Published on December 17, 2019
27th Annual Alive at The Bluebird Benefit Concert Series Features Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Desmond Child, Shane McAnally, and many more.
Alive, the only nonprofit provider of hospice care and end-of-life services for Middle Tennessee, kicks off its 27th annual benefit concert series, Alive at The Bluebird. The Bluebird Cafe concerts during the month of January raise funds for the community services provided by Alive such as financial support for hospice patients, grief support for children and adults, and free community education.
“The month-long event provides the songwriting community a way to contribute to a cause that everyone can relate to; facing the end of life.”
Featured artists include Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Desmond Child, Tammy King, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Jeff Cohen, Kristian Bush, Charles Esten, The Warren Brothers, Kathy Mattea, and many more.
“Alive at The Bluebird is a tradition we have continued over the years for many reasons,” said Erika Wollam Nichols, The Bluebird’s COO and general manager. “The month-long event provides the songwriting community a way to contribute to a cause that everyone can relate to; facing the end of life. Whether as a patient, or as someone who loves a patient, so many folks in the songwriting community have been touched by the work that Alive does. It is a blessing for us at The Bluebird to be able to contribute and assist in supporting an organization that has supported so many.”
“At Alive, we are reimagining the way people can live as they approach the end of life,” said Kimberly Goessele, Alive’s President/CEO. “Our care is designed to help lift some of the weight off patients and their loved ones so they can share meaningful time together. The relationship doesn’t end there. We are here to support community members as they deal with transitions, grieve, and learn to live with loss.”
How to Purchase Tickets
A total of 29 benefit shows will take place at the legendary music venue Tuesdays – Thursdays at 9:00 p.m., Fridays at 9:30 p.m., and Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are available on the Bluebird Cafe’s website (bluebirdcafe.com). Most shows follow The Bluebird’s standard reservation policy of one week in advance for Tuesday – Thursday shows and the Monday prior for Friday and Saturday night shows. Certain shows will be available for a pre-paid, pre-sale. Check The Bluebird Cafe’s website for further information.
Original Art for 2020 Created and Donated by Ray Stephenson
Grammy Award- winning musician and visual artist Ray Stephenson generously donated this year’s original art work. “On some level we are all the same thing, and we all want and need the same things,” said Stephenson. “Helping others is helping yourself.”
Stephenson’s paintings hang in the collections of Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr., and Oprah Winfrey, and he has been the Official Painter of the Monsters of Rock Tour. Two of his songs have gone Platinum: the title track of Kenny Chesney’s album Hemingway’s “Whiskey” and the Blake Shelton/Miranda Lambert album title track, “Red River Blue.” Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Merle Haggard are among the artists who have recorded his songs. raystephenson.com
Posters and T-shirts are available at performances and online.
Alive is grateful to the sponsors who support this event.
This year’s Presenting Sponsors are: Bass, Berry and Sims, Focus Search Partners, HUB International, Jackson National Life Insurance Company, Pinnacle Financial Partners, Tennessee Oncology
About Alive
Alive is the only nonprofit provider of hospice care and end-of-life services in Middle Tennessee. Its mission is to provide loving care for people with life-threatening illnesses, support to their families, and service to the community in a spirit of enriching lives. This includes in-home and in-patient hospice care, grief support for children and adults, financial assistance, and community education. A leader in the “good death” movement, Alive established the third hospice in the nation in 1975. Today, it remains true to its roots as an innovator and leader, helping individuals live fully while approaching death. To learn more or volunteer, visit AliveHospice.org or call 615-327-1085.
About The Bluebird Cafe
Amy Kurland opened the small but influential 90-seat Bluebird Cafe in a nondescript strip center just south of downtown Nashville in June of 1982. She added a stage as an afterthought, and live music became a staple of the eatery. Offering the club as an outlet for songwriters and aspiring artists to perform encouraged regular performers Thom Schuyler, Don Schlitz and J. Fred Knobloch to pioneer the idea of presenting songwriters “in the round,” where writers set their chairs in the center of the room to play their original material, telling the stories and inspirations for their songs. Both Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift were signed after performing in the Bluebird Cafe. Numerous aspiring artists and songwriters have been discovered and countless songs were first heard by artists, A&R execs, producers and others in the small venue. In 2008, Kurland sold the legendary venue to the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI). More of a donation than a corporate sale, Kurland saw NSAI’s mission to “educate, elevate and celebrate songwriters” as a way to continue the Bluebird’s relationship to songwriters and to the community. The venue was a featured character in the hit television show, “Nashville,” adding to its list of fans. Outside of its home base, The Bluebird Cafe continues a host of events that bear the iconic name. Bluebird on the Mountain – a sold-out concert series at Vanderbilt’s Dyer Observatory in Nashville, the Bluebird Cafe at London’s Country2Country Festival, Bluebird at Blackberry Farm, Bluebird at the Ballet, and the 16th anniversary of the Bluebird Cafe Concert Series at Utah’s Sundance Resort.