FAITH HILL SIGNS ON AS HONORARY CHAIRPERSON
FOR MISSISSIPPI ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT CENTER

Friday, September 24, 2004

NASHVILLE, TN—Country music superstar Faith Hill has become the new honorary chairperson for the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center (MAEC), announced the Board of Directors today. 

“We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Faith to this role.  Her extraordinary talent, along with a genuine appreciation for the cultural heritage of her home state, make Faith a wonderful ambassador for the Center and for Mississippi,” said Paul Ott, chairman of the board. 

Faith Hill added, “I am proud to be from Mississippi, and this is an exciting time for our state.  I am looking forward to chairing the honorary committee for this crucial project for the state of Mississippi.  It is important to not only celebrate our great heritage, but to look to the future and the realization of the MAEC.”

MAEC representatives met with Ms. Hill in Nashville Thursday to discuss plans for the Center.

“Faith Hill is one of the most sought-after musicians in the entertainment industry,” said MAEC executive director Dr. Charlotte B. Tabereaux.  “Her efforts on behalf of the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center will be of immeasurable value as we seek to build awareness and raise funds.”

Ms. Hill has been a member of the Center’s Honorary Committee since its inception in 2002.  Other members of that committee include Lance Bass, Jimmy Buffett, Morgan Freeman, John Grisham, B.B. King, Leontyne Price, Charley Pride, Britney Spears, previous chair Sela Ward and Jim Henson’s Kermit the Frog.

Ms. Hill, a native of Star, Mississippi, has sold nearly 30 million records worldwide and has celebrated thirteen #1 chart positions and eighteen #1 videos.  Her last two releases, 1999's Breathe and 2002's CRY both debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Album Chart and Country Chart.  Her sixth studio album is slated for release this year.  Ms. Hill is a multiple Grammy Award, Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music, American Music Award, People's Choice Award-winning musician.

The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center will celebrate the lives and works of the state’s most accomplished artists, while nurturing the creative genius of new generations.  Presently in the fundraising and design stages, the $55 million project will be located in Meridian, Mississippi.  As envisioned, it will feature a hall of fame, a lakeside amphitheater, a concert hall, an artists-in-residence village, a Choctaw cultural center and support facilities such as restaurants, shops and broadcasting studios.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Charlotte Tabereaux, Mississippi Arts & Entertainment Center, 601-581-1550 or 601-938-0162

Cindy Hodo, Quest Group, 662-494-0244

Kirsten Shaw, Quest Group, 601-956-3525