City of Hope, a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases, announced today that it will be honoring music industry veteran Bruce Hinton at this year’s Celebrity Softball Game, presented by Staples, set to take place on Tuesday, June 7 at First Tennessee Park in Nashville during CMA Music Festival.
Hinton will be recognized as the founder of the event and for his significant contributions to the game over its 25-year history. As the City ofHope Celebrity Softball Game embarks on its next 25 years, it is befitting to honor the man who conceived the event and ran it for over a decade before retiring in 2002, making it a Nashville tradition.
Undoubtedly one of the most beloved music executives in country music history, Hinton played an integral role in shaping the music business in Nashville with over 40 years of guiding careers, including 19 at the helm ofMCA Nashville, for country music superstars such as Vince Gill, Reba McEntire, George Strait, and Trisha Yearwood among many other artists and executives. He has held board positions for the Country Music Foundation; Country Music Association; Tennessee Performing Arts Center; Leadership Music; W.O. Smith Nashville Community School; Music & Entertainment Industry Chapter; and the Senior Advisory Board of the Sports & Entertainment Academy/Indiana University in addition to the City of Hope Executive Board.
City of Hope’s Celebrity Softball Game, which has featured some of Country Music’s biggest stars, including Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Scotty McCreery, Vince Gill and many more, takes to the field for its 26th year in support of City of Hope’s lifesaving mission.
Tickets for City of Hope’s Celebrity Softball Game are on sale now at Ticketmaster at http://bit.ly/1QQDkff. The full line-up of celebrity players stepping up to the plate on the Grand Ole Opry and iHeart Country teams will be announced in the coming weeks.
