The Streamed Fundraiser will be Hosted for the First Time by
Brent Cobb and Amy Ray and Presented by the Gretsch Company
NASHVILLE, TN – Traditionally hosted at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN, the seventh annual “Gretsch Presents Georgia On My Mind” concert benefiting the Georgia Music Foundation will reach a global audience this year with an online musical event Tuesday, May 26 (8:00 PM/ET; 7:00 PM/CT) hosted by Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls and artist/songwriter Brent Cobb.
Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins, and Ben Hayslip, who write hit songs together as the Peach Pickers, initiated and hosted the first “Georgia On My Mind” event seven years ago to support the Georgia Music Foundation, which Davidson chairs. “We never dreamed it would keep going nor that it would eventually send more than $500,000 back home to support music education,” he said. “We’ve had a great run, but Ben, Rhett, and I decided it was the right time to let other Georgia musicians host to keep things fresh and we couldn’t be happier that our friends Brent and Amy graciously agreed to step up to the plate.”
Cobb and Ray were curating the lineup together when in March, music tours halted and venues temporarily shut down due to COVID-19. “With concerns for public safety top of mind, we cancelled the as-yet-unannounced Ryman date, but Amy and Brent were totally up for reimagining it as an online affair,” said Lisa Love, Director of the Georgia Music Foundation.
Ray said, “This is an unprecedented time, where we are united in our isolation and yearning to connect through music. For Brent and I to come together and host a lineup of artists from across the state of Georgia is a huge honor for both of us.”
Participating artists include: Caroline Aiken, Tony Arata, John Berry, Kristian Bush‘s band Dark Water, Amy Grant, Rutha Harris, John Driskell Hopkins, Indigo Girls, Kalen & Aslyn, Chuck Leavell, Kim Michael Polote, Katie Pruitt, The War & Treaty, Channing Wilson, Jontavious Willis, Adam Wright, and more to be announced.
This is the third year the fourth-generation musical instruments company headquartered in Pooler, GA, has been a presenting sponsor. Fred Gretsch, President of The Gretsch Company said, “We have seen firsthand the way proceeds from this event enrich lives through participating in music and we are delighted to continue this relationship and support the mission of the Georgia Music Foundation.”
Directed by photographer/filmmaker Curtis Wayne Millard, “Gretsch Presents Georgia On My Mind” will be streamed on facebook.com/georgiamusic and georgiamusic.org.