NASHVILLE (June 1, 2006) - The CMA Music Festival in downtown Nashville, June 8-11, will celebrate its 35th anniversary with a new hook that includes top Wal-Mart FLW Tour anglers paired with some of Country Music's biggest stars for a celebrity bass tournament hosted by Craig Morgan. Craig Morgan's current album, "My Kind of Livin'," has stayed strong residing on the Billboard charts for more than 60 weeks and has spawned two number one singles, including "That's What I Love About Sunday, which was the number one Most Heard Song of 2005 according to both Billboard and Radio & Records. Morgan's current single, "I Got You," is in the top 15 on the charts and is still climbing. Morgan was also honored earlier this year by the USO with the 2006 USO Merit Award for his dedication to assisting others through his charitable works.
The Craig Morgan FLW Outdoors Fishing Tournament will be held Saturday, June 10, on the Cumberland River with the weigh-in taking place at 6:30 p.m. on the Greased Lightning stage at Riverfront Park in Nashville.
Anglers participating in the tournament are Chevy pro Luke Clausen of Spokane, Wash.; Wal-Mart Pro George Cochran of Hot Springs, Ark.; Folgers pro Anthony Gagliardi of Prosperity, S.C.; BFGoodrich Tires pro Chad Grigsby of Maple Grove, Minn.; Land O'Lakes pro Jeremiah Kindy of Benton, Ark.; Pepcid Complete pro Jason Knapp of Uniontown, Pa.; Chevy pro Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Ark.; Fujifilm pro Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn.; Berkley pro David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn.; and Kellogg's pro Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas.
Artists already confirmed in the tournament are Morgan, Lila McCann and Jamey Johnson. Additional artists participating in the tournament will be named later.
The tournament - along with many other CMA Music Festival activities - will help raise funds for the Nashville Alliance for Public Education in support of music education ("Keep the Music Playing") in metro Nashville public schools.
In addition to fishing the tournament, FLW Tour anglers will participate in autograph and question and answer sessions in the Sports Zone in Downtown Nashville on 4th Avenue (between Broadway & Demonbreun) June 8 and 9 and the Steve Azar Celebrity Sports Challenge June 9.
The CMA Music Festival features Country Music's top artists performing more than 70 hours of live music at venues throughout Nashville plus more than 40 hours of autograph signings and family activities at the Nashville Convention Center. Last year, the festival drew a record 145,000 Country Music fans from all 50 states and 20 countries.
ABC-TV will air a two-hour special featuring highlights from the CMA Music Festival later this summer.
Schedule of Events
Thursday, June 8
- 1 - 3 p.m. Autograph session featuring Luke Clausen, Jason Knapp and Jeremiah Kindy at the FLW Outdoors booth in the Sports Zone
- 3 - 3:30 p.m. Q&A session featuring Luke Clausen, Chad Grigsby, David Walker and moderator Charlie Evans on the CMT Stage at the Sports Zone
- 3 - 5 p.m. Autograph session featuring Anthony Gagliardi, David Walker (starting at 3:30 p.m.) and Larry Nixon at the FLW Outdoors booth in the Sports Zone
- 11 a.m. - Noon Autograph session featuring Luke Clausen and Larry Nixon at the Chevy booth in the Exhibit Hall at the Nashville Convention Center
- 11:30 a.m. - Noon Q&A session featuring Wesley Strader, George Cochran, Clark Wendlandt and moderator Charlie Evans on the CMT Stage at the Sports Zone
- 1 - 3 p.m. Autograph session featuring Wesley Strader, Chad Grigsby and George Cochran at the FLW Outdoors booth in the Sports Zone
- 3 - 5 p.m. Autograph session featuring David Walker, Clark Wendlandt, Anthony Gagliardi and Jeremiah Kindy at the FLW Outdoors booth in the Sports Zone
- 2 - 3:30 p.m. Sports Challenge featuring Luke Clausen in the Sports Zone
- 8 a.m. Craig Morgan FLW Outdoors Fishing Tournament launches from Riverfront Park (10 Wal-Mart FLW Tour pros paired with 10 Country Music artists)
- 6:30 p.m. Craig Morgan FLW Outdoors Fishing Tournament weigh-in on the Greased Lightning stage at Riverfront Park