Luke Bryan And Lee Greenwood Surprise Charlie Daniels At Fifth Annual Lipscomb University’s Copperweld Charlie Daniels’ Scholarship For Heroes Event

Clint Black, Kellie Pickler, and The Grascals also performed
to raise awareness for veterans’ education at Lipscomb

Legendary musician Charlie Daniels hosted a special free concert in a packed Allen Arena on the Lipscomb University campus Tuesday night, March 25 as part of the Copperweld Charlie Daniels’ Scholarship for Heroes event.

Performances by the Charlie Daniels Band along with Clint Black, Kellie Pickler, The Grascals, the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters, the American Hitmen were part of the program to celebrate military veterans and raise funds and bring greater awareness of the national Veterans Yellow Ribbon education program and to raise awareness of and funds for veterans scholarships at Lipscomb University. Members of the military and their families were guests of the events corporate sponsors. Proceeds from the event benefitted Lipscomb University’s Charlie Daniels Scholarship for Heroes Fund.

To the delight of attendees, two additional artists made appearances. Lee Greenwood took the stage early in the evening with a performance of his anthem-hit, “God Bless the USA.” Reeling from the all-star performances, the crowd erupted as ACM “Entertainer of the Year” Luke Bryan took the stage.

“The sacrifices these veterans and their families have made help keep our country free,” stated Bryan. “We should take care of them in whatever ways that we can, and that includes a good college education.”

The event, sponsored by Copperweld, Humana, Grand Avenue, Twice Daily, Clear Channel, Shofner Vision Center, Lipscomb, Glover Group Entertainment, and produced by David Corlew & Associates was streamed live worldwide by Blue Scout Media and will also be broadcast to all US military bases in coming weeks by the Pentagon Channel and Armed Forces TV. To view the show or for further information, please visit: http://stagehop.com.

“This show just gets bigger every year as the Nashville community continues to show how much they love and support our military,” beamed Daniels.

Daniels launched the event in March 2010. Each year, up to ten veteran students receive the Charlie Daniels Scholarship for Heroes, which benefits veterans who do not qualify for Lipscomb’s Yellow Ribbon Enhancement Program that offers eligible Post-9/11 GI Bill veterans and their family members an undergraduate degree tuition-free or a graduate degree either tuition-free or at a greatly reduced tuition rate.

“It’s an honor to be part of something special like the Charlie Daniels’ Scholarship for Heroes event,” said Black, a popular Country music artist for more than three decades. “As if it weren’t enough that Charlie Daniels asked me to sing—our troops occupy a very special place in our history. We have to do our utmost to make sure the part we play in their history is worthy of their sacrifice and commitment. This event is playing a fantastic role, making higher education a reality for returning veterans. I’m thrilled to be a part of this special evening.”

Some of country music’s biggest names helped Daniels raise awareness through this event. Clint Black, has had 22 No.1 singles on the Billboard country charts. Black River Entertainment artist and “Dancing with the Stars” champion Kellie Pickler released her fourth album, The Woman I Am, last year. Grammy-nominated group, The Grascals, have become one of the most acclaimed bands on today’s bluegrass scene for their innovative mingling of bluegrass and country music. The Navy Band Sea Chanters is the United States Navy’s official chorus. The American Hitmen, Marines and brothers Dan and Tim Cord, formed in the midst of battle in Fallujah, Iraq, and have recently been featured on “America’s Got Talent.” Today, the band also includes former Marine Dan Jarmon, bass guitar, and drummer Phil Snyder.

Luke Bryan, the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year, recently debuted his Spring Break 6…Like We Ain’t Ever digital EP at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart with 74,296 copies sold. During his two spring break shows in Panama City Beach, Florida in support of the EP, over 230,000 fans attended the two-day concerts. Luke will co-host the 49th Annual ACM Awards for the second year with Blake Shelton on April 6 during a break from his “That’s My Kind of Night Tour.” He currently has three nominations in the Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year (Crash My Party) categories.

Grammy-winning American patriot, Lee Greenwood, has an iconic recording career spanning over three decades, producing seven #1 songs & 25 charted singles including 1985’s CMA Song of the Year “God Bless the USA.” The song has been in the top five on the country singles charts three times (1991, 2001 and 2003), giving it the distinction of being the only song in any genre of music to achieve that feat. It was also #1 on the pop charts after 9/11/01.

About Lipscomb University’s Veteran Services Program
For veterans who qualify for 100 percent of the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits Lipscomb University has committed to allocate the necessary funds to allow them to earn a tuition-free undergraduate degree through the Yellow Ribbon Enhancement Program. The university also offers qualifying student veterans a variety of graduate degrees tuition-free or at a greatly reduced tuition rate.

Lipscomb University officials believe strongly in helping open doors for student veterans through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Since its inception in fall 2009, Lipscomb’s Yellow Ribbon Program has graduated 104 student veterans. Students have performed well academically with 71 percent of currently enrolled student veterans maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA, with 13 percent of those maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. This semester, more than 200 student veterans are enrolled at Lipscomb University.

For more information about Lipscomb University’s Yellow Ribbon Enhancement Program, call 615-966-5176 or visit lipscomb.edu/veterans.

About David Corlew & Associates
David Corlew & Associates is a multifaceted company that oversees the operations of Dcorlew Films (specializing in documentary projects), and Corlew Music Group (specializing in music publishing). David Corlew & Associates also handles concert and event production and works closely with several military foundations including: Charlie Daniels Scholarship for Heroes, Sentinels of Freedom and the Task Force Dagger Foundation. For more information on David Corlew & Associates, please call:  615-443-2112 x115.