EQUINE ADVOCATES TO HONOR WILLIE NELSON FOR HIS WORK TO END HORSE SLAUGHTER AT VIRTUAL GALA & TELETHON DURING A MUSIC-FILLED CELEBRATION ON SEPTEMBER 26, FEATURING A LINE-UP OF OUTSTANDING ARTISTS.
HOSTED BY BEBE NEUWIRTH & PHIL BAYLY
SPECIAL APPEARANCES BY SHERYL CROW AND ALI MACGRAW
CHATHAM, NY – On Saturday, September 26th at 6 PM EST, Equine Advocates will present Willie Nelson with the 2020 Safe Home Equine Protection Award for his work and dedication to end the slaughter of America’s horses during a special online event to be broadcast on YouTube, Facebook and Equine Advocates website. Nelson will be the 19th recipient of this award, which was first given out in 2002.
The award will take place ahead of Farm Aid.
Nine-time Grammy Award-winning singer/song writer, Sheryl Crow will be making an appearance during the broadcast with a special message for her good friend and fellow horse lover, Willie Nelson. They recently recorded the song, “Lonely, Alone” together. The music video for the song includes footage of Nelson with some of his rescued horses.
Actress Ali MacGraw, who appeared in such iconic films as “Love Story,” “The Getaway” and “Goodbye Columbus,” will be presenting Andrea Eastman with the 2020 Equine Savior Award for her decades of work and activism on behalf of America’s wild and domestic equines. Eastman, who had an illustrious 27-year career as a high-powered agent for ICM, was personally responsible for Robert Redford’s signing of the Voter Card in California in 1998 in support of the first state initiative in the nation to ban the slaughter of horses for human consumption. That initiative, “Prop 6” passed by more than 60% of the vote.
The program will be hosted by two-time Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress, Bebe Neuwirth, who was the recipient of the Safe Home Equine Protection Award in 2009. Co-hosting will be author and former news anchor, Phil Bayly, who was the morning news anchor for WNYT, the NBC affiliate in Albany for 15 years.
An amazing line-up of artists will be performing during this celebration and telethon. They include: (In alphabetical order)
Tom Chapin - In a career that spans five decades, 26 albums and three Grammy awards, the multi-talented Tom Chapin has maintained two long and productive parallel careers, both as a respected contemporary folk artist and a pioneer in the field of children's music. Chapin has appeared on Broadway, television, radio and film, and has long been a strong advocate on behalf of a variety of charitable organizations, focusing on hunger, the environment, and music and the arts in our public schools.
The Gibson Brothers - Bluegrass royalty Leigh and Eric Gibson have been delighting audiences around the world with their popular albums and live performances for thirty years. They were named Entertainers of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2012 and 2013 and in 2015, and have received many other accolades for their work, including receiving SUNY honorary degrees of doctor of fine arts. In 2018, they branched beyond the bluegrass world with a sound dubbed more "country soul," on an album produced by Dan Auerbach. No matter what format they play, their brother harmonies shine through.
Cathy Grier - When Cathy Grier was 17, she had a chance encounter with John Lee Hooker that became an inspirational turning point in her life. Cathy spent 20 years in New York mostly performing under the name NYC Subway Girl as part of the Music Under New York Program. Her four decade-long career is a rich musical tapestry with numerous career highlights. In 2016, she traveled to Wisconsin for the Steel Bridge Songfest and fell in love with the Sturgeon Bay music scene so much that she moved to Wisconsin. Within the three years of arriving, Cathy won the Paramount Music Association Blues Challenge. Her latest album entitled, “I’m All Burn,” recorded with her group, The Troublemakers, is by far one of her best. It has been well received by critics and listeners, who all agree Cathy Grier surely can sing and play The Blues!
Brooke Moriber – This young and exciting up-and-coming country singer/song-writer got her start in show business at the age of eight on Broadway when she was cast in the part of Cosette in Les Miserables. Inspired by Linda Ronstadt and Billy Joel, Brooke’s song, “Cry Like a Girl” was reviewed by Parade Magazine as “… a high-powered country-infused track with an empowering message. Brooke Moriber makes a compelling case for sharing raw emotion with strong vocals and a spot-on delivery.” That song will be included on her first album that she is working on in Nashville.
Livingston Taylor - From top-40 hits “I Will Be in Love with You” and “I’ll Come Running,” to “I Can Dream of You” and “Boatman,” the last two recorded by his brother James, Livingston Taylor has been performing and writing songs for more than 50 years. He is known for mastering a wide range of musical genres from folk, pop, gospel, jazz— to upbeat storytelling and touching ballads to full orchestra performances. Taylor is also a full professor at Berklee College of Music, where he has taught a Stage Performance course since 1989.
The broadcast will begin at 6 PM Eastern Standard Time on Saturday, September 26th. Please check your time zone for the start of the program in your area. Also, please visit our Equine Advocates website and official Facebook page for more details and updates.
Equine Advocates, a national, non-profit equine protection organization based in Chatham, NY, will be celebrating its 25th birthday on February 27, 2021. Its mission is to rescue, protect and prevent the abuse of equines through education, investigation, rescue operations, the dissemination of information to the public and through the operation of a horse sanctuary for slaughter-bound, abused and neglected equines.