Cybergrass Bluegrass Music News: BCMA to present 'Conductor' Jack Norton at Bristol Train Station

BMNN wrote: on Oct. 16, 2009:
Conductor Jack Norton

Bristol, TN/VA -- /BCMA/ The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance will host a performance by "Conductor" Jack Norton, an award-winning children's musician, educator and television host on November 19, 2009 at the Bristol Train Station at 6:30 PM. Admission is $8 for adults, with children 12 and under admitted free.

"This type of programming allows the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance to expose a young audience to folk and country music and the roots of that music,” commented Bill Hartley, Executive Director. By offering this programming in a fun way, the organization hopes to use this as a pilot program for other educational offerings as part of the programming for its planned Cultural Heritage Center. Hartley noted that the organization will also be holding a special morning performance for preschool children in addition to the public performance that evening.

"Conductor Jack” specializes in performing original, organic music for families and is committed to bringing age-appropriate music to preschool children in a gentle and friendly manner. Jack's dedication to his craft, energetic live performances, and his respect and honor of children, makes him one of today's foremost family-friendly entertainers. One of the hardest working children's musicians touring today, Jack performs an average of 350 shows a year. He recently toured Tennessee with Governor Phil Bredesen to promote Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program.

Zinghoppers Trio Jack was recently named, "Best Kids Entertainer" by the Readers Choice Poll in Nashville Parent Magazine. His fans include country superstar Brad Paisley and wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley, who bring their young sun Huck to Jack's shows.

Conductor Jack is strongly influenced by the music of early country pioneers. "I am obsessed with the Singing Brakeman, Jimmie Rodgers. So I'm especially excited about this show in Bristol," said Jack.

Jack is so influenced by the Grandfather of Country Music, that he developed an entire show to promote the music of Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams to preschoolers and elementary age kids. Entitled "Hank and Jimmie Loved Trains," the show offers up the history of country and folk music in a fun and engaging way for young kids. Originally commissioned by the Country Music Hall Of Fame and Museum in Nashville, this is Jack’s most popular program.

Zinghoppers Trio Preschool and elementary age children will enjoy this simple introduction to the music of country pioneers Hank Williams and Jimmie Rodgers ("The Singing Brakeman"). Hartley also added that the setting is perfect for a program on musical heritage and trains, as not only does the Bristol Train Station sit within 50 yards of both the site of the 1927 Bristol Session recordings and the studio for WCYB's Farm and Fun Time radio show, but it sits next to an active train line with the sound of a locomotive occasionally heard as the backdrop.

The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to telling the story of the living musical heritage of the Appalachian mountains and the cultural traditions that sustain it. The Birthplace of Country Music Alliance is funded in part by grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, call (276) 645-0111 or visit online at www.BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org.

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