Hang with the Legends

Issue: July 2023

Rivers Rutherford

Seventeen years ago, Nashville’s Hall-of-Fame songwriter Rivers Rutherford gave Blue Ridge School a monumental boost.

He offered Margaret McRae, his mother-in-law (a Blue Ridge School educator and later, a school board member) a sure-fire fund-raising idea for supplemental support for BRS. He’d bring a handful of his songwriting buddies from Nashville down for an evening of good ol’ country-western jubilation, conversation, and the secrets of song-creation.

It’s been almost a decade and a half of annual visits since then, and the gang just keeps making the Rounds. In 2022, the halls of the Boys and Girls Club and upwards of 500 ticketed attendees had a night with CMA legends they’ll never forget. In fact, the event has become so popular, guests in attendance get the first grabs for the following year’s Songwriter’s Round.

For those newly introduced to the Round and its creator, here’s a brief on Rivers’ inauguration into the bigtime.

The Highwaymen (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson) recorded his first cut when he was 21. That launched a dozen number one hits, several Grammys, CMA and ACM nominations, and over 20 ASCAP awards. Add to that resume Country Song of the Year and Songwriter of the Year, and you’ve got a string of jewels that keeps on growing, gem after gem.

While Rivers is a brilliant musician/composer, a wonderful family man, and a stand-up kinda guy, he has a larger investment than just a trek to Cashiers. He says, “Music, like all creative endeavors, aids in young brain development and teaches the merits of discipline, hard work and sacrifice; it builds self-esteem and, more importantly, it is a great source of joy and fulfillment in life.”

Locally, Carl Hyde has played a huge role over the years in leading and strengthening the BRS Education Foundation, that thanks to Songwriters’ Round, has awarded grants and financial support to supplement the educational needs of students and educators. The monies also covered professional development, classroom materials, active learning panels, and even gift cards for teachers. That’s not all – a nurse and a social worker were brought onboard along with a music artist-in-residence. In addition, the “Give 5, Read 5” summer reading program was initiated along with an after-school math tutoring program, the Muddy Sneakers Outdoor Learning Program, and print and audio resources galore for the media centers.

It’s your chance to hang with the legends in a benefit for the Blue Ridge School Education Foundation as they present Rivers Rutherford and Friends, Saturday, August 19, at the Keller Pavilion Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau, 558 Frank Allen Road, Cashiers. To confirm a table reservation (10 people/$2,200) email Susan Waller at: [email protected], or send payment to BRS Education Foundation, P.O. Box 803, Cashiers, North Carolina, 28717