A Skaggs Family Christmas show Dec. 6 at the Ryman Aud. to Benefit Cumberland Heights
Country and Bluegrass music legend Ricky Skaggs will headline the 15th Annual Concert for Cumberland Heights on December 6 at 8:00 p.m. at the Ryman. The show features Ricky Skaggs along with acclaimed trio The Whites, which includes his wife Sharon, sister-in-law Cheryl, and father-in-law Buck White. The evening will be a holiday-themed, variety-style show titled “A Skaggs Family Christmas,” featuring both holiday classics and new Christmas music from the celebrated musical clan and bringing together the love of family and the beauty of song for a great cause. This is the Ryman’s longest running benefit concert series, and tickets are now on sale at the Ryman box office (http://www.ryman.com/event/detail/skaggsxmas12.html).
Since 1996, the annual Concert for Cumberland Heights (www.cumberlandheights.org) has raised more than $1.8 million for the John Hiatt Fund for Adolescent Treatment. Singer/songwriter John Hiatt will host the event, sharing his own recovery from alcohol and drug abuse to inspire others.
"We are honored that Ricky and his family have signed on to celebrate this milestone fundraiser for such an important program at Cumberland Heights," said Cumberland Heights CEO Jim Moore. "This fund has helped us shape our adolescent program into one of the best in the country."
"It's really great to be coming back to my favorite venue, the Ryman, to do our Skaggs Family Christmas show and especially getting to partner with Cumberland Heights," said Skaggs. "This will be a very special event that you won't want to miss."
A 14-time GRAMMY ® winner, Skaggs is perhaps best known for his masterful mandolin playing and his timeless Bluegrass albums, including Bluegrass Rules!, Big Mon: The Songs of Bill Monroe, Salt of the Earth with The Whites, and Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947. Skaggs also enjoyed a thriving mainstream Country career, and in 1982, he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, the youngest to ever be inducted at that time. In 1985, he earned the Entertainer of the Year Award from the Country Music Association (CMA).
One of Country music’s finest and most beloved family harmony groups, The Whites, have enjoyed a prolific music career that has spanned the past four decades. Buck White (vocals, piano, mandolin), Sharon (vocals, guitar) and Cheryl (vocals, bass) officially comprise the group which originally started out as a Bluegrass group, but the family trio became well known for its string of Country hits in the 1980s culminating in their induction as Opry members in 1984. They were involved in the 2001 hit movie and soundtrack, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and have gone on to win multiple awards, including GRAMMY, CMA and Dove Awards, among others.
Cumberland Heights’ Youth Program is designed to help adolescents ages 14 to 18 and their families find the most effective way to deal with the challenges they face and commit to recovery. One of its most highly praised programs, the Youth Program includes a residential program with intensive outpatient treatment; an extended care program for adolescents who have completed primary treatment; and outpatient services for those in the early stages of chemical dependency. The Youth Program is staffed with highly trained and licensed educators who operate River Road Academy, a state-approved, private high school that provides a drug-free environment for students in recovery.
Expected to be a sellout, the Concert for Cumberland Heights is a festive family event in an intimate setting that highlights the need for compassionate care for adolescents in crisis.
About Cumberland Heights: Cumberland Heights, a private, nonprofit alcohol and drug addiction treatment center, has been dedicated to providing patients the highest quality of care for more than 40 years. With the guidance of an award-winning staff, the Cumberland Heights short-term and long-term treatment programs encompass the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions of recovery through professional excellence, the principles of the Twelve Steps, and a safe and loving environment. Surrounded by rolling hills and open spaces and away from the distractions of city life, the 170-acre campus located along the Cumberland River just outside of Nashville, Tenn., provides the ideal setting for recovery. Cumberland Heights has touched the lives of more than 200,000 individuals in recovery – and more than 10,000 in the last year alone. Four decades of experience has proven that recovery is not only possible, it’s a path that no one has to walk alone.