Celebrate Independence Day 2021 with headliner Brad Paisley during the FREE Let Freedom Sing! Music City July 4th event in Downtown Nashville. This 4th of July will feature the largest fireworks show in Nashville history with the pyrotechnics synchronized to a live performance by the GRAMMY-winning Nashville Symphony.
With a nickname like Music City, we know our visitors expect to hear the best music during our Let freedom Sing! Music City July 4th event. We can’t wait to celebrate in Nashville this year with you and headliner Brad Paisley along with performances from Lilly Hiatt, Regi Wooten, Priscilla Black, and more.
HEADLINER
Brad Paisley:
Brad Paisley has earned his place in country music history as one of the genre’s most talented and decorated male solo artists. Over the past 20 years, his songwriting and unmatched showmanship have won him numerous awards, including three GRAMMYs, two American Music Awards, 14 Country Music Association Awards, and 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, among many others. A member of the Grand Ole Opry since 2001, Paisley has written 21 of his 24 No. 1 hits, and in 2008 became the first artist to achieve 10 consecutive Billboard Country Airplay No. 1 singles. The 2010 CMA Entertainer of the Year’s past works have amassed over 3.9 billion on-demand streams. Paisley continues to collaborate with Peyton Manning in a multi-year ad campaign with Nationwide insurance. In 2015, the global superstar partnered with Boot Barn® to develop Moonshine Spirit by Brad Paisley, an exclusive line of jeans, hats, T-shirts, jewelry, belts, and woven shirts. A prolific entertainer, Paisley’s first prime-time special, Brad Paisley Thinks He’s Special, aired on ABC in December 2019 and has garnered over 18.1 million viewers to date. Paisley and his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, are co-founders of the nonprofit organization The Store, a free-referral-based grocery store, which aims to empower low-income individuals and families in the Nashville area. For more information, visit www.thestore.org.
Lilly Hiatt:
Written during a winter of deep stillness and self-reflection, Lilly Hiatt’s striking new album, Walking Proof, artfully balances the songwriter’s rough rock and roll exterior with her tender, country roots, exuding a bold vulnerability as she takes a long, hard look in the mirror and deconstructs her relationship with herself and the world around her. Produced by former Cage the Elephant guitarist Lincoln Parish and featuring guest appearances from Amanda Shires, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and legendary songwriter John Hiatt (who appears on record with his daughter here for the very first time), the collection is fueled by longing and gratitude in equal measure, effortlessly shifting from gentle intimacy to brawny grit and back over the course of its eleven insightful tracks.
Elijah Reginald Wooten (Regi Wooten And Friends):
Nashville-based Elijah Reginald Wooten aka Regi Wooten is known internationally for his virtuosity on guitar and mesmerizing performances. His musical abilities shine across all genres, including R&B, country, pop, rock, jazz, funk, and international. When performing with his band, Regi Wooten and Friends, band members include Brian Cornish, Steve Forrest, Nioshi Jackson, Erik Blue, and Ron D. His career highlights include: dancing on stage with James Brown at age 5 with brothers Roy and Rudy; touring with Curtis Mayfield at age 14 with his brothers; touring internationally with Ginger Baker of Cream and Jonas Hellborg; playing Melbourne, Australia with bassist Ralphe Armstrong; recording and providing vocals for bassist Krzysztof Scieranski in Europe; playing France with Chess Records songwriter Cash McCall; playing guitar for Victor Wooten Band and touring with the Wooten Brothers, and playing with BeBe and CeCe Winans and other artists. After playing Prince’s 40th Birthday Party at Paisley Park, Prince sought out Wooten privately to play his legendary orange guitar.
Priscilla Block:
Priscilla Block was pegged as a 2021 Artist to Watch by Amazon Music, PANDORA, Spotify, CMT, The Boot, MusicRow, Sounds Like Nashville, Country Now, and Music Mayhem. Block’s blend of country-pop and southern rock is dubbed the Block Party sound. Block spent 2020 putting music out on TikTok and quickly developed a rabid fanbase with songs like “Thick Thighs,” “PMS” and “Just About Over You.” Fans independently funded Block’s recordings, and “Just About Over You” has peaked both the iTunesCountry and All-Genre song charts. The song was named one of The New York Times Best Songs of 2020, and it is now playing on country radio. Originally from Raleigh, NC, Block moved to Nashville to pursue music shortly after high school. In Nashville, the affable, hardworking, student of life worked multiple jobs to make ends meet, then a chance encounter with her idol, Taylor Swift, was the sign she needed to dive all the way in on her music.
Operation Song:
Operation Song empowers veterans, active-duty military, and their families to tell their stories through the process of songwriting. They pair songwriters with participants to write and perform original compositions during free programs held throughout the year in various locations. Performing on behalf of Operation Song are singer-songwriter Ian Wagner, a Purple Heart recipient, and U.S. Army combat medic, and on guitar, Kyle Frederick, executive director of Operation Song.
Nashville Symphony:
Led by music director Giancarlo Guerrero, the Nashville Symphony has been an integral part of the Music City sound since 1946. The ensemble performs more than 150 concerts annually, with a focus on contemporary American orchestral music through collaborations with composers including Jennifer Higdon, Terry Riley, Joan Tower, and Aaron Jay Kernis. The orchestra is equally renowned for its commissioning and recording projects with Nashville-based artists including bassist Edgar Meyer, banjoist Béla Fleck, singer-songwriter Ben Folds and electric bassist Victor Wooten. An established leader in Nashville’s arts and cultural community, the Symphony has facilitated several community collaborations and initiatives, most notably Violins of Hope Nashville, which spotlighted a historic collection of instruments played by Jewish musicians during the Holocaust. The Nashville Symphony remains one of the most prolific recording orchestras in the U.S., with more than 30 releases on Naxos, the world’s largest independent classical label. Encompassing a wide range of repertoire, from Beethoven to Bernstein to Joan Tower, these recordings have earned 14 GRAMMY® Awards and 26 nominations.
