East End Arts Council BNY Mellon Wealth Management Wine Press Concert Series; Presents Hugh Prestwood and Friends at Castello di Borghese
 
(Riverhead, N.Y.) — The East End Arts Council is excited to present a Wine Press Concert tradition; Hugh Prestwood and friends Richard Leigh and James Dean Hicks will play on Saturday, August 1st at Castello Di Borghese as part of the BNY Mellon Wealth Management Wine Press Concert Series.  Hugh and his friends have penned songs for some of the biggest country stars, and they will share their music, rain or shine, under a tent at Castello di Borghese (Route 48 (Sound Ave) and Alvah’s Lane, Cutchogue) from 6-8 pm on Saturday, August 1st, overlooking the vines at sunset.
Tickets are priced at a recession-special $15, and can be purchased at the East End Arts Council (133 East Main St., Riverhead) or at the gate. Concertgoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets, as seating is not usually provided. Picnic dinners are welcome, but no outside alcohol is permitted. 

August 15         Matt Marshak                       Laurel Lake Vineyards
                                                                                   
Please call 631-727-0900 or visit www.eastendarts.org for more information and directions to the vineyards.
 
Info on the Band
Mr. Prestwood is a 2006 inductee of the Nashville  Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. Hugh Prestwood has been writing hits for two decades. He was discovered in 1978 by Judy Collins, who gave him his first hit (Hard Times For Lovers). A staff songwriter for BMG music, Prestwood has penned #1 hits for Randy Travis (“Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart”), Trisha Yearwood (“The Song Remembers When”), Michael Johnson (“The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder”), Shenandoah (“Ghost In This House”), Crystal Gayle (“The Sound Of Goodbye”), and Collin Raye (“On The Verge”). He has also composed hits for Highway 101 (“Bing Bang Boom”), Anne Murray (“Feed This Fire”), Michael Johnson (“That’s That”), Ty England (“Smoke In Her Eyes”), and Kathy Mattea (“Asking Us To Dance”). Other artists who have recorded his songs include Conway Twitty, Lee Greenwood, Don Williams, Jackie De Shannon, Verne Gosdin, Maura O’Connell, Tanya Tucker, and The Judds.

In 1991 Prestwood was honored at the annual BMI Awards with the 23rd Robert J. Burton Song Of The Year award for “Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart”. He was also picked by Billboard Magazine as the #2 country songwriter of that year. Billboard currently lists “Hard Rock Bottom Of Your Heart” as the 5th biggest country hit of this decade.

In 1994 Prestwood won a Prime Time Emmy Award for “Outstanding Individual Achievement In Music And Lyrics” for his composition, “The Song Remembers When,” featured in the Disney special, “Trisha Yearwood – The Song Remembers When”. The song was also nominated for a CableACE Award for Best Original Song, and was voted Song Of The Year by members of the Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI).

Richard Leigh is recognized for his 1978 Song of the Year award for “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue “.  “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” reached the #1 position on both Pop and Country charts and remained on the charts for more than six months; it was nominated for Grammy Awards in both Pop and Country “Best Song” categories (a feat not repeated until 1993); won a Grammy Award for  “Best Country Song” was a million selling single and it was named one of the ten most performed “Country Songs of the Century” at the 1999 ASCAP Awards. To date, Leigh has made fourteen trips to the Top Ten and has written or co-written eight #1 singles. Leigh’s most recent top ten hit “Cold Day in July”  powerfully delivered by The Dixie Chicks – the hottest selling group in country Music history – is testament to his longevity. EEAC warmly   welcomes Richard for his first appearance in the Hugh Prestwood & Friends concert.
 
James Dean Hicks, a native of Kentucky has an extensive list of artists who have recorded his songs including Crystal Gayle, Charlie Daniels, Linda Davis, and Conway Twitty. Some of country’s hottest young performers are also well-represented on that list — John Michael Montgomery, Neal McCoy, Collin Raye, Lorrie Morgan, Bryan White, Skip Ewing, and pop superstars, Aaron Neville and Tony Rich. His live concerts are both captivating and riveting, as he takes the listener on a musical journey through heartfelt ballads, traditional country themes, and rocking anthems.