COUNTRY SUPERSTARS BROOKS & DUNN TO HEADLINE INAUGURAL “STARS AND GUITARS” CONCERT

Guests To Enjoy Exclusive Concert and Receive Epiphone Guitar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…Nashville, Tennessee., November 3, 2004…Country music hitmakers Brooks and Dunn will host the inaugural “Stars and Guitars” concert presented by musical giant Gibson Guitar, the T.J. Martell Foundation, CMT and the Monroe Carell Jr. Childrens Hospital at Vanderbilt.  On Friday, November 12, 2004, the “Stars and Guitars” concert will transform the First Tennessee Conference Center/Theatre of Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital into an intimate performance venue for 200 special patrons. Tickets are $1,000 per person and all funds raised will fortify the Martell Foundation’s commitment to supporting innovative cancer research in the Frances Williams Preston Labs of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

The “Stars and Guitars” concert is produced by Martell Foundation board members Marc Oswald and Dave Berryman, President of Gibson Guitar Corp. Each of the paying guests will have exclusive access to a special concert featuring the Arista recording artist and will receive a limited edition Epiphone guitar specially crafted by Gibson Guitar  and individually signed by Brooks and Dunn themselves. The special guitars feature a one-of-a-kind artwork done by Emily Nelson. Nelson, a young family member of the Children’s Hospital designed the piece of art specifically for these limited guitars. The “Stars and Guitars” logo was also exclusively designed by Muzik Mafia partner Rachel Kice.

In addition to the concert, Country Music Television (CMT) will produce and debut a video program that highlights the life and work of an extraordinary and musically gifted cancer patient who received treatment at Vanderbilt.

The T.J. Martell Foundation was founded in 1975 by music industry executive Tony Martell and his colleagues after leukemia claimed the life of Tony’s son, T.J.  The Foundation has raised more than $175 million to fund research for the innovative cures and treatments of leukemia, cancer and AIDS at nine research facilities throughout the United States. Locally, the T.J. Martell Foundation supports the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. 

Contact:         Coni Ely or Roxanne Johnson

                        Ph:                   (615)256-2002           

                        Fax:                (615)242-5313

                        E-mail:             cely@tjmartellfoundation.org

                        Website:          www.tjmartellfoundation.org

                        Caroline Galloway GIBSON GUITAR

                        Ph:                   (440) 338-3469

                        Cell:                 (440) 725-9265

                        Email:              caroline.galloway@gibson.com