Country music singers Wade Hayes and Bryan White will perform in Owensboro on March 11 for a fundraiser benefiting the free instrument loan programs offered by the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s Music Academy.
Both Hayes and White had some top hits in the 1990s, and they are both still touring and recording. Randy Lanham, now the Education Director at the Hall of Fame, played fiddle with Hayes in the 1990s and at the time became friends with White. Lanham remained close with both men through the years and still on occasion finds himself on the road playing with both artists.
The acoustic show will start at 7 p.m. and will include both artists playing guitar, transitioning between singing lead and harmony. Lanham will join them on stage, playing fiddle, and singing harmony.
Attendees can expect to hear hit songs along with stories from the road, the inspiration behind the songs, songs from their musical influences, and possibly some comedy. A meet-and-greet will follow the show, where fans can get autographs and have pictures taken with the artists.
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at bluegrasshall.org, by calling 270-926-789, or stopping by the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Donations can also be made online to help further the mission of the Bluegrass Music Academy.
The Bluegrass Music Academy was created last fall and prides itself on being “Music with A Mission.”
Since September 2022, the Bluegrass Music Academy has assembled an outreach team of musicians that are called upon to play at nursing facilities, for Hospice patients, at the hospital, for individuals that do not go out, and more. The program is now partnering with local organizations to expand its reach, with collaborations such as VET (Veterans Empowered Together), Owensboro Health, and The Opportunity Center. More recently, a new program called Bedside Bluegrass has launched, allowing families to request music to be played for a loved one.
The largest portion of the program’s outreach is to support individuals playing an instrument, joining others, and performing in the community. This initiative heavily relies on the program’s ability to loan instruments to community members. Between all the instruments that the Bluegrass Music Academy has available to loan for lessons, and for Bluegrass in The Schools, there is needed maintenance on more than 300 instruments.
For more information about the Academy, click here.
