Leadership Music Gala Attracts Star Performers, Honorees

Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award winners (L-R): Fred Foster, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson

Leadership Music has recruited a stellar list of performers to give musical tributes to honorees Fred Foster, Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson at its annual awards gala on Sun., Aug. 29.

Rodney Crowell, Lyle Lovett, Billy Swan and Lee Ann Womack will perform that evening at Nashville’s Renaissance Hotel, and Vince Gill is sure to charm as master of ceremonies of the Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award dinner. More performers and special guests will be announced soon.

The event will celebrate the honorees’ legendary careers, which intertwined through veteran label executive and producer Foster’s Monument Records. These distinct trailblazers helped define—and redefine—the Music Row business model, elevate the Nashville songwriting medium, and push the boundaries of country music, all while maintaining maverick authenticity.

Reservations to attend the invitation-only fundraiser must be made by Tuesday, August 10. There are several seating options: Benefactor Tickets, which include a pre-event VIP reception, cocktail reception, preferred dinner seating and program acknowledgment, are $500 each. Benefactor Tables of 10 are $5,000. Patron Tickets, for the cocktail reception and dinner, are $200 each for LM alumni and $250 for non-alumni. Patron Tables of 10 are $2,499. For more information, contact the Leadership Music office at LM@leadershipmusic.org. Proceeds from the evening benefit Leadership Music, an educational 501(c)(3) organization.

Honorary Chairs for the 2010 Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award gala dinner are Bob Beckham, Del Bryant, Frances W. Preston and Kyle Young.

The Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award, named for the first executive director of Leadership Music, was created in 2004 “to recognize music industry leaders who exemplify the highest quality of leadership and leading by example.” Foster, Kristofferson and Nelson join previous Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award honorees Tony Brown (2004), Gerry House (2005), Emmylou Harris (2006), Frances W. Preston (2007), The Bradley Family:  Owen, Harold, Jerry, Connie and Patsy (2008), and Jim Foglesong, Allen Reynolds and Garth Brooks (2009).