Nashville, Tenn., — The Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum will present a special panel discussion with three of American music’s most gifted artists—Country Music Hall of Fame member Brenda Lee, Marty Stuart and Tanya Tucker — on Saturday, February 20, 2010. The Kid’s Got Talent: Child Stardom in the Music Business, which is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Brenda Lee: Dynamite, Presented by Great American Country Television Network, will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Museum’s Ford Theater. The program is included with Museum admission and is free to Museum members.

Stardom can be tough to navigate at any age, but it takes an extraordinary individual to negotiate these challenges while still a child. Brenda Lee appeared regularly on network television while still in elementary school and was a worldwide superstar by the time she was in her teens. Marty Stuart was 13 when he landed a gig with Lester Flatt. And Tanya Tucker’s debut single, “Delta Dawn,” made her a national sensation at 13. During this rare panel discussion, these legends will swap stories and address the highs and lows of early fame and success.

Marty Stuart

Marty Stuart. Photo by James Minchin

Prodigy Marty Stuart began touring in 1971 with gospel artists Jerry and Tammy Sullivan, when he was 12, and the following year joined Lester Flatt’s band as mandolinist, where he stayed until Flatt’s death in 1979. A multi-instrumentalist with songwriting chops and a husky tenor, Marty Stuart began recording solo records in 1977 for various labels, but it wasn’t until the 1991 release of his MCA album Tempted that Stuart scored two Top Ten hits, “Burn Me Down” and the title track. Stuart also co-wrote the song “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’,” a duet with Travis Tritt that became a #2 smash the same year. Over the next two decades, Marty Stuart continued to record and perform, and also hosted his own show on TNN: The Nashville Network. A gifted collaborator with a deep reverence for country music’s history and traditions, Stuart is still active on the stage and in the studio; he also hosts The Marty Stuart Show, which airs on RFD-TV.

Brenda Lee

Brenda Lee. Courtesy of Brenda Lee Archives Co.

Preternaturally gifted singer Brenda Lee won her first talent show at the age of four. In 1956, the eleven-year-old auditioned for Red Foley and was asked to join the cast of ABC’s Ozark Jubilee; the same year, she signed with Decca Records and became the youngest entertainer to headline in Las Vegas. In 1960, teenager Lee scored her first pop Top Ten with “Sweet Nothin’s” and followed it up with her #1 smash “I’m Sorry.” She capped off the year with the re-release of her now classic Christmas standard “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” During the 1960s, Brenda Lee landed more songs on the Billboard charts than any other female artist. Her explosive voice and broad musical oeuvre made her incredibly popular overseas, and she regularly toured Europe, South America and Japan. In the 1970s and 1980s, Lee enjoyed success on the country charts. One of American music’s most beloved and versatile artists, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Tanya Tucker

Texas native Tanya Tucker was barely in her teens when she recorded “Delta Dawn” during her first session for Columbia Records in March 1972. Produced by Billy Sherrill, the record charted two months later, and by July the 13-year-old sensation had made her debut on the Grand Ole Opry. During the next three years, Tanya Tucker and Sherrill collaborated on a series of recordings that showcased the teenage singer’s ability to handle adult material, including “What’s Your Mama’s Name” (Tucker’s first #1 single) and “Would You Lay with Me (In a Field of Stone)?” On her 16th birthday, Tucker signed a million-dollar contract with MCA Records. Over the last four decades, Tanya Tucker has scored more than 50 chart singles, including the #1 hits “Lizzie and the Rainman,” “San Antonio Stroll” and “Here’s Some Love,” and is recognized as one of country music’s most successful and popular artists.

Brenda Lee: Dynamite will run through June 13, 2010. The exhibit will continue to be accompanied by an ongoing series of programs.

These programs are made possible, in part, by grants from the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission and by an agreement between the Tennessee Arts Commission and National Endowment for the Arts.

Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum

Accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum is operated by the Country Music Foundation, a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization chartered by the state of Tennessee in 1964. The Museum’s mission is the preservation of the history of country and related vernacular music rooted in southern culture. With the same educational mission, the Foundation also operates CMF Records, the Museum’s Frist Library and Archive, CMF Press, Historic RCA Studio B, and Hatch Show Print.

More information about the Country Music Hall of Fame^® and Museum is available at www.countrymusichalloffame.org

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