Clint Black Adds Songs and Sizzle to Country in the Rockies

Country Singer Clint Black will headline this year's Country in the Rockies, the annual ski and music benefit event in Crested Butte, Colorado, now in its 12th amazing year. Fresh off the release of his latest disc, Drinkin' Songs & Other Logic, Black will head up a lineup that already includes soul-music icon Steve Cropper, actor-musician John Corbett and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member Jeff Hanna. The event takes place January 28-February 1, 2006.

[USPRwire, Thu Dec 22 2005] Clint Black, one of country music's great torchbearers and contemporary stars will headline this year's Country in the Rockies, the annual ski and music benefit event in Crested Butte, Colorado, now in its 12th amazing year.

He's a logical choice. Fresh off the release of his latest disc, Drinkin' Songs & Other Logic, Black will head up a lineup that already includes soul-music icon Steve Cropper, actor-musician John Corbett and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member Jeff Hanna. The event takes place January 28-February 1, 2006.

Black has had more than a 15-year career as one of country music's great songwriters and practioners. When he burst on to the scene in 1989, the USA Today proclaimed "you'll be hearing his name a lot" and dubbed him the "next superstar." Initial hits like "A Better Man" and "Killin' Time" triggered an impressive run at the top of the charts that included 20 No.1 Singles between 1989 and 1999. In 2004, after a five-year hiatus, Black became an innovator when he helped start his own independent label and released Spend My Time. On his latest, Drinkin' Songs & Other Logic, Black decided to turn back to the music his grew up listening to, and has crafted a masterful album he refers to as a "bar-room, honky-tonk kind of album.�

"What I discovered was a simplicity in song that I had moved away from," says Black of going back to artists like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and Buck Owens. "It was quite an emotional journey because these were all songs that moved me and inspired me to do what I've been doing ever since."

“Clint Black has been one of the most consistently engaging artists of the last decade and a half, and we are thrilled to have him join us in Crested Butte,� said Country in the Rockies co-chairman Paul Corbin. “He raises the bar for talent and musicianship at the event. Whether he kicks things up a notch on the slopes is yet to be seen, but knowing him like I do, I wouldn't be surprised!�

Also confirmed for this year's event are Little Big Town, Blue County, Matraca Berg, Paul Overstreet, Dean Dillon, Casey Beathard, Gary Morris, Chuck Cannon, Crosby Loggins, Doug Johnson, Jon Vezner, Kathy Mattea, Suzy Bogguss, Deborah Allen, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Gary Chapman and Aaron Barker. Due to the benefit nature of the event, the talent lineup is subject to change.

Country in the Rockies benefits the T. J. Martell Foundation’s fundraising efforts to advance the groundbreaking cancer research in the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. While the event has skiing and music at its core, it offers something for everyone. Outdoor activities in addition to snow-skiing and the celebrity ski races include snowboarding, snowshoeing, dog-sledding and horseback riding. Indoors, participants can take in all-star concerts on the Club Med stage, informal fireside “guitar pulls� till the wee hours with hit songwriters like and a celebrity Happy Hour in downtown Crested Butte.

The all-inclusive package includes lodging at Club Med, lift tickets, meals and hospitality, as well as the flight into the nearby Gunnison, Colo., airport and ground transportation to the hotel. Guests also receive a “goodie bag� with skis or a snowboard, ski clothing, CD’s and other items.

The money raised by Country in the Rockies enables the T.J. Martell Foundation to continue its support of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center’s growth and reputation. The VICC is designated as one of only 39 National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Centers

The Frances Williams Preston Laboratories is named for the former president and CEO of performing rights organization BMI. Ms. Preston is also president of the board for the Martell Foundation and serves on the board for the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

For more information about Country in the Rockies, including a full artist lineup, registration information and event updates, please visit www.citr.org. or call 615-256-2002.