On Saturday, April 24, the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business will present its annual Best of the Best Showcase. This year’s show will honor Vince Gill with the Robert E. Mulloy Award of Excellence, an annual award given to an individual who has achieved a level of excellence in the music business and entertainment industries with notable service to Belmont University and the Nashville community.
Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007, Gill is one of country music’s best known humanitarians, participating in hundreds of charitable events throughout his career. The Vince Gill Celebrity Basketball Game and Concert began in 1990 as a simple benefit to raise funds for scholarship and program enhancement for Belmont University’s Athletics and Music Business programs. For over 12 years, the event also provided an invaluable opportunity for Music Business students to gain experience in planning and executing a music-industry event.
Co-hosted by Belmont’s Harry Chapman and Restless Heart frontman and Belmont alumnus Larry Stewart, Best of the Best will feature a tribute performance by Gill’s friend and fellow star Rodney Crowell. As always, the show will highlight some of Belmont’s remarkable student talent with performances from the winners of the CEMB Showcase series, including Miss B (Urban/Pop), Joshua Eric Wright (Christian), Cheryl LuQuire (Country), and Delta Saints (Rock), and from the ASCAP Writers’ Night series winners –Clare Dunn, Hailey Faith, Hailey Steele, Josh Johnson, Greg Bates, and Jordan Kyle Reynolds.
Over the years, Gill has established three endowed scholarships at Belmont University in the names of his loved ones: The Stan Gill Scholarship in Music Business (in honor of his father), The Robert Coen Scholarship in Music Business (in honor of his brother), and The John Hughey Scholarship in Music Business (in honor of his longtime friend and steel guitar player). To participate, you can make a secure gift online at www.belmont.edu/give or e-mail Harry Chapman (harry.chapman@belmont.edu) for more information.
Best of the Best is free to the public and is sponsored by ATT The Real Yellow Pages, ASCAP, BMI, Bandit Lites, Clair Audio, and MooTV. For more information on the event, click here.
