Country music star Gretchen Wilson, above, and pals Big & Rich will be on hand in Colorado for this year’s Country in the Rockies event.
Stellar lineup set for Country in the Rockies
Country in the Rockies XI, the premier celebrity ski event of the country music industry, will add performances by Grammy-nominated Big & Rich and Gretchen Wilson — presented by Chevrolet — to a stellar lineup of singers and songwriters gathering at Club Med in Crested Butte, Colo., Feb. 1-6.
The event supports the innovative research being conducted in the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center's Frances Williams Preston Laboratories, supported by the T.J. Martell Foundation.
Known as “The Ultimate Backstage Pass,” Country in the Rockies offers guests opportunities to ski and socialize not only with these award-winning Muzik Mafia standouts, but also with Charlie Daniels, Kenny Loggins and Jamie O'Neal. Many of the industry's top artists and songwriters are slated to perform, including Jeffery Steele, Paul Overstreet, Aaron Barker, Chuck Cannon, Robert Earl Keen, Doug Johnson, Casey Beathard, Scotty Emerick, Leslie Satcher, Doug Crider, Harley Allen, Bob DiPiero, Gary Chapman, Deborah Allen, Suzy Bogguss, Lari White, Kathy Mattea and Jon Vezner.
The event has alpine skiing, snowboarding and music at its core, but offers something for everyone. Outdoor activities include snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and horseback riding. Indoors, participants enjoy all-star concerts, late-night fireside “guitar pulls,” a celebrity-hosted happy hour in downtown Crested Butte and auctions that feature travel, artwork, jewelry and celebrity memorabilia.
The all-inclusive package provides guests with five days/nights at Club Med Crested Butte, lift tickets, meals and hospitality, as well as transportation on charter flights between Nashville and Gunnison, Colo. Guests also receive a gift bag with Fischer skis or a Nidecker snowboard, ski clothing, CDs and other items.
Country in the Rockies is the signature fund-raiser of the T.J. Martell Foundation's Nashville Division. Since 1993, the Martell Foundation has enabled physicians and scientists of Vanderbilt-Ingram's Preston Laboratories to conduct cutting-edge research and quickly move promising new discoveries in the laboratory into patient care. To date, the Nashville Division has raised $13 million in support of pilot projects at Vanderbilt-Ingram. In turn, these contributions have been leveraged to obtain additional funding — totaling more than $100 million — from public and private sources to further advance ongoing efforts to alleviate suffering from cancer.
The Frances Williams Preston Laboratories are named for the president emeritus of performing rights organization BMI. Preston is the founder of Country in the Rockies and also serves as president of the board for the Martell Foundation and as a member of Vanderbilt-Ingram's Board of Overseers.
Country in the Rockies XI is sponsored by BMI, Chevrolet and Club Med. For more information about the event, to register or to view event updates, visit www.citr.org or call 615-256-2002.