Kenny Loggins, Robert Earl Keen, Jeff Hanna and Matraca Berg Lead Initial List of Entertainers Headlining Country in the Rockies

An all-star lineup is assembling for Country in the Rockies, the annual benefit event marrying music and medicine, now in its 12th amazing year in Crested Butte, Colorado.

The event takes place January 28-February 1, 2006 and includes Texas tunesmith Robert Earl Keen and the first appearances of Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member Jeff Hanna and hit songwriter and recording artist Matraca Berg. Music legend Kenny Loggins will make his third consecutive appearance at the event. Loggins’s son Crosby, a burgeoning singer-songwriter who made a big impression last year, will also return.

More artists and songwriters will be announced soon. Participants in the past have included Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich, Brooks & Dunn, Willie Nelson, Lorrie Morgan, Robert Earl Keen, Charlie Daniels, Lonestar, Kathy Mattea, Suzy Bogguss, Deborah Allen, Gary Chapman, Gary Morris, Dean Dillion, Aaron Barker, Jeffrey Steele, Bob DiPiero and others.

Country in the Rockies benefits the T. J. Martell Foundation’s fundraising efforts to advance the groundbreaking cancer research in the Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville. While the event has skiing and music at its core, it offers something for everyone. Outdoor activities in addition to snow-skiing and the celebrity ski races include snowboarding, snowshoeing, dog-sledding and horseback riding. Indoors, participants can take in all-star concerts on the Club Med stage, informal fireside "guitar pulls" till the wee hours with hit songwriters like Barker, Steel and DiPiero and a celebrity Happy Hour in downtown Crested Butte.

Country in the Rockies is also synonymous with unique silent and live - and often very lively - auctions featuring travel, artwork, jewelry, celebrity and sports memorabilia. Last year’s live auction included tropical vacations, opportunities to co-write with hit songwriters and a brand new 2005 Corvette.

The all-inclusive package includes lodging at Club Med, lift tickets, meals and hospitality, as well as the flight into the nearby Gunnison, Colo., airport and ground transportation to the hotel. Guests also receive a "goodie bag" with skis or a snowboard, ski clothing, CD’s and other items.

The T.J. Martell Foundation has partnered with the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in the fight against cancer since 1993, when the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories were first established at the center. Since that time, Martell has provided more than $13 million in important seed funding to "jumpstart" innovative science in the Preston Laboratories; in turn, that investment has been leveraged into more than $90 million in competitive funding from other sources, including the National Cancer Institute.

Country in the Rockies co-chair Paul Corbin notes the "perfect marriage of music and medicine" that the event has achieved since it began in Crested Butte in 1995.

"Country in the Rockies brings together doctors and scientists with artists and songwriters – and friends and supporters of both groups," Corbin said. "It is an incredible way to have fun while raising funds for important research that will save and change the lives of people facing cancer."

"It never fails that everyone has the best time of their life and leaves feeling that they were part of something magical and life-changing," says co-chairman Tom Annastas, who has attended the event since its inception. "I recommend it to anyone who enjoys music, mountain fun or just doing something good."

The Frances Williams Preston Laboratories is named for the former president and CEO of performing rights organization BMI. Ms. Preston is also president of the board for the Martell Foundation and serves on the board for the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

The money raised by Country in the Rockies enables the T.J. Martell Foundation to continue its support of Vanderbilt-Ingram’s growth and reputation. The VICC is designated as one of only 39 National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Centers.

For more information about Country in the Rockies, including registration information and event updates, please visit www.citr.org. or call 615-256-2002.