The CMA Songwriters Series returns for its tenth season with the announcement that the first shows of 2014 will be at the world famous Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 22 and 23.
For a decade, the CMA Songwriters Series has been exposing fans across the country and the globe to the artisans who, through their craft, pen hits that touch the lives of millions of music fans. The January performances of the Sundance ASCAP Music Café’s CMA Songwriters Spotlight will feature special guests Brandy Clark, Brett James, Chris Stapleton, and Lee Ann Womack.
“We are honored that the CMA Songwriters Spotlight will be a highlight of the Sundance ASCAP Music Café, an official part of the Sundance Film Festival calendar,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Nashville’s songwriters are among the most talented storytellers in the world and with the Sundance Film Festival being the world’s premier stage for storytellers, I cannot think of a more appropriate setting to launch the tenth year of this series.”
In its 10-year history, the CMA Songwriter Series has presented more than 75 shows in 13 cities, including Austin, Belfast, Chicago, Dublin, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. at the renowned Library of Congress.
The series has featured hundreds of music’s most gifted storytellers. CMA Triple Play Award winner, CMA Board member, and Songwriters Hall of Fame member Bob DiPiero has championed and hosted the series since its launch in 2005 at Joe’s Pub in New York City.
“CMA Songwriters Series has become the premier event to showcase the Nashville songwriting community,” said DiPiero. “We have reached a tipping point, in that fans are starting to understand the role of the songwriter in the success of their favorite artists. We are grateful to all of the artists that have performed on the series through the past 10 years, but it is the songwriter, the ‘invisible star,’ the storytellers and song makers that the CMA Songwriters Series celebrates. We have become musical ambassadors, spreading the hillbilly Gospel.”
Some of the artists that have been part of the series over the decade-long run include Dierks Bentley, Clint Black, Kix Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Billy Currington, Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Patty Loveless, Ronnie Milsap, Kip Moore, David Lee Murphy, Gretchen Peters, Kellie Pickler, The Band Perry, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, Phil Vassar, and Chris Young.
Through CMA’s partnership with ASCAP, some of Country Music’s premier storytelling talent will present two feature performances as part of the official Sundance Festival calendar at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café’s CMA Songwriters Spotlight. Both shows will feature Clark, James, Stapleton, and Womack. The shows will be on Jan. 22 and 23 at 4:00 PM/MT each day at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café.
Following an auspicious launch at the Sundance ASCAP Music Café, the CMA Songwriters Series will return on Feb. 11 and 12 to Joe’s Pub in New York City, the sight of its first concerts in 2005. Additional shows in 2014 will tentatively include Austin, Chicago, Nashville, and New York with talent and show dates to be announced at a later time. For more information on the CMA Songwriters Series, visit CMAsongwritersseries.com
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