Amy Grant and Vince Gill to Receive Jack C. Massey

Leadership Award

Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee
recognizes Nashville Artists’ Leadership and Advocacy

Nashville,
TN – The Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee today announced that musicians
Amy Grant and Vince Gill have been named the recipients of the 2009 Jack C.
Massey Leadership Award.  This
award is presented biennially in recognition of outstanding community
leadership and considerable contributions to numerous causes that improve the
lives of Middle Tennessee’s citizens.

“For nearly
than 30 years, Amy and Vince have been very successful in Nashville’s music
industry,” said Tom Starling, President and CEO of the Mental Health
Association of Middle Tennessee.  “However,
their greatest legacy to Nashville is not just record sales or professional accolades.  Their generous contributions of time
and resources to numerous charitable organizations serving underprivileged
children, performing arts, physically disabled, homeless, and other persons in
need exemplifies the type of visionary leadership that Jack C.
Massey demonstrated.  We are delighted to name Amy Grant
and Vince Gill as the recipients of the Jack C. Massey Award.”

Amy Grant's career spans over 25 years and stretches from her roots in
gospel into an iconic pop star, songwriter, television personality, and
philanthropist. Grant has sold more than 30 million albums and won six Grammys^®
in multiple categories, beginning with the platinum selling Age to Age in 1982. She also has six #1
hits, including "Baby, Baby," and "Every Heartbeat".  For as long as she has been singing,
Grant has also been giving back to her community.  Many organizations, large and small, local and
international, have benefitted from Grant’s involvement.

Vince Gill has sold more than 26 million albums. He has earned 18 CMA
Awards, including Entertainer of the Year in 1993 and 1994. Gill is a member of
the Grand Ole Opry and has received 19 Grammys^® to date, the most of
any male Country artist. In 2007, the Country Music Association inducted Gill
as the newest members of the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame.  An avid golfer, he helped create the
annual Vince Gill Pro-Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament (“The Vinny”) in
1993 in order to help support junior golf programs throughout Tennessee.
Besides being known for his talent as a performer, musician and songwriter,
Gill is regarded as one of Country Music’s best known humanitarians,
participating in hundreds of charitable events throughout his career.

The Jack C. Massey
Award was created by the Mental Health Association in 1986 to honor the late Mr.
Massey’s lifelong dedication to the Nashville community. He was a founder of
Baptist Hospital and was on its Board of Trustees for 20 years.  He also was a trustee of Montgomery
Bell Academy and a founder of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. He made frequent
contributions to local academic institutions such as Vanderbilt Law School,
Meharry Medical College, and Belmont College, whose graduate school of business
bears his name. One of the most successful entrepreneurs of his time, Mr.
Massey helped establish and lead numerous corporations including Kentucky Fried
Chicken, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Surgical Care Affiliates, Corrections
Corporation of America, Hospital Corporation of America and Massey Surgical
Supply.

Former Jack
C. Massey Leadership Award recipients include Ambassador Joe M. Rodgers (1986),
Leah Rose Werthan (1988), Buddy Killen (1991), Governor Ned McWherter (1993),
Senator Howard H. Baker, Jr. (1995), Annette Eskind (1997), Alyne Massey
(1999), William O. Whetsell, Jr., M.D. (2001), William S. Cochran (2003), Orrin
H. Ingram, John R. Ingram, David B. Ingram and Robin Ingram Patton (2005), and
Mayor Bill Purcell (2007).

Alyne Massey, Mr.
Massey’s widow, will serve as honorary chair of the invitation-only awards
dinner event, which will be held November 18, 2009.  Diana Day-Cartee and Karen Moore will serve as event co-chairs.

About The Mental
Health Association of Middle Tennessee

The Mental
Health Association of Middle Tennessee promotes mental wellness for all
individuals through advocacy, education and service. For more information about
the Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee, call 615-269-5355 or visit
www.ichope.com.           

-2-

OK, Nashville, is everything forgiven?

The Recording Academy will honor Vince Gill at its first ever "Grammy Salute to Country Music," slated for Sept. 8 in Nashville. Set to appear are Brad Paisley, wife Amy Grant, Alison Krauss, Steve Martin and Michael McDonald. The Recording Academy stages similar events for classical, jazz and gospel music.

"Vince Gill who has made an indelible mark on the genre," said Recording Academy chief Neil Portnow in a statement. "Our 'Salute To' series pays homage to and celebrates the work of extraordinary people and organizations that continue to ensure that these genres remain a vital part of our culture."

Gill has garnered 20 Grammy Awards in his 30-plus year career. He won best country album in 2007 for his four disc set "These Days," but lost out in the album of the year field that year to Herbie Hancock.

