Ten years ago, Brad Paisley won a performance spot in a student concert while attending Nashville’s Belmont University. The stakes were high as Music Row record executives were going to be in the audience, and Brad wanted a lighter-hearted song to balance his repertoire of sad ballads. I knew we needed to add something upbeat,” says Brad, “so the audience wouldn’t kill themselves!” Fellow student Frank Rogers, who went on to produce Brad’s albums, agreed. “I told Brad, ‘These are great songs, but we’re going to put everyone to sleep!'” recalls Frank. “Let’s write something that will make them laugh.”
The song they wrote became one of Paisely’s biggest hits.
Story Behind The Song – CountryWeekly.com
Percussion Ensemble Recognized at International Convention
Belmont University’s Percussion Ensemble has been selected to perform in a showcase concert at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC), held in Nashville November 10-13 at the Nashville Convention Center. The Percussive Arts Society is the largest percussion organization in the world with approximately 7,000 members and is considered the central source for information and networking for percussionist and drummers of all ages. Established in 1961, the society is dedicated to promoting percussion education, research, performance and appreciation throughout the world. The convention, now in its 28th year, is the largest all percussion event in the country featuring over 100 concerts, clinics, master classes, labs, workshops, panels and presentations.
Directed by Belmont faculty member and percussion coordinator, Christopher Norton, the Belmont University Percussion Ensemble is an auditioned group. In addition to various concerts on campus, the ensemble performs outreach educational concerts and was broadcast on 250 PBS television affiliates across the nation as part of the “Christmas at Belmont” feature. The Belmont University Percussion Ensemble will present the “New Percussion Ensemble Literature Session” at PASIC 2004 on Thursday, November 11 at 4:00 p.m.
Programmers Win Competition
The Belmont University programming team won First Place Site honors at the 2004 Mid-Central USA Intercollegiate Program Contest on November 6 at Tennessee Technological University (TTU). Justin Jordan, Jeremy Stephens and Michael Yedlicka competed against ten other teams at TTU while eight other campuses simultaneously held competitions. The contest pits teams of three against seven programming problems. The teams share a computer and keyboard and have five hours to solve as many problems as they can. The Belmont team solved four problems in five hours. Belmont’s sophomore team – Stuart Childs, Sergei Temkin and Yves Toleno – solved three problems.
Leu Gallery Sets New Exhibition
Belmont University’s Leu Art Gallery launches its newest exhibition Friday, Nov. 12, featuring Murfreesboro artist Anne Carothers, who works primarily in oil paintings and enamel. The exhibition is titled Color First; Creation Liberated.
Carothers, a member of the Tennessee Art League and Christians in the Visual Arts, says the works in the upcoming exhibition are inspired by a chapter in the Book of Romans. “I am inspired by Romans 8, by the thought of not only people but all creation being liberated by God. I choose color before subject matter as I explore people and landscapes through the Holy Spirit and my perspective as a southerner.”
The exhibit runs Nov. 12 through Dec. 10, 2004. Leu Art Gallery hours are 9 a.m.–10 p.m., Mondays through Thursdays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The Leu Gallery will be closed on Nov. 25-26 for Thanksgiving. While the exhibition opens Nov. 12, there will be an opening reception 6-8 p.m. Nov. 19.
Painting: Mr. Brown’s Chair. Click image for larger view.
Multiple Belmont Graduates in CMA Awards Spotlight
Belmont University graduates Brad Paisley, Josh Turner and Julie Roberts are among the nominees for various Country Music Association awards, to be presented during the Tuesday, Nov. 9 awards show that will be broadcast live on CBS from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Turner and Roberts are among five nominees for the CMA Horizon Award.
Paisley is nominated for Single of the Year for “Whiskey Lullaby,” a duet featuring Alison Krauss, and for Album of the Year for Mud On The Tires. Paisley also is nominated for Music Video of the Year and Musical Event of the Year for “Whiskey Lullaby.” Turner’s song “Long Black Train,” which he wrote while a student at Belmont, is nominated for Song of the Year. Fellow Horizon Award nominee Roberts has received rave reviews for her first single, “Break Down Here.”
News@Belmont has more on Josh Turner here, Brad Paisley here, and Julie Roberts here, and featured Turner and Roberts in the Fall 2004 edition of Circle magazine.
Nunn Appointed to Committee
Dr. Deborah Nunn, Director of Organizational Development and Adjunct Instructor of Education, has been appointed to serve on the 2004-2005 Tennessee Higher Education Commission’s Advisory Commitee for the Improving Teacher Quality Grant Program. The program is a federally funded initiative that provides grants to public and private higher education institutions and non-profit organizations for the purpose of training and retaining elementary and secondary teachers, paraprofessionals and principals. In 2004, of the 42 proposals submitted for consideration, the Advisory Committee recommended funding for projects totaling over $1.2 million.
Turner Wins Big at CCMAs
Belmont University graduate and rising country music star Josh Turner was the big winner at last night’s Christian Country Music Awards at the famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. In related news, country superstar and Belmont graduate and country music superstar Brad Paisley is in the news.
Professor Interviewed for Journal
Dr. Jonathan Thorndike, a professor in the Honors Program, was recently interviewed by the editors of the Journal of College and Character at Florida State University, a part of the Institute on College Student Values. The interview, “Mission and Personal Growth: What Do Students Report?” was conducted by Dr. Debora Liddell at the University of Iowa.
Student Attends Leadership Forum
Ben Schooley, a senior, is attending the Beta Gamma Sigma Student Leadership Forum in San Antonio, Texas, November 4-7. Beta Gamma Sigma is the honor society for AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Participants will work with other student leaders, engage in a variety of interative settings and attend informational lectures and presentations. Attendees of the Student Leadership Forum have been chosen to represent their respective Beta Gamma Sigma student chapters. Beta Gamma Sigma chapters are located at 417 college and university campuses and recognize the academic achievements of the world’s best business students.
Focus On Entrepeneurship
Nashville City Paper‘s special CitySeven section features the student-run retail businesses operating in the Curb Event Center, and the new students chosen to run the businesses, which double as labs for the university’s innovative Entrepreneurship program. The cover of the special section (click image at right to enlarge) features Belmont students Erin Wooters and Kate Miller, who jointly run Boulevard, an art gallery and consighment store. “What sets the program apart from many across the country is its emphasis on the community, not just the university,” says the City Paper. You can read the whole story online or view it in a PDF file here.
