On Sat., April 24, the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business will present its annual Best of the Best Showcase. The show will honor Vince Gill, 2010 recipient of the Robert E. Mulloy Award of Excellence, an annual award to be given to an individual who has achieved a level of excellence in the music business and entertainment industries with notable service to Belmont University and the Nashville community.
Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007, Vince Gill has become one of the best known names in country music. With more than 26 million albums sold, he has earned 18 CMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year in 1993 and 1994. He is tied for having won the most CMA Male Vocalist Awards (five), and is currently third for accumulating the most CMA Awards in history. Gill is a member of the Grand Ole Opry and has received 20 Grammy Awards to date, the most of any male Country artist. Besides being known for his talent as a performer, musician and songwriter, Gill is regarded as one of Country Music’s best known humanitarians, participating in hundreds of charitable events throughout his career. The Vince Gill Celebrity Basketball Game and Concert began in 1990 as a simple benefit to raise funds for scholarship and program enhancement for Belmont University’s Athletics and Music Business programs. For over 12 years, the event also provided an invaluable opportunity for Music Business students to gain experience in planning and executing a music-industry event.
Co-hosted by Belmont’s Harry Chapman and Restless Heart front man and Belmont alumnus Larry Stewart, Best of the Best will feature a tribute performance by Vince’s friend and fellow star Rodney Crowell. As always, the show will highlight some of Belmont’s remarkable student talent with performances from the winners of the CEMB Showcase series—Miss B (Urban/Pop), Joshua Eric Wright (Christian), Cheryl LuQuire (Country) and Delta Saints (Rock)—and from the ASCAP Writers’ Night series winners –Clare Dunn, Hailey Faith, Hailey Steele, Josh Johnson, Greg Bates and Jordan Kyle Reynolds.
Over the years, Vince Gill has established three endowed scholarships at Belmont University in the names of his loved ones: The Stan Gill Scholarship in Music Business (in honor of his father, Stan Gill), The Robert Coen Scholarship in Music Business (in honor of his brother, Bob Coen), and The John Hughey Scholarship in Music Business (in honor of his longtime steel guitar player and friend, John Hughey). These scholarships provide resources for deserving Curb College students.
Best of the Best is free to the public and is sponsored by: ATT The Real Yellow Pages, ASCAP, BMI, Bandit Lites, Clair Audio, and MooTV. For more information on the event, visit http://www.belmontshowcaseseries.com/.
