Shiner Beers, the popular Texas craft brew, will launch a nationwide campaign to support The Waylon Jennings Fund for Diabetes Research at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).
The Waylon Fund partnership between Shiner and TGen will kick off on Wednesday, March 13, at the Hotel San Jos- in downtown Austin during the 2013 South by Southwest Conferences & Festivals.
The noon-8 p.m. event, themed after the legendary Armadillo World Headquarters music hall, features music by Asleep At The Wheel, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Shooter Jennings, the son of Waylon and a co-founder of The Waylon Fund at TGen. Waylon passed away in 2002 from complications of diabetes.
"When you consider all the connections between Waylon, his music, Shiner Beers and Texas music culture, partnering with TGen aligned perfectly with our community outreach efforts," said Charlie Paulette, Shiner's Chief Sales and Marketing Officer.
Waylon's widow, Jessi Colter, will toast the partnership. "We just have such a love for Waylon and what he was," Paulette said. "And the fact that his wife and son will be there will make this celebration extremely special."
Throughout the 1970s, Armadillo World Headquarters was a launching pad for Shiner's brews as well as Waylon' "Outlaw" brand of country music.
TGen's research into diabetes will allow physicians to more accurately predict who has the greatest risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and related complications, while also identifying targets for treatment of the disease.
Shiner plans to generate funds and awareness of diabetes - which affects nearly 26 million Americans - by sponsoring Waylon Birthday Bashes across the country this June. Already, 13 Waylon bashes are confirmed. Dozens more are expected.
Howard Young, a TGen Foundation Board Member and President of Atlanta-based General Wholesale Beer Company, which distributes Shiner in Georgia, first suggested the Shiner/TGen collaboration.
"As a cancer survivor, I can attest to the cutting-edge medical research performed by TGen, and as a distributor of Shiner, I have seen their great generosity in support of other medical research," Young said. "Teaming up Shiner and TGen's Waylon Fund is a perfect partnership of southwest musical culture and the advanced medical technology that has saved my life."
In February, Academy-Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges joined TGen's National Honorary Committee in support of The Waylon Fund, whose members also include country music stars Keith Urban, Kris Kristofferson, Jamey Johnson and Billy Ray Cyrus.
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