News>AF bands join Grammy-winning artists for 'Holiday Notes from Home'
Photos
Lee Ann Womack, Little Big Town and the vocalists from the Band of the U.S. Air Force Reserve perform the finale during the taping of “Holiday Notes from Home” at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 6, 2011. The hour-long special will air on the American Forces Network and the Great American Country Network beginning Dec. 10. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ken Hackman)
The Band of the U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air Force Strings perform at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 6, 2011, during the taping of “Holiday Notes from Home.” The bands joined Lee Ann Womack and Little Big Town to record the hour-long special, which will air on the American Forces Network and the Great American Country Network beginning Dec. 10. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ken Hackman)
Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr., the commander of Air Force Reserve Command and chief of the Air Force Reserve, makes remarks during the taping of "Holiday Notes from Home" at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 6, 2011. The Band of the U.S. Air Force Reserve and the Air Force Strings joined Grammy-winning vocalist Lee Ann Womack and band Little Big Town to record the hour-long special, which will air on the American Forces Network and the Great American Country Network beginning Dec. 10. (U.S. Air Force photo/Ken Hackman)
12/9/2011 - ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) -- The Band of the U.S. Air Force Reserve and Air Force Strings recently joined Grammy-winning vocalist Lee Ann Womack and the Grammy-nominated band Little Big Town in the "Holiday Notes from Home" concert.
The hour-long special will air on the Great American Country Channel beginning Dec. 10 at 8:30 p.m. and various other times and dates up to Christmas Day. The program will also be shown on American Forces Network on Dec. 25 on Prime Pacific, Prime Freedom and Prime Atlantic.
Womack and Little Big Town performed many holiday favorites with accompaniment by 60 Air Force musicians from the Band of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, from Robins Air Force Base, and the Air Force Strings, from Washington, D.C.
"This concert is for all of our troops who are continually deployed overseas, all of their families who are left behind, and for the employers who make such a big difference in those families lives," said Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr., the commander of Air Force Reserve Command and chief of the Air Force Reserve. "If we can give just a little back to all those groups of people, I want to do this each year."
Grammy-winning vocalist Nan Kelly and recording artist Clay Walker will co-host this year's program, pre-recorded Oct. 6 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn.
"It's about family, faith and love, and we just wanted to bring that to our troops all over the world," Kelly said. "It's my privilege to do this and be a small part of the everyday person to say thank you for what you do."
"Holiday Notes from Home" began 15 years ago as a radio show and has expanded in recent years with a larger live audience and television airings.
Comments
12/12/2011 7:26:39 PM ET Sorry Dave - ain't gonna happen. Bands are still a lot of bang for the buck and nixing them is just a fiscal drop in the bucket. I for one applaud the professional musicians of all grades who choose instead to work for the USAF just as you do. You need to take on more realistic waste in AF programs, organizational redundancy and plain-old inefficient ways of operating. And for the record, I ran my squadron as the CC - not my DO, shirt or shop Chief.
Former C-Prefix, COS CO
12/9/2011 4:41:55 PM ET See similar on T-Bird article. Tough change has to come with tough times. How about the military bands other than for ceremonial purposes be nixed also. Imagine an E-9 running around the world playing music while the Chiefs are running squadrons of 100-300 Airmen. Let the USO and Real entertainers step-up to fill the needed song and dance in the deployed locations. It worked in the old days.
