Like George and Tammy and Conway and Loretta, Dallas and Nashville seem to have a good thing going on. The bond between the two cities was on exhibit tonight when it was announced that a special fundraising event called All for the Hall Dallas, benefiting the educational programs of Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, would return to Big D for a second year in 2024.
The plans were unveiled at a “launch celebration” at the Preston Hollow manse of Anne and Steve Stodghill, who two years ago masterminded the inaugural All for the Hall Dallas event. That one included a patron party at the Stodghills’ home featuring a backyard performance by country star Trisha Yearwood, followed the next day by a dinner and full-blown concert by C&W superstars Brooks & Dunn at The Statler Dallas.
The inaugural Dallas event was said to be the highest-grossing and highest-netting fundraiser for the HOF and Museum held outside Nashville — and that includes All for the Hall events that took place in New York and Los Angeles. And, “we’re in a great position to do even better” in Dallas in 2024, Kyle Young, CEO of the HOF and Museum, told tonight’s crowd of about 100.
Entertainers and specific dates for next year’s All for the Hall Dallas will be announced in late summer, Anne said, as will ticket details and sponsorship opportunities.
At this evening’s launch reception, it was revealed that Lisa Arpey will serve as the event’s 2024 chair, while the Stodghills will be honorary chairs. Guests then heard performances by Daniel Velasquez, a 12-year-old student in the Dallas Independent School District, and Canada-born Tenille Townes, the Academy of Country Music’s New Female Artist of the Year in 2020.
Accompanied by Tenille on guitar, Daniel performed a song he wrote through the HOF and Museum’s flagship Words & Music for Schools program. Tenille followed with a selection of her own tunes, including “Somebody’s Daughter,” which she also sang at the nationally televised ACM Awards Show in 2020.
* Photo credit: Tamytha Cameron Photography