Sept. 29 concert near Nashville features country music’s Jamey Johnson
PHOENIX, Ariz. — Sept. 5, 2012 — Full Moon Full Life is a unique concert planned under this fall’s Harvest Moon to benefit pancreatic cancer research at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).
Country Music Artist Jamey Johnson
The River Cafe’s owner-operator Nikki Mitchell — personal assistant to Colter, the widow of country-music legend Waylon Jennings — expects 4,000 fans to attend.The concert, featuring country music sensation Jamey Johnson, with special guests Jessi Colter & Waylon’s last band, Waymore’s Blues Band, is set for 6 p.m. Sept. 29 on Front Street in front of The River Cafe in Normandy, Tenn., about 50 miles southeast of Nashville.
“This is a unique way of helping advance TGen’s groundbreaking scientific research into this awful disease,” said Mitchell, who was diagnosed in December 2010 with pancreatic cancer, a particularly aggressive form of cancer responsible for nearly 38,000 deaths annually in the U.S.; the fourth leading cause of cancer death in America.
“I felt like I got a glimpse of the future,” Mitchell said of her tour earlier this year at TGen’s research headquarters in Phoenix.
Mitchell — who has run Jennings’ company for more than two decades — opened The River Cafe in 2010. Any business having to do with Jennings and Colter goes through her offices of Colter-Jennings, now also located in Normandy. Waylon died in 2002 of complications related to diabetes, and another TGen project, The Waylon Fund, backs TGen research into the genetic causes of diabetes.
“To know Nikki Mitchell is to love her, as Waylon, Shooter and I could testify, having known her and worked with her for many years,” Colter said. “I am exceedingly proud of her spirit to win. This is just another victory, and we are glad to include Johns Hopkins and TGen as our friends. Having given Waylon’s name to Diabetic Research with TGen, we are delighted to be with Nikki to celebrate her pancreatic cancer healing. As usual, she will seek to help others in her win.”
Colter added that she greatly appreciates the participation of Jamey Johnson and Waymore’s Blues Band.
TGen Foundation President Michael Bassoff said, “Nikki Mitchell’s strong leadership and Jessi Colter’s star power will certainly advance TGen’s fight against pancreatic cancer. Their efforts will help TGen discover methods of early detection and better treatments.”
Mitchell credits her continued survival to genetic research at TGen, and her surgery at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Seventy-five percent of the proceeds from Full Moon Full Life will go to TGen, and 25 percent will go to Johns Hopkins to aid its Multidisciplinary Pancreatic Cyst Program. Both TGen and Johns Hopkins offer promising breakthroughs for early detection, which is key to saving countless lives from a cancer that too often is not discovered until its late stages, when treatment options are limited.
Advance tickets are $20 and can be purchased at: www.therivercafenormandy.com or http://www.fullmoonfulllife.com. Tickets will be $25 at the gate. Parking is $5. The gate will open at 3 p.m. No pets, coolers or glass are allowed. The event will also include a live auction.
“We are so excited to kick off this first of what we hope will be an annual benefit concert to support pancreatic cancer research,” said Linda Albright, event organizer and wife of Richie Albright, the original drummer and right-hand man for Waylon, who began playing with Waylon & The Waylors in 1964.
Richie Albright added, “The 11-piece Waymore’s Blues Band, along with former Waylor, Gordon Payne, are looking forward to reuniting, and once again performing with Jessi for this very special fundraising event.”
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About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life changing results. Research at TGen is focused on helping patients with diseases such as cancer, neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of translational research where investigators are able to unravel the genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process. For more information, visit: www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
syozwiak@tgen.org