23rd Annual Jarrard Burch Foundation Songwriters Show
When: 6 p.m. Sept. 10
Where: The Chair Factory, 908 Grove St., Gainesville
How much: $35 per person
More info: jarrardburchfoundation.com
An annual tradition of showcasing some of Nashville’s Grammy Award-winning singers and songwriters returns to Gainesville this week.
The Jarrard Burch Foundation is set to host its 23rd annual Songwriters Show on Saturday, September 7, at 6 p.m. on the lawn of The Chair Factory.
“We’re happy to be in our 23rd year,” said Jody Jackson, executive director of the foundation since 2009. “We’ve been so successful over the years because of the City of Gainesville and the people being so unbelievable in support of the foundation.”
The concert honors country music songwriter and Georgia Music Hall of Fame member John Jarrard and his longtime friend and music partner, Bruce Burch, who died in 2022, following a 30-year battle with leukemia.
This year’s lineup features Gretchen Peters, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and multiple Grammy Award nominee who wrote “Independence Day” and “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am”; Frank Myers, a Grammy nominee and Country Music Association Song of the Year winner who wrote “I Swear” and “I’m Already There”; Shawn Camp, a multiple Grammy nominee and award winner who wrote “How Long Gone” and “Two Pina Coladas”; and Jim Lauderdale, a two-time Grammy Award winner who wrote “I’m Gonna Get a Life” and “Where the Sidewalk Ends.”
“It’s very unique,” Jackson said. “We bring in some of the top songwriters from Nashville. It’s kind of like a combination of the Bluebird Café in Nashville and Chastain Park in Atlanta. We have 100 candlelit tables and people get to hear the stories behind the hit songs that they know. It’s just a very special event that has grown to be the thing to do in the fall in Gainesville, Georgia.”
The foundation is remaining true to its mission to support local nonprofits. Georgia Mountain Food Bank, Amped Kids, Boys & Girls Clubs of Lanier, United Way, Sisu [Integrated Early Learning], Good News at Noon and Good News Clinics are among those that benefit from the concert’s proceeds.
The foundation was formed in 2001 in Jarrard’s memory. More than two decades later, it aims to “keep the love of song and songwriting at the forefront of our communities by organizing live concerts to support songwriters and benefit charities in North Georgia that were closest to both John’s and Bruce’s heart,” according to the foundation’s website.
Jarrard and Burch have co-written more than 25 hit country songs performed by some of the biggest stars in the genre, including Alabama, George Strait, Reba McEntire, George Jones and Loretta Lynn, to name a few.
“It’s really incredible to see something like this,” Jackson said. “It’s just grown over the years. We went from 20 or 30 tables when we first started and now we’re up to 100 tables this year.”
Single general admission tickets are $35. Couple general admission tickets are $70.
Sponsorship packages are available from $1,000-$3,500 and afford amenities like a reserved table for up to 16 guests, meal tickets, complimentary beer and wine and recognition throughout the event.
“This year will be cool because it’s right in front of Jekyll Brewery, so we’re going to have an after party when it’s over,” Jackson said.
The event will also hold silent and live auctions.
To learn more about the Jarrard Burch Foundation Songwriters Show, purchase a ticket or purchase a sponsorship package, visit jarrardburchfoundation.com.
