May 7, 2008

NASHVILLE - CMA Music Festival is known worldwide as a four-day celebration of the relationship between Country Music artists and its fans in Downtown Nashville. Now celebrating its 37th year, the Festival also features unique events, including those held in the ChevyT Sports Zone. This year, the Chevy Sports Zone plays host to two exciting culinary competitions: the CMA Music Festival BBQ Championship and the Fiesta Celebrity Grilling Challenge.

2008 CMA Music Festival will be held Thursday-Sunday, June 5-8. For up-to-the-minute information about 2008 CMA Music Festival tickets, travel information, schedules, artist appearances and more, visit www.CMAfest.com and sign up for e-news.

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The CMA Music Festival BBQ Championship

The CMA Music Festival BBQ Championship will be held Saturday and Sunday, June 7-8, in the Chevy Sports Zone, located in the parking lot behind the Sommet Center at Demonbreun Street and Fifth Avenue. Teams from across the nation will compete in four categories (pork ribs, pork shoulder, beef brisket and chicken) for a chance to win a share of more than $17,000 in cash and prizes to be distributed to category winners. This event is free for spectators, and the general public is encouraged to come and cheer on their favorite teams while also enjoying all the free, family-oriented activities in both the Chevy Sports Zone and the McDonald's®-Dr. Pepper® Family Zone located across the street.

The Grand Champion of the CMA Music Festival BBQ Championship will receive $2,500, a CMA Awards trip package for two including accommodations, an invitation to take part in the prestigious KCBS-sanctioned American Royale competition, and eligibililty to participate in the Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue (better known as "The Jack") in late October in Lynchburg, TN.

"We are excited to host the BBQ Championship this year," said Tammy Genovese, CMA Chief Executive Officer. "It is an excellent addition to CMA Music Festival. We know people take their barbecue very seriously and we look forward to watching the teams compete."

Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and Executive Producer of the CMA Music Festival Tony Conway are the first two judges confirmed for the BBQ Championship.

This is a state championship-qualifying event sanctioned by the prestigious Kansas City BBQ Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and enjoying barbeque. KCBS, which is the world's largest organization of barbeque and grilling enthusiasts with more than 8,000 members worldwide, sanctions nearly 300 barbeque contests across the United States. For more information on the history of KCBS visit www.kcbs.us/about_history.php.

"We are very excited to see the CMA Music Festival add a BBQ competition and join our sanctioned network," said Carolyn Wells, Executive Director of the Kansas City Barbeque Society. "Since BBQ and Country Music go hand in hand, we expect the CMA competition to become one of our circuit's major venues, attracting the country's top teams and biggest BBQ fans year after year."

The event is organized on behalf of CMA by Arlie Bragg of Nashville's Arlique Catering and Event Management. Bragg is a past barbeque champion, having won the Tennessee State Championship in 2004 and the California State Championship in 2005.

"Barbecue and Country Music fit together real well," said Bragg. "We're going to have some of the best teams in the nation here."

Registration is already underway at www.CMAfest.com/bbq. The entry fee per team to compete is $250, which allows entrance into any or all of the four categories. In addition to the cooking space, the entry fee also includes two tickets to one of the Nightly Concerts on the VAULT(tm) Concert Stage at LP Field. Teams wishing to compete should download an application found in the Chevy Sports Zone section, fill it out and mail it along the entry fee to CMA Music Festival BBQ Championship, One Music Circle South, Nashville, TN 37203. Space is limited, so interested teams should mail their applications in quickly.

Thirty teams have already signed up to compete in the CMA Music Festival BBQ Championship, including Lotta Bull (the 2006 KCBS Team of the Year, featuring head chef Mike Davis); Bigbrig.com (three-time Memphis in May World Champion, featuring head chef Paul Hood); Moonshiners (2007 Jack Daniels World Champion, featuring head chef Chad Hayden); Ulcer Acres (considered the "Reverend of BBQ," featuring Head Chef Randy Twyford); and Buttrub.com (a multiple award winning team at barbeque contests, featuring head chef Byron Chism).

"'Country before it was cool' - that's me, man," said Chism, who is also the owner/founder of Florida-based Bad Byron's Specialty Food Products. "To come to Nashville to do what I love to do -- which is barbecue -- and be at the epicenter of the Country Music world, you can't beat that."

"Barbecue and Country Music," summed up Hayden, "You can't get much more American than that."                         

Fiesta Celebrity Grilling Challenge

Debuting this year at CMA Music Festival is the Fiesta Celebrity Grilling Challenge. Hosted by Lee McWright, Executive Chef for Fiesta Gas Grills, the event will be held on Saturday, June 8, in the Chevy Sports Zone.

"We look forward to the debut of the Fiesta Celebrity Grilling Challenge," said Genovese. "I know the fans are going to thoroughly enjoy watching this combination of celebrities, cooking, and all the fun in-between. It's a natural fit for CMA Music Festival."

Six artists and celebrities will be paired with six professional chefs in a culinary competition. Country Music Hall of Fame member Mel Tillis is the first artist confirmed for the event. Chef Jason Brumm, owner of acclaimed Nashville restaurant radius10, and Chef George Harvell from the legendary Loveless Café, have signed on as the first two professional chefs. Additional artists and chefs will be announced soon. Each participant will receive a new Fiesta Blue Ember Grill.

"I love to grill, I love to cook, I love to bake," said Tillis. "My daddy had a little bakery in Pahokee, Florida. I grew up [there]. When I went into the Air Force, they made me a cook. I cooked for awhile then I transported to another Mess Hall and they put me to baking. So I'm experienced in all that stuff and I thought it'd be a lot of fun, too."

Each team will create an appetizer, entrée and desert using an identical "mystery box" of food on a Fiesta Blue Ember Grill. Chef Lee will host the event and interact with the teams and the fans. A panel of judges consisting of both culinary experts and Country Music fans will score teams on appearance, creativity, taste, and tenderness. Winners will be announced at the conclusion of the competition.

Fiesta Gas Grills will also host a booth in the Fun Zone, located on Broadway between First and Second Avenues. At different times throughout CMA Music Festival, Chef Lee will hold cooking demonstrations and sampling in the booth.

CMA Music Festival is organized and produced by the Country Music Association. CMA Board member Tony Conway is the Executive Producer of CMA Music Festival. Premiere Radio Networks is the official radio broadcaster. Chevy: The Official Ride of Country Music. Borders® Books & Music: The Exclusive Music & Book retailer of the CMA Music Festival. Wrangler®: The Exclusive Jean of the CMA Music Festival. Additional promotional partners include, CMT(tm)Dr Pepper®, Greased Lightning® Cleaning Products, Mary Kay®, McDonald's®, Music City Rising Star, Tetley® Iced Tea, truTV(tm), and
VAULT(tm), Fan Fair® is a registered trademark of CMA.