(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — XM Satellite Radio will broadcast Willie Nelson's famed 4th of July Picnic concert in Fort Worth, TX, live and nationwide on July 4. The star-filled, all-day event is one of the many exclusive specials on XM Radio throughout the month of July.
"Willie Nelson is a longtime fan and friend of XM Radio, and we're proud to be broadcasting his legendary July Fourth concert exclusively to our 2- million-plus subscribers across the country," said Lee Abrams, chief programming officer, XM Satellite Radio. "You don't have to be in Fort Worth to spend the Fourth with Willie. You can listen to him live on XM Radio in the backyard, at the beach, or most anyplace else from coast to coast."
XM will air Nelson's 31st annual Fourth of July Picnic concert on XM Live (XM Channel 26) on July 4 from 12 noon–12 midnight ET. XM on-air hosts Jessie Scott, Eddie Kilroy, and Bill Mack will broadcast live from the concert site at the historic Fort Worth Stockyards.
In addition to the Willie Nelson concert, XM's July programming schedule includes hundreds of hours of live specials, one-of-a-kind series, and other XM-only programs. A few of the July highlights include:
"IT: The History of Pop": Back by popular demand, XM will air the largest music countdown ever, featuring every hit song from 1930 to 1999, spread across XM's six decade channels. This history of pop music begins on XM's 40s on 4 channel and continues its journey through the decades until arriving on XM's 90s on 9 channel and the end of 1999. This ultimate musical salute to pop music begins July 1 and runs through late July;
"4th Annual Louis Armstrong 4th of July Birthday Celebration" on Real Jazz (XM Channel 70): XM's traditional jazz channel hosts a 24-hour celebration of the birthday of the King of Jazz, Louis Armstrong, featuring favorite tunes, rare recordings, and conversations with music icons such as Wynton Marsalis and Quincy Jones;
"The Big Bang: The Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll" on 50s on 5 (XM Channel 5): As Memphis prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Elvis Presley's recording of "That's All Right" on July 5, XM's 50s channel traces the history of rock 'n' roll to its earliest roots on July 4 at 4 pm and 10 pm ET. XM's Matt "the Cat" plays artists such as Wynonie "Mr. Blues" Harris, John Lee Hooker, and Elvis Presley and discusses how they and others contributed to the creation of rock n' roll. Listeners cast votes online for what was truly the first rock n' roll song with a chance to win "The Roots Of Rock n' Roll" CD box set from Hip-O Records;
"Fourth of July Moog Fest Special" on Fine Tuning (XM Channel 49): Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Rick Wakeman of Yes join Robert Moog, the inventor of the Moog Synthesizer, at XM to discuss the development and demonstration of this celebrated musical instrument, on July 4 at 12 noon and 9 pm ET;
"A Red(neck), White, and (very) Blue Fourth of July" on XM Comedy (XM Channel 150): Redneck comedians Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Rodney Carrington, Larry the Cable Guy and other stand-up comics entertain throughout the day on July 4;
"Mixed Bag Radio" on The Loft (XM Channel 50): New York radio personality Pete Fornatale interviews the most influential musicians of our time and showcases live in-studio performances in this weekly, one-hour show, which debuts on The Loft on July 6 at 3 pm ET. Pete's guests are truly a mixed bag, including rock, folk, jazz, pop, legends, heritage artists, and newcomers. Upcoming guests include John Hiatt, Fountains of Wayne, Suzanne Vega, and Richard Thompson; and
"Monday with the Masters" on Beyond Jazz (XM Channel 72): XM's modern jazz channel devotes one hour to a master of the genre every Monday at 12 noon and 11 pm ET beginning July 5. "Monday with the Masters" features favorite recordings and conversations about the legendary careers of artists such as Grover Washington, Jr., George Benson, Al Di Meola and Pat Metheny.–Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen
