Celebration 2009 Beefed Up With Addition Of Jonathan Singleton


Phil Vassar and FATZ will have company onstage for Celebration 2009 at Martinsville Speedway on July 3.

Jonathan Singleton, a successful Nashville songwriter now on the road backing his debut album, will appear at Celebration with his band The Grove. It will be the first time in the 11-year history of Celebration that three musical acts have performed.

Celebration 2009, a free-to-the-public event, will kick off when children’s carnival rides open at 5 p.m. on July 3.

Singleton has been writing hits for other artists for some time, including Gary Allan’s No. 1 “Watching Airplanes” and Billy Currington’s recent No. 1 “Don’t.” But now on his debut, self-titled abum, Singleton is singing his own songs, with great success.

“This is a great opportunity for us, something we didn’t expect,” said Martinsville Speedway president W. Clay Campbell. “Phil Vassar and Jonathan Singleton share the same record label and they wanted some extra exposure for Jonathan and approached us. We were able to add an awesome act to the show without any additional costs.”

“It’s just going to make a great evening even greater.”

“Livin’ In Paradise,” the first single from his debut album, is attracting a lot of attention as it climbs into the top 20.

Music Row magazine described “Livin’ In Paradise” this way:

 “The song is ear-catchingly structured, with its chorus at the beginning. Even more impressive is his cool, grainy singing voice. Jonathan has already proved himself as a top Music Row songwriter. This proves he has enormous artist potential as well.”

The children’s rides will open at 5 p.m. on July 3 and remain open throughout the evening. FATZ, a classic country-rock band from the Martinsville-Henry County area, will open the musical part of the event at 6 p.m. followed by Singleton at 7:15. Vassar will hit the stage at about 8:30 p.m. The area’s largest fireworks show will cap the evening at roughly 10 p.m.

Sponsors for Celebration 2009 included Allstate Insurance, American of Martinsville, Bassett Furniture, Bassett Office Supply, BB&T, Blue Ridge Aquaculture, Boxley Material Company, Carter Bank and Trust, City of Martinsville, Collinsville Printing, Commonwealth Laminating, Cool Knobs and Pulls, Frith Construction, Henry County, Henry County Baptist Association, Hooker Furniture, Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville Speedway Children’s Foundation, Masterbrand Cabinets, Memorial Hospital, Millard’s Machinery, Nelson Automotive, Oak Level Finishing, Ridgeway Concrete, River Bank, Schleuter Electric, Shenandoah Furniture, Southwest Virginia Gas, Stanley Furniture, Star Tek, Steve Martin Trenching, Stone Dynamics Tacoma, Inc., The Dutch Inn, The Lester Group, Tarheel Paper and Supply Company, TR Properties, Virginia Mirror, West Windows and Zenith Logistics.

While Celebration is a free event, everyone is urged to bring non-perishable items to donate to the Fuel the Families Food Drive on July 3. There will be drop-off points around the speedway. The United Way of Henry County and Martinsville is spearheading the food drive and will distribute all items collected to agencies in the area.