Music & Fireworks
Check out the best spots to watch the fireworks.
See who's performing:
Les Kerr & the Bayou Band
Les Kerr is a songwriter, recording artist and performer who brings blues, New Orleans music, Zydeco, rock and bluegrass together to create his “Hillbilly Blues Caribbean Rock & Roll.” Now based in Nashville, Kerr was born in Louisiana and raised in Jackson, Mississippi and the Gulf Coast city of Pascagoula. leskerr.com
The Lost Trailers
The country band of five called The Lost Trailers have blazed their way through hundreds of honky-tonks, joints, roadhouses, night clubs and concert halls, building a firewall of fiercely loyal fans. They are a band that came together naturally, matured creatively and perform explosively. thelosttrailers.com
Phil Vassar
Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, Phil Vassar grew up with a mother who stayed at home caring for him and his two younger sisters, and a father who was a singer that enjoyed local and regional success, performing in a restaurant he owned and at outside venues. Although intrigued by music as a child, Vassar's interests leaned more towards playing ball. In high school, he began running track which helped him land an athletic scholarship to James Madison University.
Vassar arrived in Nashville in 1987. He found a furnished apartment outside of town, got a job bartending to pay the rent and began knocking on the doors of Music Row. He saved his money and, in 1995, bought the restaurant and club where he had been performing. A patron of the club asked Vassar to send him a tape of a couple of his songs. He sent a demo that included "Once in a While.” The song became his first cut when the patron's father, Engelbert Humperdinck, recorded it.
Suddenly, things began to surge for Vassar. He began writing with well-known Nashville songwriters that would frequent his club to perform. That attracted music industry professionals, including publishing executive Greg Hill. Hill eventually signed Vassar to a publishing deal with EMI. Penning hits for Alan Jackson ("Right on the Money"), Collin Raye ("Little Red Rodeo"), Tim McGraw ("For a Little While" and "My Next Thirty Years") and Jo Dee Messina ("I'm Alright" and "Bye, Bye"), Vassar was named ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year in 1999.
Vassar landed a solo deal with Arista Records and released his self-titled debut album in 2000. The album's first single, the up-tempo "Carlene," broke into the Top 5 on the Billboard Country Singles Chart. The follow-up, "Just Another Day in Paradise," became Vassar's first No. 1 hit as a performer. Just three weeks later, McGraw's "My Next Thirty Years" claimed the top spot. Vassar's second album, American Child, arrived in 2002. His third, Shaken Not Stirred, led to the No. 1 hit, "In a Real Love," in 2004.
Vassar recently took a creative step by signing with newly restructured Universal Records South. Vassar’s first Universal Records South single, “This Is My Life,” hit the radio airwaves in May and has recently released Prayer Of A Common Man, his first brand new album in four years. philvassar.com
Michael McDonald
Michael McDonald, born and raised in St. Louis, not only grew up on Motown music, he went on to incorporate his vocal passion of the music with his love of rock n’ roll into a stellar Grammy-winning career that has expanded over thirty years. As a keyboard player, guitarist and vocalist, McDonald started out in local combos throughout St. Louis, singing Motown tunes in clubs. He soon moved to California where in 1972 he worked with Steely Dan for years before joining the Doobie Brothers in 1976. With his voice and songwriting style, he helped transform the Doobie Brothers into a more soulful rock group with hit songs like "What A Fool Believes," "Real Love," "You Belong To Me," "It Keeps You Runnin’," and "Little Darling (I Need You)," among countless others.
McDonald quickly became one of most distinctive and popular singer-songwriters to emerge from the 70’s rock scene and began his successful multi-platinum solo career after the Doobie Brothers disbanded in 1982. He has since released eight albums with singles that have reached Top 10 on the Billboard R&B and Pop Charts.
He has written songs with Kenny Loggins ("This Is It") and Carly Simon ("You Belong To Me") as well as written for Patti Austin, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Anita Baker, Paul Carrack, Stanley Clarke and more while performing duets with Patti, James Ingram and others. He and Ingram had a Top 10 R&B hit with their duet "Yah Mo B There" in 1983.
His latest album, Soul Speak, is a followup to his two Motown tribute albums. Motown is nothing less than McDonald’s passionate emotional nod towards the record collection that started him down the road to his stellar career. "Motown music was something I always gravitated to as a kid. Diana & Marvin albums and Marvin Gaye’s Super Hits were records I played thousands of times," says McDonald. Music of My Mind, Talking Books - they were albums that were always on my turntable, so of course this record was a joy for me." michaelmcdonald.com
Nashville Symphony
Led by Music Advisor Leonard Slatkin, incoming Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero, and President and CEO Alan D. Valentine, the Grammy Award-winning Nashville Symphony has a growing international reputation for its recordings and innovative programming. With 140 performances annually, the 84-member Nashville Symphony is an arts leader in Nashville and beyond, offering a broad range of classical, pops and jazz concerts; special events; children's concerts and community outreach programs.
As a national and international ambassador for the citizens of Tennessee, the Nashville Symphony has received far-reaching acclaim for its 11 recordings on Naxos, the world's leading classical label, and one on Decca, making the Nashville Symphony currently one of the most active recording orchestras in the country. These recordings have received seven total Grammy nominations and, in 2008, three Grammy wins for Made in America, a recording of works by American composer Joan Tower. The winning categories included Best Classical Album and Best Orchestral Performance. nashvillesymphony.org
Fireworks, produced by Pyro Shows, Inc.
Pyro Shows proudly stands as one of the largest fireworks companies in the southeastern United States and presents some of the most pestigious shows in America. Pyro Shows' tremendous success story is the result of a "sky's the limit" creative approach coupled with the latest technology.
Their operations and facilities are among the most advanced in the fireworks industry.
Pyro Shows is a pioneer in marrying a myriad of spectacular fireworks effects with dramatic musical soundtracks. This state-of-the-art choreography has propelled Pyro Shows to international recognition. They use the latest in technology to design, script and choreograph fireworks displays.
Fireworks and music can work hand-in-hand to create entertainment with special meaning for specific events and festivals. Today, Pyro Shows produces more than 300 fireworks shows each year in cities and countries around the world. pyroshows.com