WASHINGTON – Contemporary Christian musician Michael W. Smith and country music performers the Gatlin Brothers will entertain delegates at the Republican National Convention (search) in New York City that starts Aug. 30, party officials said.
More than a half-dozen musical acts announced by the party range from country to classical to blues.
Bill Harris (search), chief executive of the Republican National Convention, described the group as the first to join the convention. Republicans say they will announce more performers in the coming days.
The performers to be officially announced Thursday include:
— Michael W. Smith, one of the top stars in contemporary Christian music who has occasionally crossed over to the pop charts.
— The Gatlin Brothers, who have been performing for four decades in country music and had a string of hits in the 1970s and 1980s. They cut back on nationwide touring in 1992.
— Daniel Rodriguez, a former New York City policeman and tenor who became well known singing a capella versions of "God Bless America" and the national anthem after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
— Sara Evans, one of the promising young performers in country music who has had a number of hits on the country charts. In 1998, she had a hit album "No Place That Far" and the title song on the album became her first No. 1 hit.
Other entertainers at the convention include Dana Glover, a young performer, who sang on the soundtrack for the movie "Shrek," veteran actor Ron Silver, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of daytime talk show "The View" and surfer-turned-singer Daize Shayne.
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