www.southeasterncharm.com

05.06.2010 – NASHVILLE – In response to the devastating floods that have plagued the City of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, CMA has announced that 50 percent of the net proceeds of 2010 CMA Music Festival will be donated to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee for flood relief. This is in addition to CMA’s already established annual donation of 50 percent of the net proceeds to Metro Nashville Public Schools for music education through the Keep the Music Playing program. In total, 100 percent of the net proceeds of the event will be given to benefit Nashville’s public school students and Middle Tennessee families in need.

CMA Music Festival is Nashville’s signature music event, drawing 56,000 people from the region as well as every state in the nation and visitors from 26 countries around the globe, while bringing in more than $22 million in direct visitor spending to the local economy.

“This year with all the downtown businesses as well as our tourism industry suffering huge losses due to flood damage, it is vitally important to the Nashville business community that CMA Music Festival continues as planned,” said Steve Moore, CMA Chairman of the Board. “CMA is proud to step up and help our area by donating half of the CMA Music Festival’s net proceeds to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to help its flood relief efforts while we continue our important commitment to children and music education.”

“CMA has always been a great supporter of Music City through the Association’s Keep the Music Playing initiative,” said Nashville Mayor Karl Dean. “This added contribution to aid in flood recovery efforts will be incredibly helpful and demonstrates the great partnership that exists between the City of Nashville, CMA Music Festival, and the Country Music industry.”

“Millions of lives have been affected by this disaster. While some will recover quickly, others will take months or years to rebuild, and The Community Foundation’s disaster funds will continue to strategically address needs as they emerge and evolve,” said Ellen Lehman, President of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. “It has been incredible to see this community’s outpouring of generosity, and we are thrilled, but not surprised, to see CMA join in leading the efforts to help this city rebuild.”

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee has activated its Metro Nashville Disaster Response Fund in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management to support relief efforts. Grants from the fund will be made to nonprofits supporting relief, restoration, and clean-up efforts in the Davidson County area.

CMA Music Festival has benefited charity since 2001, but in 2006 a decision was made to direct all funds to one central cause – music education in Metro Nashville Public Schools – through a partnership with the Nashville Alliance for Public Education. To date, CMA has donated more than $3.3 million to purchase more than 3,000 instruments and musical equipment and supplies, providing thousands of Metro Nashville Public Schools students with the resources and opportunities they could not have afforded on their own, and giving many of them a strong reason to remain in school. According to Metro schools statistics, 98 percent of students in arts programs graduate.

Now in its 39th year, CMA Music Festival began as Fan Fair in 1972 as a unique celebration of the relationship between Country Music artists and their fans in the heart of Music City. More than 2,000 Country acts, from the legends and superstars to today’s rising hit makers and hopefuls, have lent their time and talent to the event over the decades.

Nashville’s signature music event features concerts, autograph signings, family activities, and more. This unparalleled celebration of America’s music draws thousands of fans and media from all corners of the globe to Nashville. CMA Music Festival was dubbed the “crown jewel of Country Music festivals” by USA Today and winner of the International Entertainment Buyers Association’s 2004, 2006, and 2008 LIVE! Award for Festival of the Year.

For up-to-the-minute information about four-day ticket packages, single night tickets to the Nightly Concerts at LP Field, travel information, schedules, artist appearances and more, visit www.CMAfest.com to sign up for CMA Exclusive e-news and join the CMA MOB mobile community. Fans may also want to check out CMA’s Facebook (www.facebook.com/CountryMusicAssociation), Twitter (www.Twitter.com/Country Music), MySpace (www.MySpace.com/cmamusicfestival), and YouTube (www.YouTube.com/CountryMusicAssoc) pages.

About The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee
The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee oversees more than 730 charitable funds, providing customized philanthropic solutions with great flexibility for donors, nonprofit organizations and the community. In the past 18 years, The Community Foundation has distributed more than $470 million to community programs and institutions. It is located at 3833 Cleghorn Avenue, #400, Nashville, Tennessee 37215. For more information, call 615-321-4939 or 888-540-5200 or visit www.cfmt.org.

If you’re looking for some great books for your summer reading, I highly suggest the works of best-selling author Mary Alice Monroe.  She is a master storyteller, and her latest book, Last Light over Carolina, is a prime example.  It’s a very captivating story filled with underlying themes of love, forgiveness and commitment.  It’s a real page turner!  This was the first book by Monroe that I read, and I became an instant fan.  She so vividly describes her characters and the scenery. You just feel like you're right there in the story and get drawn in from the first page to the very last.

I recently chatted with the best-selling author and found her to be very warm and engaging.  During our conversation Mary Alice admitted that she is a natural-born storyteller.  "I was the 3rd eldest of ten children, and I was always telling stories to my siblings.  I wrote my first story when I was eight years old," said Monroe.  In fact it was her 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Crawford, who was the first mentor to really inspire her to write.  Impressed with the stories Mary Alice had written, Mrs. Crawford asked Monroe if she had ever thought about being a writer when she grew up.  At the time, Monroe said she didn't even know you could write as a profession.  Once she learned that, she was convinced that this is what she wanted to do.  But it wasn't until many years later that Monroe would actually make her dream reality.  She found herself bedridden during one of her pregnancies.  Knowing that she had always wanted to write a book, her husband gave Monroe a notebook and basically told her to write the novel that was lingering inside of her.  She began writing, and actually wrote her first book during that time. So basically she birthed a book and a baby simultaneously.

