CMT’s “Nashville” star, Charles Esten has been announced to join the cast of over 40 artists for the historic night paying homage to Country Music Hall of Famer Randy Travis. Grand Ole Opry members Jeannie Seely, Riders in the Sky, John Conlee, Dailey & Vincent, Jan Howard and Rudy Gatlin will come together for a tribute of their own as fellow Grand Ole Opry members. The event is tonight at 7 p.m. at Bridgestone Arena and tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.
The event, titled 1 Night. 1 Place. 1 Time: A Heroes and Friends Tribute to Randy Travis, will also feature performances from over 40 artists including Garth Brooks, Alabama, Rodney Atkins, Kane Brown, Mark Chesnutt, James Dupre, Jeff Foxworthy, Montgomery Gentry, Ben Haggard, Chris Janson, Jamey Johnson, Alison Krauss, Neal McCoy, Scotty McCreery, William Michael Morgan, Joe Nichols, Paul Overstreet, Shane Owens, Michael Ray, Collin Raye, Ricky Skaggs, Kenny Rogers, Daryle Singletary, Michael W. Smith, The Bellamy Brothers, The Randy Travis Band, Ricky Traywick, Travis Tritt, Tanya Tucker, Josh Turner, Phil Vassar, Chuck Wicks, Wynonna, Chris Young.
“The reason we named this 1 Night. 1 Place. 1 Time is because it truly is that. The evening will not be filmed or aired on television or anywhere else. If you want to experience this amazing lineup, you’ve got to be in the audience tonight,” said producer Tony Conway of Conway Entertainment Group/Ontourage Management.
A portion of the proceeds will go to the Randy Travis Foundation; a 501(c)3 non-profit that provides support for victims of strokes and cardiovascular diseases as well as arts and entertainment education for at-risk children. For more information, visit www.randytravisfoundation.org.
In October, Randy Travis was officially inducted into The Country Music Hall of Fame. The multi-platinum country giant suffered a massive stroke in 2013 and has since made miraculous strides towards recovery. He recently sang “Amazing Grace” at his Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony as well as the tagline to his iconic “Forever and Ever, Amen” at the 2016 CMA Awards in November alongside numerous country legends and stars.
1 Night. 1 Place. 1 Time: A Heroes and Friends Tribute to Randy Travis is produced by Mary Travis along with Tony Conway of Conway Entertainment Group/Ontourage Management, Mike Smardak of Outback Concerts of Tennessee, Inc. who is also the promoter of the event and Kirt Webster of Webster and Associates.
About Randy Travis
With lifetime sales in excess of 25 million, Randy Travis is one of the biggest country record sellers of all time and the most recent inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame class of 2016. His honors include seven Grammy Awards, 10 Academy of Country Music statuettes, 10 American Music Awards, two People’s Choice awards, seven Music City News awards, eight Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association and five Country Music Association honors. In addition, three of his performances earned CMA Song of the Year honors, “On the Other Hand” (1986), “Forever and Ever Amen” (1987) and “Three Wooden Crosses” (2003). To date, he has 18 No. 1 singles, 29 top-10 smashes and more than 40 appearances in feature films and television shows to his credit. Ten of his albums are Gold Records. Eight are Platinum. Two have gone Double Platinum. One is Triple Platinum and another is Quintuple Platinum. In 2004, Randy was honored with his own star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame and is honored on the Music City Walk of Fame in Nashville, TN. He has been a member of the cast of the Grand Ole Opry since 1986. Since his near fatal stroke in 2013, with the help of his wife Mary and vigorous physical therapy, Randy continues to make improvements in his speaking, walking, and yes, singing.
About Charles Esten
Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Charles “Chip” Esten grew up in Alexandria, VA. After starting his acting career in Los Angeles, he was pleased to make his theatrical debut in London, portraying Buddy Holly in the hit West End musical “Buddy.” In that role, he was honored to perform for H.R.M Queen Elizabeth and then, for President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush at The White House. Since then, he has appeared in films and on television, most notably on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and “The Office.”
