.com, 731-608-7650, [email protected]
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