When I asked her how she developed such realistic characters, the author responded with "I'm very intuitive, and studying people is really organic to my research."  She definitely does her research.  She's very hands-on and usually spends at least a year researching each of her projects. For instance, prior to writing her Last Light over Carolina, she spent time out in out in the shrimping community in the low-country of South Carolina.  She went out and interviewed shrimpers and their wives, and she actually spent time out on the shrimp boats doing hands-on work.  Additionally, she draws from personal experiences to capture such heartfelt emotions which are evidenced through her characters.

Monroe is in the midst of promoting her latest release, and she's also busy working on her next writing project called - The Butterfly's Daughter due out in 2011.  That book's sure to be another great read, and I cannot wait until its release.  To learn more about the author and her work, please visit www.maryalicemonroe.com.

I have many memories from my college days, but a moment that really stands out is when one of my professors walked into class and asked, “Have you ever imagined your life without music?”  Quite the profound question.  I’d never thought about that before, and after mulling it over in my mind, I came to the realization that because of music, my life was all the richer.  Truth is…I can’t imagine my life without music.  Nor do I want to. 

Without the gift of music, I would miss out on experiencing the raw talent and musical genius that comes from the likes of Ken Will Morton.  Once in a great while comes an artist of his caliber. His music is so alluring that it haunts me.

I recently had an opportunity to hear him play at ‘The Basement’ in Nashville, TN.  He stepped on stage sans any extra accompaniment.  No band.  No backup singers. No hoopla. Morton simply graced the stage with his harmonica and guitar.  I didn’t know what to expect, but once he started singing, he immediately captivated the intimate audience. In a word, he's... ENGAGING. 

Morton’s 5th solo project, True Grit, will be released by Sojourn Records on February 16, 2010.  It blends rock, Americana, roots, blues and folk.  When asked about how he came up with the title track, Ken Will responded  "I was going through kind of a hard time, which everybody goes through hard times, and it builds endurance. But you’ve got to grit your teeth, buck up and plow forward.”  Ken Will Morton is definitely plowing forward with his music.  “I can’t stop Rockin’ & Rollin’ and love music so much,” expressed Morton.  “Music is too important to me…I can’t give it up,” he went on to tell SC.

A skilled songwriter with a great set vocals to match, Ken Will reminds me of Dylan while remaining fresh and soulfully unique. To learn more about my new favorite musician, visit his website – www.kenwillmorton.com.        

Tonja Rose grew up in Pinetown, North Carolina where she began singing at an early age.  Her dad was a member of “The Coachmen Quartet,” a gospel group that traveled up and down the eastern seaboard.  Tonja’s dad started teaching her a few songs at a young age, and she began traveling with them and would perform a song during their shows.  That’s how Tonja’s musical journey began.  “Growing up I was in competitions and talent shows, band, chorus and was singing in church.  But I graduated from high school and kind of just left all the music behind.  I loved to sing, but I just put it on the backburner and went on with my life and my family,” said Rose. 

Later she and her husband moved to Virginia where she started singing in their church.  That was around the time karaoke became really big, and she also started singing karaoke.  Once again the “bug” had bit Tonja, and she met some people in Nashville who encouraged her to move there and pursue a career in music.  So she and her husband, Ward, found new jobs and moved to Tennessee. They’ve been living near Nashville for ten years and love the area.  Tonja signed with Identical Entertainment in 2008 where she is a singer/songwriter and has released an album called The Heart of Me. 

Tonja definitely poured her heart and soul into the Heart of Me project and went on to say that “God lets things go just long ago to see if you’re going to trust Him.  There’s a song on my album called Cure for the Common Life based on Max Lucado’s book by the same title.  I was in a rut and Greg Johnson (fellow songwriter) suggested the book.  I read it, and basically the book talks about people kind of wondering what they’re supposed to do with their lives.  What am I good at?  The book, in a nutshell, says that you need to look back through your life, and the things that come the easiest is what God wants you to do…or that’s the path you should choose.  It’s the things that you do that come natural.” 

Tonja is definitely a shining example of following your heart and listening to God’s calling on your life, and her album offers a positive message. In fact Tonja sums up her music as being positive country with Christian influence.  “I wanted songs that people could relate to and that could influence them in a good way.  My passion is music, but my purpose is to glorify God with it.  So however I can touch peoples’ lives and Him get all the glory is what I need to do,” explained Rose.

Aside from music, Tonja also does canvas art.  I’ve seen some of her work, and it’s beautiful.  Baking is something else Rose does in her spare time.  “There’s a little tea room in Franklin called World Cup of Tea.  My friend Lindsey Brown is the manager there and sometimes I go in and bake when she needs help.  We did a birthday party yesterday for twenty 4 year olds.  They all had on little princess dresses, and it was so sweet!”

Tonja is a class act and is a lady who’s beautiful inside and out.  She’s living life to the fullest and looks forward to the journey God has in store for her life and her music. It’s only fitting that Tonja’s favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11 - “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”  And…it seems evident that Tonja will have a very bright future.  To learn more about this talented artist, you can visit her website – www.tonjarose.com.