National Park Service presenting singer-songwriters concert in Corinth

The National Park Service in partnership with Visit Corinth will present Singer-Songwriters in the Round on the lawn of the Corinth Civil War Interpretive Center on Thursday, Sept. 6.

The concert in Corinth, Mississippi, features several hit country music songwriters performing their most popular songs and telling stories of the writing and recording of their tunes, and begins at 6 p.m.

Mississippi native Steve Azar headlines the event. Azar serves as the official “Music and Culture Ambassador of Mississippi,” and has had three No. 1 music videos. He has received BMI’s “Three Million Broadcasts” award, released six critically acclaimed studio albums, and is the host of “In a Mississippi Minute” on Supertalk Mississippi radio. His hit song “I Don’t have to Be Me (‘til Monday)” spent 44 weeks on Billboard Magazine’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks.

Steve Azar

Joining Azar is another prolific songwriter, Rivers Rutherford. A Memphis native and Music Row transplant, Rutherford has written eight No. 1 singles, earned multiple Grammy, CMA, and ACM nominations, and more than 20 ASCAP Awards, including country song of the year for “Ain’t Nothing ‘Bout You” by Brooks and Dunn. Rutherford has written songs for many of country music’s biggest stars including Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Trace Adkins, and Darius Rucker.

Also appearing will be Mark Alan Springer, whose No. 1 country hits include “When I Close My Eyes” by Kenny Chesney. His creative career includes cuts for Alabama, Trace Adkins, Tanya Tucker, and Travis Tritt among others. He served as President of the Nashville Songwriters Association International for two years and was named BMI Songwriter of the Year in 1998.

Alabama native Bill Terry will also perform. Terry has been part of the music scene in Muscle Shoals, Alabama for more than 30 years, and was one of the youngest songwriters to sign an exclusive contract with FAME Recording Studios under the direction of Rick Hall. He is an “A” list session guitar player in Nashville and Muscle Shoals, and his tune “You Wanna What?” appeared on the Grammy nominated album I’m Diggin’ It by singer Alecia Elliott.

Opening the show will be the Corinth Courthouse Pickers. This locally-popular group will start the night out with some good, old-fashioned bluegrass music.

The concert is free and open to the public. Concert-goers are invited to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets for a night of music on the battlefield.