Dave Matthews, Rob Thomas, Vince Gill, & Others Set For Willie Nelson Tribute

NASHVILLE (Mercury Records) - Cable network A&E has locked in a potpourri of artists to salute country legend Willie Nelson at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium on April 14, according to a spokesperson for Nelson at Mercury Records Nashville.

Dave Matthews, Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Lee Ann Womack, Ryan Adams, Lyle Lovett, and Brian McKnight will all descend on Nashville for Willie Nelson & Friends, with additional guests expected to be announced soon. The Mark Knopfler Band will back all the performers.

Many of the participants in the show, which is scheduled to air on A&E on May 6, have worked with Nelson in some capacity in the past. Most recent, Thomas, McKnight, and Womack all collaborated with Nelson on his latest CD, The Great Divide (Lost Highway).

It was undecided at press time whether tickets will be put on sale to the general public for the show, according to a spokesperson for Ryman at the Andrews Agency. However, anyone who purchases $75 seats to Nelson's April 12 concert at Ryman will receive one free ticket to the A&E event.