Christian Recording Artists Huntly Brown, Jason Catron

to Perform at Casper Ruth Graham Conference

Contacts:           Tex Reardon                                 Doug Hovelson            

                          Ruth Graham & Friends              Big Thunder                   

                          651-261-1964                                612-722-5501                 

                          treardonjr@comcast.net           dhovelson@bigthunderpr.com

    

MINNEAPOLIS – (April 13, 2009) – Despite the seriousness of their subject matter, it won’t be all work and no play when Ruth Graham & Friends set up shop in Casper, Wyo. for their first-ever Wyoming “Get Growing” conference. Not with nationally known Christian recording artists Huntley Brown and Jason Catron on board for the free, open-to-the-public conference, to be held April 24-25 at Casper’s Highland Park Community Church, 411 S. Walsh Dr.

              The Get Growing conference is aimed at helping people transform life-controlling issues into life-encouraging issues, by learning how to address them through a combination of secular and biblically based approaches.

              Catron and Brown – both musical mainstays of the conferences -- will play up  a storm of fiery, inspirational Christian-flavored music for the enjoyment of all in attendance. Catron is a vocalist who moves people with his emotionally charged worship music, while Brown is a classically trained concert pianist with an electrifying style.

              Both are musical mainstays of the Ruth Graham & Friends concerts. Each will perform both Friday night (7-8 p.m.) and on Saturday (8-9 A.m. and 1:30-2 p.m.).

Chicago-based Brown’s is musical range encompasses jazz, gospel, reggae, classical and traditional Christian worship genres. He performs worldwide, both as an independent artist and as a featured performer with other organizations such as the Billy Graham Evangelical Association.

The Jamaica-born Brown has14 CD releases under his belt, including titles such as All Nations

Praise, Bound for Glory, Battle Hymn and Jazz Praise. He got his musical start as a teenager playing in hotel bands and piano bars in his native country. Then he navigated to the United States for a Master’s Degree in piano performance and pedagogy from Northern Illinois University. His virtuoso playing earned him honors at the Top Caribbean Gospel Instrumentalist in 2005 and 2006 (www.huntleybrown.org).

              Nashville-based Catron inspires with his voice, leading audiences through a variety of songs chosen from his two – also praiseworthy – albums: the self-titled Jason Catron and Jason Catron Hymns…The Collection. A native Kentuckian, Catron moved to Nashville to attend Belmont University and pursue his calling for music. After a stint working in the business end of the music industry, Catron took the plunge and launched himself into a fulltime career as a musician in 2006. His current musical direction is toward “pop-era,” an emerging sound that combines pop-influenced classical vocals with operatic roots (www.jasoncatron.com).

              “These are both marvelous musicians whose performances are always a highlight of our conferences,” says Ruth Graham, founder and leader of the Ruth Graham & Friends ministry. “We are very fortunate to be able to attract such wonderful musical talent to perform for us.”

              The non-denominational Christian conference is a uniquely empowering event featuring more than a dozen different workshop opportunities to learn about biblically-based ways for people to get growing again and overcome personal life challenges in their own lives and those of people they care about.

Conference times are 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 24 and 9 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Saturday, April 25.

              For more information and to download tickets for the Get Growing conference, go to www.ruthgrahamandfriends.org online. Tickets are free, but they must be reserved in advance.

Ruth Graham, youngest daughter of renowned evangelist Billy Graham, founded Ruth Graham & Friends to help the church provide care for people experiencing life and its constant challenges.

Ruth Graham & Friends conferences have been attended by more than 8,500 people in more than 12 U.S. and Canadian locations. Also on the schedule for 2009 are Get Growing conferences at Louisiana’s Angola Prison, Sept. 18-19, Bellefontaine, Ohio Oct. 23-24, and Wichita, Kans. Nov. 6-7. For information on hosting a Ruth Graham & Friends conference in your community, call (877) 743-7884 or send an email to info@ruthgrahamandfriends.org.

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