KENTUCKY SINGING SENSATION RETURNS
TO JERRY LEWIS MDA TELETHON
TUCSON, Ariz., Aug. 25, 2010 — Renowned country singer Calvin Ray Johnson of Mount Washington, Ky., will perform on the national broadcast of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 5-6.
It will be Johnson’s seventh appearance on the legendary show, (see past performance highlights) which is expected to be watched by nearly 40 million Americans.
The national broadcast of the Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon will originate from the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas, beginning at 9 p.m. EDT Sunday, Sept. 5, and running for 21½ hours. In the Mount Washington area, the national Telethon and local segments can be seen on WBKI, Channel 34.
Johnson has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disease covered by MDA that causes generalized weakness and muscle wasting. It first affects muscles in the hips, pelvic area, thighs and shoulders, and eventually the heart and respiratory muscles. He uses a manual wheelchair for mobility.
“We’re delighted to have Calvin Ray back on our show,” said Gerald C. Weinberg, MDA president & CEO, and Telethon executive producer. “His talent is incredible. Calvin Ray’s life is filled with challenge, but he perseveres in his hope and confidence that MDA will find a cure for his disease. His story, and his performance, will inspire Telethon viewers.”
In 2007, Johnson released his debut CD, "Take That Chance, and its first single, "Should’ve Been Singing Rock of Ages," reached No. 8 on the country music charts in Europe.
He has often performed at the Academy of Country Music’s Celebrity Golf Classic in Burbank, Calif., and on the famed Midnight Jamboree radio show at the Texas Troubadour Theatre. His popular MDA Telethon performances included one in which he sang a duet with Kermit the Frog.
In 2004, Johnson received MDA’s Personal Achievement Award for Kentucky, and in 2007 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Epiphone Guitar Co., a division of Gibson Musical Instruments, for his musical accomplishments and humanitarian work with MDA.
In 2009, pledges and donations to the MDA Telethon surpassed $60 million. MDA is the first nonprofit to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Medical Association, “for significant and lasting contributions to the health and welfare of humanity.”
The 2010 show will be broadcast to nearly 40 million viewers in the United States and Canada via more than 170 television stations in MDA’s "Love Network." Millions more worldwide will be able to see the Telethon live on the Internet via the RealNetworks streaming video feed at www.mda.org.
MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy and education.
MDA maintains a clinic for area adults and children with neuromuscular diseases at Baptist Hospital East in Louisville, Ky. |