Grammy followers may remember that Gill passed on an opportunity to perform on the telecast in 2008. It's common practice for every album of the year nominee to perform on the Grammys, but Gill balked at the live scenarios presented to him that year, as they featured the county vet performing a duet with Paisley rather than showcasing his nominated album.

Nevertheless, Gill was a willing participant in the awards, appearing as a presenter in 2008. All the drama happened a few months after Portnow flew to Nashville to discuss a perceived lack of country representation on the awards.

Yet all should be forgiven now, as the Grammys this year featured performances by Taylor Swift and Sugarland, and a country-tinged album — "Raising Sand" from Krauss and Robert Plant — won the top prize.

Look for the country goodwill to continue into 2010, with Swift's "Fearless" sure to score a bounty of nominations. The Grammy eligibility period for the 2010 telecast will come to a close on Aug. 31, and nominations are expected to be announced in early December.

– Todd Martens – LA TIMES (LINK TO ARTICLE)

MY GRANT AND VINCE GILL ANNOUNCE JUNE MUSICAL EVENT,
LAUNCHING CHALLENGE AMERICA, HONORING WOUNDED WARRIORS
AT THE JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS, MONDAY, JUNE 8

With Special Guests Michael McDonald, Alison Krauss, Darius Rucker, Mac McAnally, Melinda Doolittle and NY Times bestselling author Stephen Mansfield

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 28, 2009) – Amy Grant and Vince Gill recently announced plans to host an evening of music at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on Monday, June 8, 2009, at 8 p.m., honoring wounded warriors and launching the nationwide Challenge America initiative. Challenge America will work with communities across America to support the development of recreational and occupational programs for returning injured military and their families.

Special musical guests slated to join Grant and Gill at the Monday night Kennedy Center launch event include Michael McDonald, Alison Krauss, Darius Rucker, Melinda Doolittle and Mac McAnally with NY Times bestselling author Stephen Mansfield. Tickets go on sale Saturday, May 2, and are priced at $50, $75 and $95 for general admission and $500 for Gold Circle Seating to include a post-show reception. Tickets are available at the Kennedy Center Box Office, via InstantCharge by calling (202) 467-4600, and online at www.kennedy-center.org .

“I’m excited about getting to play on stage with all of these talented folks and to share what we believe in so deeply. We want to make an impact on the individuals who have given to us in unimaginable ways. Challenge America is our way of honoring the men and women who truly are heroes,” explains Vince Gill.

Challenge America is an outgrowth of Challenge Aspen, a non-profit organization that has provided adaptive recreation for people with disabilities since 1995. Since 2000, Amy Grant and Vince Gill have served Challenge Aspen in various capacities, hosting golf tournaments, providing entertainment during fundraisers, and volunteering, raising more than $3.5 million. The Kennedy Center concert event to launch Challenge America is a natural progression for Grant and Gill and for Challenge Aspen.

“Amy and Vince have been among our most ardent supporters,” said Houston Cowan, CEO and Co-Founder of Challenge Aspen and Founder of Challenge America. “What we hear from wounded warriors is their simple desire to find a new normal life—a job they can be proud of, a home, and recreational opportunities with their families in their own communities. We are delighted that Amy and Vince are hosting an event of this magnitude to launch our organization to help provide access to these opportunities,” explains Cowan.

“Every person in every community across the country has the opportunity to welcome home our wounded heroes with open arms,” explains Amy Grant. “Vince and I want this event at The Kennedy Center to be a special night for launching Challenge America, and to inspire us all to find ways in our own communities to serve the ones who have served us,” she adds.

Established in 1995, Challenge Aspen(http://www.challengeaspen.org) has provided adaptive recreational, cultural and competitive opportunities to thousands of individuals with disabilities from around the world. Based in Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado, Challenge Aspen is an internationally established charitable organization.

Challenge America (http://www.challengeamerica.com) is an outgrowth of Challenge Aspen that will be launched on June 8, 2009. The organization will work with new and existing organizations for the development of recreational and occupational programs for injured military and their families.

Vince Gill has sold more than 26 million albums and earned 18 CMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year in 1993 and 1994. He is a member of the Grand Ole Opry, with 20 Grammy® Awards to date (more than any male country music artist) and was inducted into the prestigious Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007.

Amy Grant has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. She is best known for her Grammy® Award winning contemporary Christian and pop music, and recently received acclaim as a New York Times Best Selling author for Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far. Grant is a six-time Grammy® Award winner, 26-time Gospel Music Association Dove Award winner, and a member of the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame.

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