CMA Songwriters Series Presented By U.S. Bank Announces Performance June 6 In Nashville To Kick Off CMA Fest

Lineup features Mary Chapin Carpenter, Vince Gill, Mac McAnally and Don Schlitz, Tickets On Sale Wednesday, April 11 at 11:00 AM/CT

The Country Music Association’s critically acclaimed CMA Songwriters Series Presented by U.S. Bank will host a performance Wednesday, June 6 at 7:00 PM at the CMA Theater in Nashville—the evening before CMA Fest kicks off—featuring Mary Chapin Carpenter, Vince Gill, Mac McAnally and Don Schlitz. Tickets for the show are on sale this Wednesday, April 11 at 11:00 AM/CT starting at $20, visit CMAtheater.com to purchase.

Over the course of her acclaimed career, Mary Chapin Carpenter has sold more than 14 million records. With hits like “Passionate Kisses” and “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” she has won five Grammys (with 15 nominations), two CMA Awards, two ACM Awards and is a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Carpenter’s newest release, Sometimes Just The Sky, is a landmark record celebrating her 30-year recording career, featuring new versions of some of her most beloved songs plus one newly penned track.

One of the most popular singers in modern Country Music, Vince Gill is famous for his top-notch songwriting, world-class guitar playing and warm, soaring tenor, all wrapped up in a quick and easy wit. Gill achieved his big breakthrough in 1990 with “When I Call Your Name,” which won CMA Awards Single of the Year and Song of the Year as well as a Grammy. Gill has won 18 CMA Awards, including Song of the Year four times – making him the most-awarded artist in that category in CMA Awards history. Since 1990, Gill has won 21 Grammys. A wide-ranging songwriter, his compositions earned him entry into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. He has won eight ACM Awards, including its prestigious Home Depot Humanitarian Award and the 2011 Career Achievement Award. Gill was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2007. He is also a member of the Grand Ole Opry. In August 2012, Gill was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is a member of the four-time Grammy-winning band The Time Jumpers. He has produced albums for Amy Grant, Ashley Monroe, LeAnn Rimes and The Time Jumpers and has made guest appearances on more than 1,000 albums including on those by Eric Clapton, George Jones, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand and others. Gill is currently on tour performing with the Eagles.

Award-winning songwriter, instrumentalist, producer and artist Mac McAnally is one of the most respected musicians in Country Music. A nine-time CMA Awards Musician of the Year, he’s also a member of the Nashville Songwriters Halls of Fame, the Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame and a recent inductee into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. McAnally has spent decades recording countless sessions, releasing solo albums, and writing a parade of hits that include No. 1 singles for Kenny Chesney, Alabama, Sawyer Brown and Shenandoah. His 16th and most recent solo album, Southbound, features his songs arranged for a symphony orchestra, recorded with the FestivalSouth orchestra conducted by Jay Dean and a rhythm section that includes McAnally’s colleagues in Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band. Southbound doesn’t just give McAnally’s writing, instrumental skills and expressive vocals the attention they deserve; it also serves several worthy causes that speak personally to him: Extra Table, which brings food to the hungry in Mississippi, and the University of Southern Mississippi’s music program.

Don Schlitz’s first recorded song, “The Gambler,” won the Grammy for Best Country Song in 1978 and CMA Awards Song of the Year in 1979. Ever since, his songs have played major roles in the careers of artists including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Alison Krauss, Kenny Rogers, Randy Travis, The Judds, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Tanya Tucker and Keith Whitley, with more than 50 Top 10 singles and 24 No. 1 hits. Schlitz was the ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year for four consecutive years from 1988-91. He has won three CMA Song of the Year Awards in addition to two Grammys and two ACM Awards. Schlitz was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Association Hall of Fame in 1993 and was presented with the ASCAP Creative Achievement Award in 2007. In 2010, after releasing his first studio album in 30 years, Schlitz received ACM’s Poet’s Award and was also inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. In 2012, Schlitz was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame where Kenny Rogers inducted him during a ceremony in New York City, saying, “Don doesn’t just write songs. He writes careers.” Schlitz was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017.