October 3, 2011 Library of Congress Presents Country Music Association Series Nov. 16

Contact: Erin Allen, Library of Congress, (202) 707-7302 | Maria Eckhardt, CMA, (615) 244-2840

Clint Black, Patty Loveless and Tim Nichols and Bob DiPiero headline an intimate evening of country music on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. in the Coolidge Auditorium, located on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C. Tickets are on sale beginning Wednesday, Oct. 5.

The concert. presented jointly with the Country Music Association, is part of the 2011-2012 season of the Concerts from the Library of Congress series, notable for presenting a broad range of music at the nation’s library, including classical, country, jazz, pop, folk and world music performances.

All concerts are presented free of charge, but tickets are required, available through Ticketmaster, online at www.Ticketmaster.com External or (202) 397-7328, (410) 547-7328, and (703) 573-7328. Each ticket carries a nominal Ticketmaster service charge, with additional charges for phone orders and handling. Although the supply of tickets may be exhausted, there are often empty seats at concert time. Interested patrons are encouraged to come to the Library by 6 p.m. on concert nights to wait in the standby line for no-show tickets. For more details, visit www.loc.gov/concerts/.

“We are delighted to have the Country Music Association bringing so many major country artists to the Library,” said Susan H. Vita, chief of the Library’s Music Division. “This is the second year of our long-term collaboration in presenting some of the nation’s most notable songwriters and performers.”

Clint Black is a prolific singer-songwriter who has written and recorded more than 100 songs, including his hits “Killin’ Time,” “No Time to Kill” and “When I Said I Do” (a duet with his wife, Lisa Hartman Black.) He has sold more than 20 million albums and has won four CMA Awards.

Five-time CMA Award-winner Patty Loveless has charted more than 40 singles, including five that reached the No. 1 spot. Her hits include “How Can I Help You Say Goodbye,” “You Can Feel Bad” and “Blame it On Your Heart.”

A CMA Song of the Year Award-winner, Tim Nichols has a hit list that includes “Live Like You Were Dying” recorded by Tim McGraw, “The Man I Want to Be” recorded by Chris Young, and “I’d Rather Ride Around With You” recorded by Reba McIntire.

One of Nashville’s most consistent and prolific writers of hit songs, Bob DiPiero is known for “Southern Voice” recorded by Tim McGraw, “Blue Clear Sky” recorded by George Strait, and “You Can’t Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl” recorded by Brooks & Dunn.

The Library of Congress and the Country Music Association are working to celebrate, preserve and share the singular role of country music in American culture with a global audience. Building on the historic support of country music by both institutions and the Library’s vision of global access to its unparalleled collections, the Library and CMA seek to ensure that the milestones and contributions of this uniquely American art form are preserved and recorded for future generations – both in the United States and around the world – to study, understand and enjoy.

Founded in 1958, the Country Music Association was the first trade organization formed to promote a genre of music. In 1961, CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame to recognize artists and industry professionals with country music’s highest honor. More than 6,000 music-industry professionals and companies from around the globe are members of CMA. The organization’s objectives are to serve as an educational and professional resource for the industry and advance the growth of country music around the world. For more information about CMA and the association’s awards and initiatives, visit the official website at CMAworld.com External.

Country music and its roots are well-represented in the Library’s music collections, including rare gems such as "The Wreck of the Old ‘97" sung by Fred Lewey and recorded by Robert W. Gordon in Concord, North Carolina (1925); the first recording of "Tom Dooley," sung by Frank Proffitt in Beech Mountain, N.C. (1940); copyright deposits of handwritten lead sheets by country music greats before they became famous, such as "I Fall to Pieces" by Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard (1960), "Crazy" by Willie Nelson (1961), "Okie from Muskogee" by Merle Haggard and Roy Ward Burris (1969), and "You’re Lookin’ at Country" by Loretta Lynn (1970); the Louisiana Hayride collection, and many more. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.

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PR 11-180
2011-10-03
ISSN 0731-3527