Commonwealth Network
FEBRUARY 97 FRIENDS OF AMY Newsletter #30 The e-version, text only. Hard copy subscriptions are available from F.O.A. For more information, send a "dummy" email to: [email protected] Part I containing: -------- A Letter From Amy Her Calendar through May 97 An Internet Update The Bob Hope Golf Classic Vince Gill's Basketball Benefit The Tennessee Christmas Show & Reception -------- (PHOTO 1: "We three kids from Riverstone are..." Sarah, Matt and Millie in a Nativity play.) (Photo 2:"My children Matt, Sarah and Millie watching the Chicago Christmas parade with me. Gary was the MC for the event. We all froze. Favorite discovery of the trip: caramel corn. November 30, 1996" Photo by Dee Hemby) (Photo 3: "Amy, Gary & Sarah ringing in the new year at home with friends. Gary counting down the last second of 1996." Photo by Steve Lowry) COVER LETTER: 1997. When did this happen? When did the months start spinning by so quickly? When I was 15 years old, I worked in a leather crafting shop with two friend of mine - Helene and Nolan. We hand-tooled belts and bookcovers mostly and had a little workspace in Nashville down on Music Row above a bookstore called Koinonia. One order that I'll never forget came from my brother-in-law, Jerry. He asked me to make him a bookmark with the words "This too shall pass" on it... It was a quote from the Bible, though I have long since forgotten where to find it. He said He needed the reminder of those words in the hard times... That nothing lasts forever. Bad stretches pass. Feelings change. Wounds mend. And he said he wanted to be reminded in the good times to drink deeply, to enjoy the moment because things change. Friends move. Children grow up. Time slips away. How true. During the two and a half day process of shooting the photographs for this upcoming record cover (which we did in January in San Francisco), I worked with a make-up artist named Lynn. It was interesting to me that she used minimal make-up herself. Something else that struck me about her is that she is almost 50 and does not let a day go by without taking a stretch of time - an hour or so - before bed to think, meditate, consider life, the events of the day, etc. This is a luxury I rarely experience with three children, home life and a job. I couldn't help but notice the lack of "loose ends" that she exhibited, her appreciation for life, her gratitude for simple pleasures. We are at different stages in our lives and yet I was moved and affected by her choices toward simplicity. She reminded me that we only have this present moment to live in,to experience, to savor. 1997. I like the way this year sounds. I've got a few plans. Not many. Hopefully a record out in late spring. A lot of time at the farm with Matt, Millie and Sarah. I'm not touring these days - just the occasional coffee house gig here in town. The two work projects for 1997 are 1. A Christmas TV Special and 2. A Christmas tour which will only last three weeks. Looks like room to breathe to me. I'll be around. Enjoy 1997. Yours truly, Amy {Inside... A full-color spread of Tennessee Christmas!} ----------- PAGE 2 THE AMY GRANT CALENDAR April 1 - Our first ever Cyber Promotional Give-Away. Prizes include a 17-CD Amy Music Library, signed memorabilia from the Tennessee Christmas Reception, even an e-mail reply from Amy! 12 winners in all. Enter the contest through March 31 at http://www.netcentral.net/contest.html April 6 - Amy will be performing as a part of the Billy Graham Crusade in San Antonio, Texas April 23 - Amy hosts this year's Word Spectacular evening concert as a part of Gospel Music Association's Dove Week activities. Tickets to the event are available only to GMA conference registrants. The cost to GMA members is $275 and $375 for non-members (prices increase after March 5) For more information, call the GMA office at: 615/242-0303 May 5 - 10 Amy will again be playing in The Sara Lee Golf Classic here in Nashville. Somewhere along in the May/June time frame we should have that NEW ALBUM project in our hands! Be listening for the first single in May... Also with a tentative May release date... Amy lent her signature vocals to the song "Love One Another" along with a plethora of other Christian music artists. The anthem will appear on Kathy Troccoli's new release. Proceeds from the song will benefit His Touch Ministries, an outreach to people who are afflicted with AIDS. You may pre-order this album from KT's official homepage located at: http://www.nauticom.net/www/express/troccoli.htm (PHOTO 4: Amy and KT in the studio with producer, Rick Chudacoff. Photo by Corie Jones.) June 19 - Amy and Gary's 15th Wedding Anniversary! July 26 - August 2 Amy will be presiding over the Jr. Girls Golf Championship held at Legends Golf course in Franklin, Tennessee More about Christmas in June... NOTE: Amy's participation in this year's J.T. Martell Softball game is uncertain contingent upon the release of her album, etc. I include the info on the event here just FYI. The tickets went on sale last November and always sell-out. This year's game and concert will take place at Nashville's Greer Stadium on Sunday, June 15, 1997. For further information on the City of Hope or the on-going Silent Auction, please visit the MCA-Nashville web site http://www.mca-nashville.com. For further ticket information please call Ticketmaster at 1-800/333-4849. ----------- AMY INTER-NEWS Here's what's new in cyberspace: We now have our own keyword on America Online! Yes, AOL subscribers, just select "keyword" and type in FOA to be connected with our area complete with updates, archives and Amy's Refrigerator Gallery of snapshots."Thanks to Tina Kirsh and the staff of Christianity Online for creating and maintaining this wonderful area." Two new e-mail addresses: [email protected] - for general correspondence to Amy or Lori Mc [email protected] - for address changes or questions relating to your FOA subscription or information orders. We will also be doing promotional give-always to introduce more people to our FREE online direct e mailing list hosted by our good friends at NetCentral. Visit them to see what we're giving away at www.netcentral.com "Thanks to Cy Fenton, Craig Mason, Ken Martinson, Rod Montgomery and the NetCentral team for their encouragement and help in bringing FOA to the world virtually." -------- The Bob Hope Golf Classic January 12 - 15, 1997 Most exciting opportunities in life open up not because you're the most qualified, but because you are willing to do it anyway. The Bob Hope Classic was a great example of that. In 38 years, I was the 3rd woman to ever play with the boys. And trust me - it wasn't because of my long drives. Our foursome was made up of Vince Gill, Jeff Gordon (NASCAR driver) and myself with a different professional for each of the four days. I had the pleasure of playing with Tom Kite, John Daly, Peter Jacobson and John Cook (who won the tournament!). What fun memories... (PHOTO 5: Vince, Peter, Amy and Jeff. Two known for their singing and two known for their driving... On and off the course!) (PHOTO 6: Amy and Yogi Berra at the BHC.) (PHOTO 7: Country Roads, Take Me Home... Vince & Amy joined John Denver and Glen Campbell on stage for an impromptu rendering of this classic. The show was part of a benefit for the Mickey Mantle Foundation and their work with transplants. Vince and Amy sang the Alison Krauss tune "When You Say Nothing At All" before joining John and Glen for the finale.) --------- PAGE 3 Vince Gill's 7th Annual Celebrity Basketball Game & Concert @ Belmont University November 12, 1996 Nashville is a great town to live in when it comes to getting help supporting a cause. Somebody is always putting on a benefit for one need or another and the music community is always glad to jump in. Here are a few pictures from the Belmont University Celebrity Basketball game and unplugged concert. The guys played two halves and we - the women - provided a ten minute half-time basketball "exhibition". This little charade involves more running than most of us are accustomed to in several days of physical exertion combined. So, I decided to order several pizzas delivered to center court to provide a diversion from the game and "eat up the clock", literally! (Photo 8: Amy on the court. Photo by Steve Hill) (Photo 9: Amy munching on pizza between Cledus T. Judd and Teri Clark with Smitty in the background. Photo by Steve Hill) (Photo 10: Vince & Amy during the "jam" following the game. Photo by Mike Soebbing) --------- AMY GRANT'S TENNESSEE CHRISTMAS December 18 & 19, 1996 The Inaugural Event for The Nashville Arena Featuring Amy Grant with guests: Vince Gill, Ce Ce Winans, Michael W. Smith and Gary Chapman The Tennessee Christmas concerts were just about the biggest production I've ever been a part of. Not only did we celebrate the season, we also had the added responsibility/pleasure of being the opening event for the New Nashville Arena. The final count of participants on the stage was 192 (including artists, symphony, choirs, pipe & drums and rhythm section), not to mention all the behind-the-scenes personnel. The February 1, 1997 issue of Billboard Magazine lists Tennessee Christmas as the top grossing show with combined attendance at two sold-out performances of 25,555. The best part of all of that is the event was a benefit so everyone who purchased a ticket was actually giving something back to our community. We built two homes for Habitat For Humanity as well as giving financial support to these beneficiaries: The Nashville Symphony The Sarah Cannon Cancer Research Center The Helping Hands Foundation Success By Six Prevent Blindness of Tennessee Junior Golf of Tennessee Sharing the Vision Compassion International Crisis Pregnancy Support Center (Photo 11: Amy and Gary - the very first to sign the wall backstage at The Nashville Arena December 18, 1996. Photo by Steve Hill) (Photo 12: Amy was presented with a crystal rendering of Minnie Pearl's signature straw hat from Columbia Hospitals of Nashville in recognition of her generous support of cancer research. Her dad, Dr. Burton Grant, was a part of the presentation during both shows. As Amy said, "Who would have ever thought that a singer and a doc could team up to save lives?" Photo by Steve Hill) ---------------------- PAGES 4-5 FULL COLOR PHOTOS! THE FRIENDS OF AMY TENNESSEE CHRISTMAS RECEPTION From Amy... In December, Lori Mc organized a "Friends of Amy" get together for those of you who decided to make the trek to Nashville to celebrate "A Tennessee Christmas" (and the grand opening of The Nashville Arena). I was definitely in on the planning of the event, but quite honestly was a little uneasy about a gathering of 500+ people whose common denominator was me. She prepped me beforehand about the attendance - some 44 states and a few countries represented. Some of you may not know this, but I am not a lover of the stage. I am a lover of music and so I go where that takes me. But I've jokingly said that if there were such a thing as reincarnation (which I am NOT saying), that I would request to come back as wallpaper. Anyway, after my initial butterflies from just walking through the door, I was overwhelmed by how much I enjoyed your company. What a spirit of adventure that brought you all to my hometown in hopes of a good time. You all have my admiration for your joyful recklessness. My favorite moment from the party was when I got a lump in my throat and couldn't sing anymore and you sang "Tennessee Christmas" to me. What a sweet gift. Thank you. -- From Lori... Wow! What a day! What an event! It even snowed! Thursday, December 19, 1996 saw the culmination of five months worth of concentrated preparation and years of hoping - our very first Friends of Amy "Meet 'N Greet" Extravaganza! The Friends of Amy Tennessee Christmas Reception was conceived as a special event to honor those of our subscribers attending Amy's Christmas shows. Everyone who wrote to request the advance order form for show tickets also received an invitation and RSVP card for this FOA party. I intended to cut off attendance at the first 450 persons, but stretched it another 100 to 550. (I really wrestled with this, but how frustrating it would have been to fill up a room with more people than Amy could possibly meet in the limited time she had that afternoon.) And I still had to refuse about 200 folks; by far the most difficult task I've had on this job to date. Including my volunteer staff and professional associates that came to our gathering at The Wildhorse Saloon that day - we had 597! People from 44 states and Canada had requested the ticket order forms. We even had guests at The Wildhorse from Germany and Brazil! After helping themselves to lunch, everyone could get in line to meet Amy and have their photo taken with her. Everyone did get through the photo line (success!) and Amy even took time to sing a few songs accompanying herself on one of her owstore and brought it along to the reception for Amy to sign.) For our first attempt at something like this - it was overwhelmingly and outrageously successful! And I learned SO MUCH about what I will do differently (if given an opportunity). It was a tremendous experience for me to get to bring so many of you together with Amy. She got to see what I have known for a long time - she's got the best fans in the world! Such an event to honor supporters was long overdue and I hope that we have set a precedent for similar gatherings in the future. Maybe we'll see you there! {Photos 13 - 25: This entire centerspread is a collage of photos from both the reception and the arena. I am just going to give a brief description of them. Many thanks to Steve Hill, Steve Lowry and Nikki Watkins for the photos used on these pages! >Shot of the crowd outside the Wildhorse, Lori @ the front door with Harry Velasquez & Susette Green from Madison, WI, The Pikus family & their Christmas posters from Columbus, IN, Amy greeting two young ladies, Amy by the tree; at the arena Amy & Gary singing Tennessee Christmas, Smitty, Amy & Vince backstage, Vince, Ce Ce, Amy, Gary, Michael W. Smith & Ronn Huff backstage, Amy & Ce Ce laughing, and 3 lovely shots of Amy performing in her formals.<} ---------------End of Part I FOA #30 February 97