Copper Mountain, CO – Colorado’s Copper Mountain ski resort has assembled a lineup boasting a combined 18 Grammy award wins and over 20 additional nominations for excellence in the genres of country, blues, bluegrass, folk and gospel for its Copper Country music festival, scheduled to run Sept. 2-4. In addition, the Colorado State final of the Texaco Country Showdown, America’s largest and longest-runnng country music talent search, will take place on Saturday evening.

Headliner Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder has garnered an astounding 14 Grammy wins, and in the most recent Grammy Award ceremony, Ricky Skaggs was contender for both Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album and Best Traditional Folk Album. Also contending for the Folk Album award was a second Copper Country star, Luther Dickensen of the North Mississippi Allstars Duo. The North Mississippi Allstars have earned nominations for three of their five albums including Best Contemporary Blues Performance with their debut album Shake Hands with Shorty. Dickensen is also known for his role as guitarist in the American rock band, the Black Crowes. The Grammy-packed lineup also includes Tim O’Brien, winner of Best Traditional Folk Album with Fiddler’s Green in 2005, and two-time winner Taj Mahal, recognized for his talent in contemporary blues and roots.

The weekend of free live music will conclude Sunday evening, with a closing performance by headlining artist Jimmie Vaughan, a legendary and respected guitarist among popular music. He most recently earned a 2010 Grammy nomination in the category of Best Traditional Blues Album for Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites. Prior to embarking on his solo career, Vaughan also celebrated two Grammy award wins with The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

Visit www.CopperCountryFest.com for more information.