Platinum-selling country quartet Little Big Town and country songwriters Brett James, Lori McKenna and Bob DiPiero kick off the new Country Music Association (CMA) Songwriters concert series, which debuts at the Library of Congress on Saturday, Dec. 4, at 8 p.m. in the Thomas Jefferson Building’s Coolidge Auditorium, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.
All concerts and public programs at the Library of Congress are presented free of charge, but tickets are required. The ticket supply for this concert, via Ticketmaster, has been exhausted; however, there are often up to 80 empty seats available for sold out concerts at start time. Interested patrons are strongly encouraged to come to the Library by 6:30 p.m. to join the standby line for no-show tickets. For more details, visit www.loc.gov/concerts/.
Giving fans an intimate glimpse at the stories behind the songs, the new concert series will be an ongoing collaboration of the Library and the CMA. Both organizations 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.
Capitol Nashville recording artists and 2010 CMA Award nominee for Vocal Group of the Year, Little Big Town members are Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook. “Boondocks,” “Bring It On Home” and “Little White Church” are a few of the group’s top-selling hits.
Joining Little Big Town will be songwriters Brett James (“Jesus, Take the Wheel,” recorded by Carrie Underwood; “When the Sun Goes Down,” recorded by Kenny Chesney; and “The Truth,” recorded by Jason Aldean); Lori McKenna (“Stealing Kisses,” recorded by Faith Hill; “I’m Workin,’” recorded by Tim McGraw; and “Bible Song,” recorded by Sara Evans); and the host for the evening, Bob DiPiero (“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).
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.
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.
Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. It seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs and exhibitions. 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.
