Jake Owen

COUNTRY MUSIC’S TOP-SELLING SUPERGROUP ALABAMA ANNOUNCES “BAMA RISING: A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR ALABAMA TORNADO RECOVERY” AT BIRMINGHAM’S BJCC ARENA ON JUNE 14TH

Tickets Go On Sale To General Public This Friday, May 20th at 11:00am CST

BIRMINGHAM, AL (May 17, 2011) -- On Tuesday, June 14th, the country music community will unite to assist victims of the tornados that ravaged Alabama on April 27th. “BAMA RISING: A Benefit Concert for Alabama Tornado Recovery,” presented by Verizon, will take place at Birmingham’s BJCC Arena. It will feature performances by ALABAMA, who is spearheading the event, Brad Paisley, Sara Evans, Sheryl Crow and numerous other artists. See below for a list of performers and special guests who have been confirmed to date.

ALABAMA’s Randy Owen, speaking on behalf of the group, states, “My hope is that this will bring happiness and help to my fellow citizens in Alabama. I believe it's extremely important that we do this benefit, and I want everyone in the state to feel like they are part of it. I hope we all can pull together to help get through the worst natural disaster I've ever seen in Alabama. I appreciate my friends in country music, everyone that's been involved, and anyone that's helped in any way.”

The Bama Rising Fund has been established at the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham to support long-term recovery statewide in the wake of the April 2011 tornadoes that devastated Alabama. Decisions about how to deploy Bama Rising concert proceeds and gifts to the Bama Rising Fund will be made by an advisory committee including representatives of the artists, promoters and the Community Foundation.

Kate Nielsen, president of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham : “We are pleased to serve as the philanthropic partner for the talented artists who are committed to our state’s recovery through the Bama Rising concert. A sell-out crowd will help the Bama Rising team raise significant dollars for long-term recovery efforts across Alabama and show our citizens that we are committed to their future.”

Jeff Mango, president – Georgia/Alabama Region, Verizon Wireless : “The community’s response to the devastating tornadoes in Alabama has been truly inspiring, and we know that a natural disaster of this magnitude requires that response be sustained—so that the people in the community can thrive and in some cases, rebuild. That is why we are so proud to be involved in Bama Rising. Thanks to the generosity of so many who want to help, this unforgettable event will bring together people from across the great state of Alabama and beyond to support their friends, business associates and neighbors as they work for a common cause – to rebuild.”

In addition to ticket sales, funds will be raised through corporate sponsorships of the event. For information on becoming a corporate sponsor, please contact Jay Wilson at Red Mountain Entertainment – 205.585.2531 or jay@redmountainentertainment.com.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public this Friday, May 20th, at 11:00AM CST at www.ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices will range from $25 to $150. VIP packages will also be available. Visit www.bamarising.org for more details. Bama Rising is presented by Red Mountain Entertainment and AEG Live/The Messina Group. Corporate sponsors include Verizon, Bravado, Zeekee Interactive, Bill Young Productions, Tour Design and Ticketmaster.
 
“BAMA RISING”

Confirmed performers (in alphabetical order):

Alabama
Rodney Atkins
Dierks Bentley
Bo Bice
Luke Bryan
Sheryl Crow
Sara Evans
Taylor Hicks
Little Big Town
Martina McBride
Montgomery Gentry
David Nail
Jake Owen
Brad Paisley
Kellie Pickler
Darius Rucker
Ashton Shepherd

Confirmed special guests:

Jay Barker –University of Alabama (former football player and current radio personality)

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About The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham:
The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham is the oldest and largest community foundation in Alabama, dedicated to driving positive change through grants, leveraging donor giving to meet community needs, and works with other organizations to collaborate and bring resources together. The Community Foundation has experience in distributing donations in previous disasters, including tornadoes in 1998 and 2002 and following the evacuation of survivors of Hurricane Katrina survivors to the Birmingham area in 2005. For more information, go to www.foundationbirmingham.org.

About Alabama (the group):
With a career to date that has resulted in 21 gold, platinum and multi-platinum albums, 42 number one singles and over 73 million records sold, Alabama has received over 150 industry awards including 8 country music "Entertainer of the Year" honors, 2 Grammys, 2 People's Choice Awards and their very own star on the "Hollywood Walk of Fame." The band most recently received the Academy of Country Music's Pioneer Award in 2003 and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Members Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry, and Jeff Cook all hail from Ft. Payne, Alabama and have enjoyed more than 30 years of unprecedented success.

About Verizon Wireless:
Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s fastest and most advanced 4G network and largest and most reliable 3G network, serving more than 104 million total connections, including 88.4 million retail customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high- resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.