The following story was part of the Day in Rock Report for 5/13/08 - (PR) The World Famous Nashville Palace will play host to "Breakfast with the Stars" as a tribute to the late Billy & Bettie Walker. The breakfast event will take place on Wednesday, June 4 from 7 a.m. – 11 a.m. and will host musical performances starting at 8 a.m. Tickets are $25 per person and include the breakfast. In honor of the family of Bettie & Billy Walker a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Opry Trust Fund.Artists scheduled to appear include American Idol alum Bo Bice, Stella Parton, Trent Tomlinson, Mel McDaniel, Barbara Fairchild, Ray Pillow, Jason Meadows, among many others. More names to be announced next week!!!
Famed "The Tall Texan", Billy Walker may not have appreciated the irony. Walker died at 77 with his wife Bettie in a horrific Alabama car accident that claimed two of his band members. The singer, known as the Masked Singer of Country Songs, was among the first to share a stage with Elvis and last to tour with Hank Williams. He later cheated death on the 1963 plane-flight that took Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas and Hawkshaw Hawkins when Hawkins gave him a ticket for another plane.
Part of the proceeds will go to the Opry Trust fund. Established in 1965, the Opry Trust Fund's mission is to help those in the country music industry by offering financial assistance during their time of need. The Opry Trust Fund has distributed more than $2 million for needs that include: Medical Bills, Living Expenses, Rent or Mortgage, Utilities and Food, since its conception.
