Tipper Gore To Show Commitment To America's Family Farmers By Accompanying Willie Nelson At Farm Aid's 15th Anniversary Concert

Farm Aid
Wednesday, 13 September 2000

Playing to the beat of 15 years of activism, Mrs. Gore to help drum up support for rural America

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va-In support of America's struggling family farmers, Tipper Gore, wife of Vice President and presidential candidate Al Gore, will perform with Willie Nelson onstage at Farm Aid 2000 Presented by Best Buy, scheduled for Sept. 17 at Nissan Pavilion, just outside of Washington, DC.

"We salute Tipper for giving so generously of her time and sharing our commitment to saving America's family farms. She understands the importance of supporting those who put food on America's tables," said Nelson, "Her dedication will go a long way in our fight for family farmers and I am proud to share the stage with her. "

In her second major live performance Mrs. Gore, a lifelong music fan, will accompany Farm Aid founder Willie Nelson on the drums. Mrs. Gore had her musical start in high school as a member of an all-girls band known as the Wildcats.

The lineup for Farm Aid's 15th anniversary concert includes Farm Aid founders Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp, along with Barenaked Ladies, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, Sawyer Brown, Arlo Guthrie, North Mississippi Allstars, Jimmy Sturr, Shannon Curfman and Pat Green.

"Struggling farm families will be inspired to see Mrs. Gore join Farm Aid's efforts in support of rural America," said Carolyn Mugar, Farm Aid executive director. "We welcome her and thank her for her spirit."

Farm Aid 2000 Presented by Best Buy will be telecast for the third consecutive year by CMT: Country Music Television as a live eight-hour special Sunday, Sept. 17 from 2 p.m.-10 p.m. EDT. The show also will be aired that day on CMT Canada and webcast by RollingStone.com. In addition, live updates will be broadcast on FarmAid.com.

Farm Aid was founded in 1985 by Nelson, Mellencamp and Young to raise public awareness about the plight of the American family farmer and to provide assistance to those families whose livelihood depends on agriculture. In the past 15 years, Farm Aid has granted over $15 million to more than 100 farm organizations, churches and service agencies in 44 states. Farm Aid granted $58,000 to farm groups active in the mid-Atlantic region to help recover from the drought of '99.

For more information, or to contact Farm Aid, see their website at: www.farmaid.org