The SOURCE AWARDS--an annual celebration honoring women in the music industry for their tireless work and contributions to the business--took place this past Thursday, August 26 at the Noah Liff Opera Center in Nashville.
Celia Froehlig, Carol Phillips, Sherytha Scaife, Liz Thiels and Ruth White were celebrated and thanked for contributing their knowledge and talents to the industry and Nashville community as well as for their continued efforts to push the music industry forward. Frances W. Preston received the esteemed “Jo Walker Meador Lifetime Achievement Award” from country music superstar and good friend Vince Gill. Also present to congratulate Preston was singer/songwriter Michael Bolton and Nashville’s Mayor Karl Dean.
“I was thrilled to death to get this invitation to come and present this to Frances,” said Gill. “You could be a kid getting their first songwriter award, or you could be Harlan Howard--and she treated you the same. I really love women. A woman knows how to nurture. A woman knows community. A man never ‘gets’ that. I value these relationships, these friends.”
The ceremony--co-hosted by Brenda Lee and Jeannie Seely--was filled with stories, laughs and appreciative words for all that these women have contributed.
Founded in 1991, SOURCE is a nonprofit organization supporting women executives and professionals who work in all facets of the Nashville music industry. In 2003, the Source Awards were established to honor the pioneering women who helped establish the foundation of the music industry.
The Source Behind the Music exhibit--currently on display at Nashville International Airport Concourse C--highlights many of the past and current SOURCE award winners and their achievements. While many were not celebrated in the music industry during their lifetime, they paved the way for women in the future and created the music industry as it is today. This exhibit was curated and produced by Arts at the Airport--Caroline Carlisle, curator, and Karen Edgin, designer--and will remain until July 2011.
