NASHVILLE – The 13th annual "Breaking the Chains"
concert for Autism Awareness will take place April 29 (Tuesday) at the Bluebird
Café, 4104 Hillsboro Road, in Nashville.
The
concert will be divided into two performances. The first will begin at 6 p.m.,
and the second will begin at 9 p.m. Admission to the early show is free, but donations will be accepted for
Autism Tennessee (AT), formerly known as the Autism Society of Middle Tennessee. Tickets for the 9 p.m. show are $12 each
with proceeds going to AT.
Reservations for both shows are strongly recommended and can be made
online at www.bluebirdcafe.com (preferred method) or by calling the Bluebird
Café at (615) 383-1461.
Since the "Breaking the Chains" concert series
began, thousands of dollars have been raised over the years for autism education,
advocacy, and support projects.
Performing
at the 6 p.m. show will be concert organizer Tammy Vice, Stephen Lee Veal, John
Swaim ,Tony Ray Jones, and Logan Blade. The 9 p.m.
show will feature Jim McBride, Wood Newton, Jerry
Salley, and Les Kerr. Logan Blade will open the 9 p.m. show.
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| Les Kerr |
Autism
is a lifelong, neurological condition that significantly affects how a person
perceives the world, interacts with other people, and communicates. It is
estimated that an Autism Spectrum Disorder will occur in one of
every 68 births (source: CDC, 2012).
Vice, who initiated the annual event, has recorded
several CDs for GodsChild Records including her latest, "More than Just
Getting By". One of her daughters, Morgan, is on the autism spectrum. The
Vice family was featured in the book "From Heartache to Hope",
dedicated to showing how Tennesseans cope with autism.
“One
of the goals of Breaking the Chains is to raise awareness about autism,” said
Vice, who is very active in the Middle Tennessee autism community. “I’m delighted that not only have we
been able to educate people about autism at the event, but we’ve also been able
to raise thousands of dollars for ASMT to provide educational materials, thanks
to the people who attend.”
Making
this concert even more unique is the participation of two young people who have
lived with Autism their entire lives. Morgan Vice, Tammy’s 20-year-old
daughter, will begin the evening with a ribbon cutting and performance with her
mother.
Twenty-two
year old country artist Logan Blade, who was diagnosed with Autism at age 2,
will perform during both shows. Though conversationally challenged, his singing
voice has been compared to Josh Turner, and he released his first CD in 2012.
He has joined Turner on stage during the Grand Ole Opry. The "Breaking the Chains"
concert will be the official release event for his new
CD, "Unspoken".
More
about Autism Tennessee can be found online at www.autismtn.org.
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| Wood Newton |
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