Tennessee Riverkeeper's Kickoff Fundraiser Feb. 19
February 19th, 2010
Mark Martin
The Tennessee River at Decatur, Alabama in the snow, 2010…
The Tennessee Riverkeeper, a new environmental watchdog non-profit group, is hosting its first concert fundraiser Friday, Feb. 19, in Decatur, Alabama at “The Brick Tavern and Deli.”
A $5 suggested donation can be made at the door, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Tennessee Riverkeeper’s efforts to protect the river. The event, organized by David Whiteside, who founded Tennessee Riverkeeper in 2009 and Black Warrior Riverkeeper in 2001, kicks off at 8 p.m.
Whiteside is the godson of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. who is the President and a Founder of Waterkeeper Alliance. David Whiteside’s great-uncle, Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. made a number of landmark civil rights rulings that helped end segregation in the South.
In the words of journalist and historian Bill Moyers, Judge Johnson “altered forever the face of the South.” David Whiteside served as a political correspondent for MTV Choose or Lose 2008 — an Emmy Award-winning project with 51 state-based citizen journalists covering the 2008 presidential elections from a youth perspective, across all media platforms: web, mobile, broadcast and virtual.
“The communities of the Tennessee Valley are all interconnected neighbors upstream and downstream and everyone needs clean water, whether you’re black or white, rich or poor, Republican or Democrat,” Whiteside said. “We advocate for the watershed to ensure that future generations will inherit safe, clean water in their communities.”
“The performers at this event are renowned in Muscle Shoals, Nashville and across America,” Whiteside said a a press release for the event. For more, see below…
Michelle Malone is a Grammy nominated recording artist based in Decatur, on the Tennessee River. Malone got a record deal with Arista, and is currently working on her 10th CD. She is very active in environmental issues and other non-profits.
Malone ran the Paris marathon for Leukemia Society and rode Whiteside’s bike with Team Earth Challenge from Atlanta to Yucca Mountain, Nevada, in protest of the nuclear waste dumping there.
Now she says she “just tries to recycle and make inspirational music.”
Angela Hacker is a Nashville Star winner. She was born just outside the city limits of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Angela began her musical journey in a small home she shared with four siblings.
“Living in the country, there wasn’t much for us to do,” Hacker said. “But there were always instruments lying around. They weren’t necessarily good instruments, but they were always there.”
Hacker’s father, Hartty, was a regular in the sporadic music scene in Northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee. Her rise toward stardom received a tremendous boost in 2008 with her win on the nationally televised program, Nashville Star. Angela not only won a recording contract and a new truck but the hearts and ears of listeners across the country and her fan base skyrocketed.
“My fans are my livelihood,” she says.
She’s hitting the road this spring, along with singer/songwriter James LeBlanc, with a new CD, new songs and a new attitude. She and LeBlanc collaborated on a beautiful ballad titled, “These Walls.”
James LeBlanc is based in Muscle Shoals, Alabama on the Tennessee River and has written songs for Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Travis Tritt, Jason Aldean. In 1995 one of these musician friends sent some of James’ songs to Rodney Hall at Fame Publishing. After two years of staying in close touch with the FAME staff, James was signed to FAME Publishing’s, House of Fame branch.
Since that time James has fast become one of the hottest songwriters around garnering cuts on artists such as Rascal Flatts(3), Martina McBride, Travis Tritt(2), Joe Diffie, Sara Evans, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Heartland and Cyndi Thompson(2). In late 2000 James relocated to Muscle Shoals, Alabama where has continued to pursue his livelong music habit.
James’ first hit single was released on Travis Tritt. The song is entitled “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde” and garnered James his first top 10 single and ASCAP award for One of the Most Performed Songs of the Year.
More Recently James has landed the title cut on Platinum artist Jason Aldean, as well as two cuts on Gary Allan’s forthcoming project. James also recently signed to FAME Records and will be releasing his next CD this fall. As an artist James released a singer/songwriter CD titled “Muscle Shoals City Limits” in 2003. The CD garnered widespread critical Acclaim throughout the music industry.
Dylan LeBlanc is the son of James LeBlanc and also spends a lot of time in Muscle Shoals. He is young but has already played many stages throughout the Tennessee River watershed and the South, including the legendary Bluebird Café in Nashville and the House of Blues in Dallas, Texas.
Tim Tucker has been writing and performing for over 20 years. Born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1971, he grew up loving music. He “discovered” Bob Dylan at the age of 16 and was convinced that he was supposed to play music. Since then he has been writing, recording, and playing live shows as often as possible. With his band, The Uh Huhs, he released “Tim Tucker and The Uh Huhs” in 2006 and is currently working on a follow-up.
Also, Tim is working on a EP based on the civil rights movement, one of his biggest sources of inspiration. Additionally, Tim is about to begin recording a album with singer/songwriter Tasha Jones.
The Riverkeeper monitors polluters and their pollution permits, responds to citizen complaints, and utilizes other methods to further protect the Tennessee River and its tributaries. When the organization discovers illegal pollution, we will seek enforcement of environmental laws. Tennessee Riverkeeper is one of the most recent additions to the Waterkeeper Alliance, founded by Mark Martin and David Whiteside.
For more information, contact: David Whiteside, Founder: by email at: DWhiteside@TennesseeRiver.org
Or write:
Tennessee Riverkeeper
P.O. Box 2594
Decatur, AL 35602
On the Web at TennesseeRiver.org
Comments
Powered by Facebook Comments
Tags: Tennessee Riverkeeper
February 20th, 2010 at 11:56 am
One of the interesting coincidences of history is that Frank Johnson and George Wallace were both law students at the same time at the University of Alabama. Can’t remember if they were roommates or not, but apparently they were friends.
For awhile, anyway.