Dean Dillon uses Concerts 4 A Cause to donate fifty guitars to Madison schools

MADISON – An award-winning Nashville musician’s generous donation has expanded the instrumentation of music programs in Madison City Schools or MCS.

MCS will receive 50 guitars from award-winning singer/songwriter Dean Dillon, who announced the gift during his tribute concert at Von Braun Center’s Mars Music Hall. The guitar donation is affiliated with Concerts 4 A Cause.

MCS Superintendent Dr. Ed Nichols joined Dillon and event leaders on the Mars Hall stage for the announcement about the guitar giveaway. The donation will place approximately 100 guitars among MCS, Huntsville City Schools and Madison County Schools.

The 50 guitars for MCS will be distributed to Rainbow and Madison elementary schools and Journey and Liberty middle schools. Dillon hopes the guitars will provide resources to potential, future songwriters.

Nichols explained the ways that music can positively impact learning and have a calming effect after a stressful day. Nelson knows first-hand about music’s influence because he served as drum major for the University of Tennessee Marching Band and worked as a band director in the earlier years of his career in education.

Dillon, a three-time Grammy nominee, wrote 26 No. 1 singles and was named the 1985 Billboard “Country Artist of the Year.” He received the Nashville Songwriters Award in 1986. The Country Music Association or CMA honored Dillon with the “CMA Triple Play Award” in 1995, 1996 and 1998 for writing three No. 1 songs in a 12-month period.

In 2002, Dillon was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He also has composed or co-written 55 songs for George Strait, including 19 singles. Eleven of those singles hit No. 1.

Dillon announced his donation during his tribute concert, “Songs and Stories of Dean Dillon,” on Oct. 9 at the VBC. The concert included scores of Nashville celebrities, such as Cody Johnson, Drew Baldridge, Billy Currington, Craig Morgan, George Strait, LeeAnn Womack, Mark Chesnutt, Pam Tillis and Vince Gill.

Dillon’s donation will be coordinated with Concerts 4 A Cause, founded in 2008 to produce large-scale events for charity. The organization uses music and celebrity- driven events to raise awareness and funds for worthy causes.

Concerts 4 A Cause has raised more than $2 million dollars to assist children’s hospitals, veterans’ organizations, music education and disaster relief. The organization also started the initiative, Guitars4cops. com, to assist wounded first-responders.

Concerts 4 A Cause Inc. has headquarters in Louisville, Ky. For more information, call 502-896-2400, or visit concerts4acause. org.