In 2014, 2015 and 2016 he joined his cast-mates in headlining the “Nashville in Concert” tour with sold out shows across the US and this summer, the UK and Ireland. He is proud to serve as the National Light the Night Walk Honorary Chair for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Here’s where you can follow Charles Esten on Social Media:
Twitter @CharlesEsten
Facebook Charles Esten
Instagram charles_esten
About Jeannie Seely
“Miss Country Soul” Jeannie Seely is a GRAMMY® award-winning artist who has been recording and performing for more than six decades. A Pennsylvania native, Seely moved to LA where she met many songwriters including Dottie West who ultimately encouraged her to move to Nashville. Within a month, Porter Wagoner hired her as the female singer for his road and television series. On September 16, 1967, Seely’s biggest dream came true when she became the first Pennsylvania native to become a member of the world famous Grand Ole Opry. Seely subsequently became the first female to regularly host segments of the weekly Opry shows. She’s also credited for changing the image of female country performers by being the first to wear a mini-skirt on the Opry stage. On March 2, 1967, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences honored Jeannie with the 1966 GRAMMY® Award for the “Best Country Vocal Performance by a Female.” A BMI-awarded songwriter, Seely’s songs have been recorded by Country Music Hall of Fame members Faron Young, Merle Haggard, Connie Smith, Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Ernest Tubb and Little Jimmy Dickens, as well as by many other artists including Doyle Lawson, Lorrie Morgan and Irma Thomas. Along with placing records on the Billboard country singles chart for 13 consecutive years, Seely also served as a radio disc jockey on her own Armed Forces Network Show.
About John Conlee
Kentucky native and Grand Ole Opry member, John Conlee, has one of country music’s most recognizable voices. Self-penned and signature hit “Rose Colored Glasses,” was the first of over 30 hit singles, most of which charted in the Top 10 or better. Some of the songs from the John Conlee hit list include “Back Side of Thirty, “ “Lady Lay Down,” “FridayNight Blues,” “Common Man,” “I’m Only In It For The Love” and “Domestic Life.” All of Conlee’s hits have that unmistakable common thread – that unique voice. In 2015, Conlee hasn’t slowed down and continues to cut songs with substance with the release of Classics 2 that includes a tribute to law enforcement titled “Walkin’ Behind the Star.”
About Dailey & Vincent
Five-time Grammy award winners individually, three-time Grammy award nominees collectively, four-time DOVE Award winners, and winners of 35 IBMA Awards altogether (including 3-time IBMA Entertainer of the Year Award winners and 3-Time Vocal Group of the Year Award winners), Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent, backed by one of the best bands on tour today, are some of the most reputable and elite entertainers in American music; bluegrass, traditional country and gospel music. The concoction of the fantastically instinctive vocal blends of Dailey’s tenor and Vincent’s reedy harmonies, has gained them well-deserved praise for their own distinctive style and worldwide recognition as American Music gold. Dailey & Vincent has garnered world-wide attention with their first national, top-rated television series, “The Dailey & Vincent Show,” on RFD TV and over 500 airings of their PBS special “Dailey & Vincent ALIVE – In Concert.” Their most recent CD, Dailey & Vincent ALIVE, debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Bluegrass charts and remained at the top position for over 15 weeks. For more information, visit DaileyandVincent.com.
About Storme Warren
Storme Warren is celebrating his 32nd year in Broadcasting in 2016. You can hear him daily on SiriusXM Satellite Radio on “The Highway” as it’s morning show host. A twenty-three year veteran of the Nashville music industry, Storme is also known as the “Dick Clark” of Country Music and can be found hosting numerous high profile events in Music City and around the globe including Nashville’s annual “Let Freedom Sing” Independence Day party and “The Bash on Broadway” New Years Eve celebrations. Music festivals all over North America, the Caribbean and Australia also recruit his talents as a live event emcee. Behind the scenes Storme runs Stone Beaver Productions, a full-service video production company. His Television credits as Host and contributing talent include TNN, CNN, GAC & CMC. As a producer, Warren has created numerous live and recorded Television concert events, DVDs and specials. As a proud member of the Nashville Community, Storme serves on the board of directors for the T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer research. He is also a proud Eagle Scout and family man. He and his wife Allison have two teenage boys and live in Franklin, Tennessee.
Randy Travis has delivered a hit with the surprise debut of the George Jones tribute song, “Tonight I’m Playin’ Possum.” The heartfelt single is now available on iTunes. “Tonight I’m Playin’ Possum” was recently recorded by the country icon and singer Joe Nichols. This is the first song from Randy’s new album that’s set to be released this fall.
