On Saturday, September 20, 2008, Belmont University welcomes several talented alumni to perform at the first annual Alumni Showcase.  “Coming Home for a Cause” is co-sponsored by the Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business and the Office of Alumni Relations and features Sam & Ruby [Ruby Amanfu], Abby Burke & the Manly Band [Glenn Burke], KingBilly [Josh Matheny & John Osborne], and Andy Davis.  The focus for the event is to profile great Belmont talent while providing a unique learning opportunity for Belmont students. 

In addition, the event will serve to raise community support and awareness for Shaohannah’s Hope Foundation.  Founded by Stephen Curtis Chapman, a Belmont alum and Curb College Advisory Board Member, and his wife, Mary Beth, Shaohannah’s Hope provides care for orphans and helps more families experience the miracle of adoption by reducing financial barriers (www.shaohannahshope.org).

To reserve seats in the Alumni VIP register above. The concert will be held in the Curb Event Center on Belmont’s campus and will begin at 7:00 p.m.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Belmont is proud to present a diverse and immensely talented alumni line up for the evening:

Abby Burke & the Manly Band – “Led by the statuesque presence of dynamic vocalist Abby Burke and her soulful sax playing husband Glenn Burke,” a 1999 Belmont alum, bring a depth of musical talent underwritten with the theme that “performances are built on the principle that the audience should feel the art.”  www.abbyandthemanlyband.com

Sam & Ruby – Wisconsin-born Sam Brooker and Ruby Amanfu, a West Africa native who attended Belmont in 1998 – are self proclaimed musical soul mates, who have been described as “beautifully intimate, emotionally charged world of flawless harmony.”  www.myspace.com/samandruby

 KingBilly – A phenomenal band made up of six talented musicians boasts a distinctive sound melding rock, country, rhythm & blues with bluegrass tinges.   By combining their musical differences, the group has created something completely new.  Among the talent, 2005 alum, Josh Matheny is featured on dobro, lap steel and vocals along with John Osborne who attended Belmont, on guitar and vocals.

Andy Davis – A rising star and 2003 alum rounds out the evening with “distinctive melodies and infectious layered vocals anchored by personal yet universal lyrics.  He embraces a range of times, influences and genres … earning comparisons from Ben Folds to Paul Simon to Badly Drawn Boy, as well as the classic story-centered songwriting of Billy Joel.”  www.andydavisonline.com

The “Coming Home for a Cause” concert is free and open to the public.  For more information contact Jamie Stamey at stameyj@mail.belmont.edu or Julie Bunt at buntj@mail.belmont.edu.