Music City Hit-Makers to Perform Number One Hits by Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum, Faith Hill and More
SIMSBURY, June 28, 2012 – Singer-songwriters Brett James, Hillary Lindsey, and Gordie Sampson are the behind the scenes talent of the country music industry, writing Grammy Award winning number one hits for Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, the Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum, Faith Hill, and more. This talented trio- known as the Music City Hit-Makers- will join the Hartford Symphony Orchestra for Big Country, the final concert of the 2012 Talcott Mountain Music Festival, on Friday, July 20, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at Simsbury Meadows. Led by guest conductor Chris Confessore, this program will feature the three Music City Hit-Makers performing their No. 1 hits with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, including “Jesus Take The Wheel,” “Cowboy Cassanova,” “When The Sun Goes Down,” “American Honey,” “Summer Nights,” and more.
Over the past decade Grammy winning songwriter and producer Brett James has established himself as one of the most prolific and versatile songwriters in Nashville, having had more than two hundred of his songs recorded by major label recording artists. James has become a fixture on the Billboard Country chart with ten #1 and scores of top 20 singles to his credit. In 2009, Brett achieved the Music Row “Triple Play,” an award for three #1 songs in a single chart year, not once, but twice! These six #1‘s: “It’s America,” Rodney Atkins; “Out Last Night,” Kenny Chesney; “Cowboy Cassanova,” Carrie Underwood; “Summer Nights,” Rascal Flatts; “The Truth,” Jason Aldean; and “The Man I Want To Be,” Chris Young earned James ASCAP Songwriter of the Year for a second time in October 2010.
In 2002, Hillary Lindsey enjoyed her first Billboard Country #1 song with “Blessed” recorded by Martina McBride. During the years following this success, Hillary had a streak of top 30 singles with such artists as Terri Clark, Sarah Evans, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and again with Martina McBride, this time cracking the top 5 with “This One’s for the Girls.” Lindsey returned to the top of the chart in January of 2006 with “Jesus Take The Wheel” recorded by 2005 American Idol winner Carrie Underwood. The song spent six weeks atop the Country Hot 100 tying the runner-up record for the longest-running song by a solo female artist. In 2007 “Jesus Take The Wheel” won Hillary, and co-writers Brett James and Gordie Sampson, a Grammy for Best Country Song at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards. The song had already received ACM honors for Single of the Year in the previous year. For Hillary, the Grammy win marked only the beginning of her run with Carrie Underwood adding four more #1’s to her credit; “So Small,” “Wasted,” “Last Name,” and “Just A Dream.”
Gordie Sampson‘s musical genius is applauded by audiences and industry players alike. From his national debut in the early 90′s to his presence today on the Nashville writing scene where international recording stars are discovering and recording his material including Faith Hill “Paris,” George Canyon “My Name,” Keith Urban covering “The Hard Way” and “You (or Somebody Like You),” and the #1 Billboard single recorded by Carrie Underwood “Jesus Take The Wheel.” Gordie has received numerous national and international awards including the prestigious 2007 Grammy Award for “Best Country Song of the Year” and a Juno Award for “Songwriter of the Year” for his co-write, “Jesus Take The Wheel.”
Ticket Information: Single tickets to the 2012 Talcott Mountain Music Festival range in price from $20-$45; and lawn tickets for kids 12 and under are $5. Discounts are available for tickets purchased in advance. For more ticketing information, please contact HSO ticket services at (860)244-2999 or visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.
Additional Information: Gates open at 6:00 p.m. for all Talcott Mountain Music Festival concerts. Open to all ticket holders, the HSO Family Activity Tent is open from 6:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.; families can enjoy free activities such as music-themed games and crafts, the “Instrument Zoo,” and youth performances. In the case of severe weather, this concert will be performed the following night (July 21) at the same time.
The 2012 Talcott Mountain Music Festival is presented by Hartford Hospital. The 2012 Talcott Mountain Music Festival is sponsored by the Richard P. Garmany Fund at Hartford Foundation for Public Giving with additional support from Classic Hotels of Connecticut; Falcetti Music; The Hartford Financial Services Group; Paine’s, Inc.; Town of Simsbury; Bloomfield Public Schools; Chubb; Connecticut Light & Power; HB Group; Seabury/Seabury at Home; Show Lighting; Simscroft Echo/Girard Brothers Corporation; Travelers; UBS Realty Investors; Viking Fuel Oil Company; 2Fly Wines; The Aegis Group; Bank of America; Big Y; Cigna; Dornenburg Group; Federman, Lally & Remis; Fitzgerald’s Foods; Metro Bis; Motley Rice, LLC; Murphy, Laudati, Kiel, Buttler & Rattigan, LLC; The Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at UCHC; Robert Hensley & Associates; Simsbury Bank; and Tom and Suzy Reich. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s 2012-2013 season is sponsored by Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism.