Nashville, Tennessee – (April 30, 2015) – The stars are aligning for the 25^th Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game, a fan favorite event and longstanding tradition of CMA Music Festival! Suiting up to play in this year’s game are “Nashville” star and singer/songwriter Charles Esten; “Stealing Cinderella” singer and national radio morning show co-host Chuck Wicks; rising country star and “American Idol” finalist Lauren Alaina; guitar slayer and country music vocalist Lindsay Ell; reigning ACM and CMA Vocal Group of the Year Little Big Town; and hitmakers Love and Theft.  After a twenty-year run playing in the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game, country music icon Vince Gill is returning to the field for this special milestone event. The full line-up of celebrity players stepping up to the plate on the Grand Ole Opry and iHeartRadio teams will be announced in the coming weeks.

Taking place on June 13 at 9 a.m. from the state-of-the-art field at First Tennessee Park in Nashville, Tennessee, the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game is gearing up to celebrate 25 years of striking out cancer. Tickets for the City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game are on sale now at Ticketmaster.

Each year, the Celebrity Softball Game regularly features some of Country Music’s biggest and hottest stars. Over the years, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Scotty McCreery, Vince Gill and many more have taken to the field in support of City of Hope’s lifesaving mission.

City of Hope is an independent biomedical research institution and comprehensive cancer center where scientists and physicians quickly transform scientific discoveries into better treatments and prevention strategies for people around the world. Support from the Nashville community and its country music artists directly benefit City of Hope’s mission to find cures for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.

Tickets for the game can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Get more information on the game and the line-up of celebrities at www.cityofhope.org/softball. Those not able to attend the game can still support the cause. A variety of unique merchandise and experiences, including meet-and-greets with the hottest artists, will be available for bid at charitybuzz.com. The proceeds will benefit City of Hope’s mission to eradicate cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

To request media credentials for the 25^th Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Game, apply HERE.

Suggested Tweet: PLAY BALL! @littlebigtown @VGcom @charlesesten @lauren_alaina #strikeoutcancer @cityofhope Celeb Softball Game 6/13 @firsttnpark http://bit.ly/csg15pr

Suggested Tweet: .@loveandtheft @chuckwicksmusic @lindsayell @aaron_watson #strikeoutcancer @cityofhope Celeb Softball Game 6/13 @firsttnpark http://bit.ly/csg15pr

About City of Hope
City of Hope is an independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. Designated as a comprehensive cancer center, the highest recognition bestowed by the National Cancer Institute, City of Hope is also a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, with research and treatment protocols that advance care throughout the nation. City of Hope’s main hospital is located in Duarte, California, just northeast of Los Angeles. It is ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” in cancer by U.S.News & World Report. Founded in 1913, City of Hope is a pioneer in the fields of bone marrow transplantation and genetics. For more information, visit www.cityofhope.org or follow City of Hope on facebook, twitter, youtube, instagram or flickr.

Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman will appear on The Chew on Tuesday at 1pm ET on ABC to chat about her new cookbook, Oh Gussie!

Vince Gill is the featured guest on The Big Interview With Dan Rather on Tuesday (April 21st) at 8pm ET.

Dierks Bentley, as well as Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood were announced as headliners for next year’s ACM Party for a Cause Festival, taking place April 1^st – 3^rd, 2016.

Eric Church will be inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame October 15^th in Kannapolis, North Carolina.

Eric Church and Kacey Musgraves will perform at Willie Nelson’s annual 4th of July Picnic in Austin, Texas. Merle Haggard, Asleep at the Wheel and Jamey Johnson are also on the bill.

Kacey Musgraves will perform at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, taking place June 11th – 14th in Manchester, Tennessee. She made her Bonnaroo debut in 2013. Billy Joel, Mumford & Sons and Kendrick Lamar are also scheduled to perform.

Luke Bryan will return for his second Crash My Playa Caribbean concert in Riviera Maya, Mexico January 22nd – 26th, 2016. Go to CrashMyPlaya.com.

Vince Gill was recently interviewed by Dan Rather for his show, The Big Interview, on AXS-TV. His feature will air April 21st.

Sam Hunt climbs back into the top spot on Billboard’s Country Album chart this week, selling another 16,000 copies. The collection features the chart-topping “Leave the Night On,” as well as his current smash hit, “Take Your Time.”

Toby Keith and Little Big Town are among the artists performing at the annual Mack, Jack and McConaughey event in Austin, Texas next month. The two-day gala was founded by ESPN analyst and football coach Mark Brown, country singer Jack Ingram and actor Matthew McConaughey and will take place April 16th and 17th.

Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott and Vince Gill will perform during the 23rd Annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival, March 24th through 28th in Nashville.

Darius Rucker will once again take on Big Band tunes in a one-night show at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center on Tuesday (February 17th). The concert benefits the MUSC Children’s Hospital Fund, a non-profit organization that helps provide the best possible healthcare experience for MUSC’s youngest patients and their families.

Luke Bryan enjoyed his time as Grand Marshal of the Endymion parade and headlined the huge post-parade Extravaganza at the Superdome several hours later. Pals Willie and Korie Robertson (Duck Dynasty) joined Luke and his wife Caroline for some of the festivities.

Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley won a closest-to-the-pin contest and assured a victory for Team Clint Eastwood during the 3M Celebrity Challenge at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last week in Pebble Beach, California. Jake Owen, Rascal Flatts’ Joe Don Rooney and Clay Walker also played in the tournament.

Sam Hunt shot the video for his latest hit, “Take Your Time,” last week in Nashville.

Vince Gill and his lovely wife Amy Grant will return to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium for eight Christmas shows this year beginning December 2nd. Tickets are now on sale through Ticketmaster.

Nashville, TN – January 21, 2015 – Vince Gill will share the stage and sing along with Ashley Monroe, Charlie Worsham and daughter Jenny Gill on the four-date mini-tour, “Vince Gill & Friends,” March 19-22. The intimate musical experience is a thematic extension of his January round of shows with fellow musician Lyle Lovett.

Singer-songwriter Ashley Monroe is preparing the follow-up to her critically acclaimed debut album, Like A Rose, working again with producer Vince Gill. She’s currently enjoying Top 10 success with “Lonely Tonight,” her duet with Blake Shelton. Charlie Worsham demonstrated his showmanship opening for Taylor Swift, and sharing stages with the likes of Miranda Lambert and Kacey Musgraves, while going on to distinguish himself as a solo artist with Rubberband, his debut album for Warner Bros. Records.

An ardent believer that musicians exist to serve the song, Vince Gill says all three guest performers will be on stage with him and his band for the duration of each show.  “This won’t be a ‘guitar pull,’” he explains, “where one person sings while the others listen and wait for their turn.  We’ll all be pitching in, picking and singing harmony for each other and doing each other’s songs.  It will be a musical collaboration—not a headliner with opening acts.”

Gill is one of the most active and awarded performers in modern-day music.  In addition to the nearly two dozen albums he has recorded as a solo artist, he has been a guest artist on nearly 1,000 albums by other singers in virtually all genres of popular music.   A 20-time Grammy-winner, he is also a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry.  He has his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was recently declared a BMI Icon, an honor reserved for the most influential songwriters.  He is also a member of the Grammy-nominated Nashville supergroup, The Time Jumpers.

Here are the “Vince Gill & Friends” tour dates and locations:

March 19, El Dorado Municipal Auditorium, El Dorado, Arkansas

March 20, River City Casino, St. Louis, Missouri

March 21, Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, Ohio

March 22, Milwaukee Theatre, Milwaukee, Wisconsin