Paul Simon to Join Underwood, Gill at Country Hall of Fame Benefit
One of the world’s greatest living songwriters has been added to the already stellar lineup for New York’s All for the Hall concert benefiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Twelve-time Grammy winner Paul Simon will join previously announced performers Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris for the October 6th event at the Best Best Buy Theater in Times Square.
Simon, who will be the subject of an authorized biography by acclaimed music critic and author Robert Hilburn, has earned three Album of the Year Grammys, the first of which was for the iconic Bridge Over Troubled Water, with former singing partner Art Garfunkel. Simon’s masterful 1986 LP, Graceland, brought the music of South Africa (and the plight of apartheid) to the fore. Of the many genres the tunesmith has explored in his lifetime, doo-wop, gospel and electronica are just a few. Thousands of artists have covered Simon’s songs, including Shawn Colvin, whose version of “American Tune” will be on her Uncovered LP due next month. In 1980, Emmylou Harris reached Number Thirteen on the country chart with “The Boxer,” in 1980. Simon famously performed the song during the emotional opening of the first post-9/11 telecast of Saturday Night Live in 2001.
The All for the Hall event will be presented as a guitar pull, a longstanding Nashville tradition in which a small group of musicians take turns presenting their songs, while the other artists look on or add harmony and instrumentation. The informal staging of such an event allows for improvisation and spontaneity giving audience members a unique concert-going experience. In a team effort led by Keith Urban and Vince Gill, the museum’s All for the Hall campaign was launched in 2005, to support the need for long-term financial security. This year’s proceeds will be dedicated to the support of the museum’s educational programs, which teach audiences about the enduring beauty and cultural importance of country music.
Concert tickets for mezzanine seating are now on sale at www.axs.com or at the Best Buy Theater box office. Tickets are $100. A limited number of VIP tables and tickets are on sale now, and patrons have the option of purchasing a full table of 10 for $10,000, a half table for $5,000, or individual floor-level seats for $1,000 each. A full list of VIP ticket levels and benefits can be found here.