Billy Dean, Richard Leigh and Monty Holmes are the first musicians named to perform at the ninth annual Bruce Burch and Friends Concert Honoring John Jarrard.

Dean has been writing and performing in Nashville since the early 1980s. In 1990, he recorded his first top five hit "Only Here for A Little While." He also won, the Academy of Country Music's Song of the Year with "Somewhere in My Broken Heart" in 1991 and a song he co-wrote with fellow Jarrard performer Leigh.

John Jarrard was a Gainesville native and Nashville songwriter who wrote songs for performers such as Don Williams, Alabama, George Strait, Diamond Rio and Tracy Lawrence. He battled diabetes for many years and died in 2001.

The concert benefits local charities including the Good News Clinics, Good News at Noon, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hall County, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Georgia Chapter and the Georgia Mountain Food Bank.

Dean's most recent album, "Billy Dean Sings Richard Leigh," is another Dean and Leigh collaboration.
Leigh, was inducted into Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994, has been nominated for Grammy Awards in both the Pop and Country "Best Song" categories. Top 10 hits and eight No. 1 singles include "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" and "I'll Get Over You" by Crystal Gayle; "Cold Day in July" by the Dixie Chicks;" and "The Greatest Man I Never Knew" by Reba McEntire, among others.

Holmes, has been writing songs for 25 years, and wrote songs for George Strait, including the 2008 hit "Troubadour."