Lorrie Morgan and friends Vince Gill, Tracy Lawrence, and Joe Diffie will gather to perform at the Life Through Music Concert organized for the benefit of renowned musician and Nashville resident, Chris Kent, who is fighting a life battle with Multiple Myeloma (MM). The benefit concert will be held on Thursday, February 5, 2009 at the Mercy Lounge Cannery Ballroom in Nashville; proceeds from the concert and corresponding silent auction will be dedicated to assist Chris with his medical and family living expenses.Chris Kent is a Grammy award-winning bassist who has performed alongside Lorrie Morgan, Steve Lukather, Larry Carlton, Kirk Whalum and numerous others. He has also shared the stage with the legendary Stevie Wonder. Chris has made television appearances on the "Tonight Show," "Live From the House of Blues" and "Jazz Central" (BET). Anywhere there is music, you will find Chris.
With the loving support and strength from family and friends, Chris has been fighting MM, a plasma cell cancer, since fall of 1998. Plasma cells produce antibodies, which are vital to fighting infections and bone marrow is the supply point for early blood stem cells. When one develops a blood disease, the most common form of treatment is a bone marrow transplant. The difficulty is, however, finding a bone marrow match. According to www.marrow.org, "Because tissue types are inherited, patients are more likely to match someone from their own race or ethnicity." While there is no cure for MM, there are several treatments and for nearly a decade, the treatments have exhausted Chris' livelihood.
Over his lifetime, Chris has been instrumental in a number of artists' careers and their successes and, in his honor as a leader in musical composition and a loving friend in the community, fellow musicians and recording artists Lorrie Morgan, Vince Gill, Tracy Lawrence, and Joe Diffie are donating their time and talents. Jesse Whitley (son of Lorrie Morgan and Keith Whitley) will also appear in a special guest performance.
Lorrie Morgan is a four-time Female Vocalist of the Year and a Grand Ole Opry member. With 14 Top-10 hits and seven gold and platinum albums, Lorrie has secured her place as an icon in country music history. At the age of 13, Morgan made her Opry debut with her father, country legend George Morgan, and today she is regarded as a pioneer who paved the way for all female country artists who have followed. A longtime friend and performing mate of Chris, Lorrie has initiated multiple benefit concerts to assist Chris and his family. "Simply said, I LOVE this man," Morgan announced. "We are all doing this because of our adoration for Chris and I am humbled and embraced by my friends in music who share the same sentiment, so much so, that they are willing join us in this effort. Music is a heart and soul healer."
History-maker Vince Gill has 19 Grammy Awards, holding the record for a male country music artist, 18 CMA Awards (second to Brooks & Dunn for CMA Award accumulation) and was the host of the CMA Awards for 13 consecutive years (1992-2003), raising the standards for hosts on other award programs. He's sold more than 26 million albums and in 2007 was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. With over 40 singles charted on Billboard a few hits include: "My Pretty Little Adrianna," "You and You Alone," "Take Your Memory With You," "One More Last Chance" and "Let Me Love You Tonight."
Tracy Lawrence's music career spans over 16 years, proving him to be a formidable stylist in the country music format. Lawrence has celebrated successes with gold and platinum sales and now 17 No. 1 singles to his name including "Alibis," "If The World Had A Front Porch," "Time Marches On," "Sticks And Stones," "Paint Me A Birmingham" and his most recent No. 1, "Find Out Who Your Friends Are."
Joe Diffie is a Grammy award-winning (1998-"Same Old Train"), gold and platinum-selling country music artist who has scored 12 No. 1 hits and over 20 Top-10's. An accredited songwriter, Diffie wrote Tim McGraw's "Memory Lane," Jo Dee Messina's "My Give A Damn's Busted," and "I Got A Feeling" recorded by Tracy Lawrence to name a few.
To generate awareness surrounding the new MM screening procedure, a certified nurse representing the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), will be on site the evening of the concert to offer donor information and conduct swab tests. The first step in the donor process is DNA testing, via a mouth swab or blood sample. Interested attendees are invited to participate in this life saving screening. (The NMDP will post the results in their database and contact the donor to initiate further testing if identified as a possible match).
Items are being accepted for the silent auction. Those interested in making a monetary donation or donating items for the silent auction should contact Joshua Motohashi via e-mail at:
Joshuamotohashi@hotmail.com.
Life Through Music Concert
Thursday, February 5, 2009 · 7:00PM
Mercy Lounge (in the Cannery Ballroom)
1 Cannery Row, Nashville, TN
615-251-3020
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