Vince Gill, Dwight Yoakam and Emmylou Harris at Country Music Hall of Fame

Vince Gill, Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris Melissa Etheridge, Kara DioGuardi and Michael McDonald treated Los Angeles' Club Nokia with some new hits, old classics, good humor and great harmony in an old fashioned guitar pull format on Thursday. Hosted by Chris Isaak, who explained, "I'm usually on the pop shelves of the store, but really grew up on country and Western music," the All for the Hall event's proceeds benefited the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, an organization near and dear to all of the participants' hearts.

"It's where it all comes from," Vince explained. "It's the history and what we're preserving. Any day I can do something for this organization is a good day."

Melissa, who said it was her first guitar pull, fit right in, singing a couple of Kris Kristofferson songs and relaying the story of when she got her first publishing deal and subsequently went out and bought all of Emmylou's records. "I felt guilty, because it didn't feel like I was working," she said.

Emmylou threw in a song about another one of her favorite causes, her animal rescue, Bonaparte's retreat. 'Big Black Dog' was written for her own pet, Bella.

Special guest, 'American Idol' judge Kara DioGuardi, sang her Faith Hill covered composition 'Lost,' and answered affirmative to Vince's inquiring mind: "Do you get along with Simon?"

But truly it was guest Michael McDonald who brought the whole event into focus when he ended the evening with 'You Don't Know Me' by Cindy Walker, the songwriter who was spoken of prior to the performances as someone who needed to be preserved in the Country Music Hall of Fame and who had, herself, revered the organization. Michael blew the audience away with his rendition of her standard that reminded everyone why they were present.

A second All for the Hall concert will be held in Nashville on Oct. 13. Headlined by Keith Urban, it will also include performances by Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Dierks Bentley, Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean and Little Big Town.

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