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Big Kenny to Speak at TEDxNashville

03-03-2010




“BIG KENNY” TO SPEAK AT TEDxNASHVILLE’S INAUGURAL  EVENT

Limited Number of Tickets Available for

Art + Science: The Future of Health

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – March 3, 2010 – “Big  Kenny,” half of the musical genre-bending duo “Big and Rich”, has been added to  the diverse list of noted speakers for the inaugural TEDxNashville  event to be held Sunday, March 21 at Montgomery Bell Academy from  1pm-6pm.  Kenny, who is seeding  various humanitarian efforts in stricken areas like the Darfur region of Sudan  and Haiti will speak about how his personal philosophy and unique experiences  drive his efforts to promote health-related projects all over the world.

 

Themed Art + Science: The Future of Health, TEDxNashville will assemble hundreds of Nashville’s brightest minds for a day  of deep discussion, thought provoking video and live speakers presenting, in 18  minutes or less.  The latest breakthroughs in health and wellness,  including the influence of successful artists like Big Kenny and how their  popularity can be leveraged to increase awareness of issues that impact the  well-being of everyone, will be presented in the state-of-the-art facilities at  Montgomery Bell Academy, 4001 Harding Road.

 

"My mission is to highlight the good, inspire  greatness, and encourage mutual responsibility for the betterment of  humankind,” says Big Kenny.  “I think  TEDxNashville is a great place to spread those ideas and I’m excited about  being a part of it.”

 

Through Kenny’s foundation, www.loveeverybody.com, he has funded  philanthropic projects in the US and throughout the world.   A key influence over this part of his life was Walt Ratterman  who had been working in Haiti on behalf of Kenny’s foundation until he lost his  life in the Haiti earthquake. 

 

After  the meteoric rise of “Big and Rich” which sold over 5 million albums and  received numerous award nominations, Kenny sought to step beyond the creative  rigidity superstardom can cause and release his second solo album, The Quiet  Times of a Rock and Roll Farmboy in November 2009 which resulted in a top 40 country single.  “I wanted to  write new music, explore new ideas – musical and otherwise - and do great stuff  that would mean something to people, stuff I’d want to sing for the rest of my life. Stuff that I’d be proud to say I have done,” says Kenny.

 

Kenny manages his musical work from his “University of  Creativity,” as he refers to his  home recording studio.  From there, he coordinates all his  creative and philanthropic activities with a staff of ten, including some art  students from Watkins School of Design, based in Nashville.

 

TEDxNashville follows the format of TEDx, the  independently organized events that are an international phenomenon. TEDx events offer to  spark a community-wide discussion of ideas that matter, free of any commercial,  political or religious agenda.

 

TEDx events have sold out worldwide. With a limit of 350 participants, tickets are $20 and available now at www.tedxnashville.com. Below is a list of confirmed speakers for the TEDxNashville event:

 

2010 Confirmed Speakers:

 

Greg Barz is a Grammy® award-winning  ethnomusicologist who specializes in music and medicine in sub-Saharan Africa.  His book, “Singing for Life: HIV/AIDS and Music in Uganda” explores the use of  music, dance and drama as a medical intervention in the fight against AIDS by  communities in Uganda, East Africa.

 

Jason Dinger is the CEO of Dispensary of  Hope, a not-for-profit network that since its inception two years ago has grown  to provide more than 100,000 prescriptions annually utilizing more than 50  dispensing sites throughout the country to assist people without prescription  drug coverage. Dinger will take us on a journey of what's possible when you  reinvent the pharmaceutical supply chain.   

 

Eddie George is CEO of Eddie George  Enterprises which includes EGX Lifestyle and EDGE  the planning and design firm.  He will speak on his work that evolved after  his athletic career—his mission to give people the knowledge, tools and  inspiration to empower positive, lasting change in their approach to healthy  living.

 

Maureen Gannon, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor and diabetes researcher at Vanderbilt University Medical Center whose  research focuses on genes that regulate the formation of the pancreatic insulin  cells and how these genes might be used to stimulate the production of new insulin cells in the body.

 

Donna Glassford is the Director of Cultural  Enrichment at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and producer of the musical   “Hey Florence!” A humorous and inspiring speaker, Donna will discuss the value and importance of art in health care.

 

MAJ Scott Harrington is a brigade surgeon  with the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division deployed  to   Eastern  Afghanistan utilizing cutting edge medical care and village  restoration.

 

Dr. James Hildreth is a top researcher for  Nashville’s Meharry Medical College who made headlines last year when he developed  an odorless, undetectable contraceptive cream that destroys the HIV virus and  holds the promise of stopping the disease’s spread around the globe.

 

Melvin N. Johnson is the seventh President  of Tennessee State University, appointed to the post in 2005.  He will  weave a story of his own personal journey and leadership in healthcare  initiatives with world-changing implications.

 

Suzi Peel works with the UN Foundation and  mHealth Alliance program, which delivers health information and education throughout  India and Africa via mobile phones to reduce child and parent mortality rates. In her work she focuses on addressing all aspects of global public health that  need special low literacy solutions.

 

Molly Secours is a writer, speaker, filmmaker and activist and a national figure in health care reform. The  Nashville Scene has identified Secours as one of "Nashville's most  influential public intellectuals.”  With humor, compassion and clarity, Secours will share insights gained while battling stage IV uterine cancer and  the physical, emotional and spiritual transformation that occurred unexpectedly as a result. 

 

Minton Sparks is a storyteller, performer  and mental health professional. Sparks is an adjunct professor of Psychology at   Tennessee State University and shares her own brand of performance poetry  nationwide. She will be performing a piece that explores the emotional  landscape of the southern family.

 

Follow TEDxNashville on twitter at twitter.com/tedxnashville or on Facebook, facebook.com/tedxnashville

For the latest information, visit: www.tedxnashville.com.

 

About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Started as a four-day conference in California 25 years ago, TED has grown to support those world-changing ideas with multiple initiatives. The annual TED Conference invites the world's leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes. Their talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Al Gore, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Isabel Allende and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The annual TED Conference takes place in Long Beach, California, with simulcast in Palm Springs; TEDGlobal is held each year in Oxford, UK. TED’s media initiatives include TED.com, where new TEDTalks are posted daily, and the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as the ability for any TEDTalk to be translated by volunteers worldwide. TED has established the annual TED Prize, where exceptional individuals with a wish to change the world are given the opportunity to put their wishes into action; TEDx, which offers individuals or groups a way to host local, self-organized events around the world, and the TED Fellows program, helping world-changing innovators from around the globe to become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

Follow TED on Twitter at twitter.com/TEDTalks, or on Facebook at facebook.com/TED

 

TEDGlobal 2010, “And Now the Good News,” will be held July 13-16, 2010, in Oxford, UK. TED2011, "The Rediscovery of Wonder," will be held February 21-25, 2011, in Long Beach, California, with the TEDActive simulcast in Palm Springs, California.

 

About TEDx

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group.

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Kaleidoscope Media

615-321-3211

Angie Gore (angie@kaleidoscope-media.com)

Joseph Conner (joseph@kaleidoscope-media.com)