rising stars concert
The legacy of renowned country music artist Hank Williams
is celebrated by an all-star group of singers and musicians.
18 February 2017 - Saturday
8:00 pm
West Virginia Culture Center
State Capitol Complex
is celebrated by an all-star group of singers and musicians.
18 February 2017 - Saturday
8:00 pm
West Virginia Culture Center
State Capitol Complex
The legacy of renowned country music artist Hank Williams is celebrated by an all-star group of singers and musicians. Vocalists John Lilly and Rob McNurlin lead the band and audience through two hours of Williams’s most popular songs, as well as several of the legendary performer’s nearly forgotten gems. Highlights include “Your Cheating Heart,” “Jambalaya,” “Lovesick Blues,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” and “I Saw the Light.”
Formed in 2002 in honor of the 50th anniversary of the death of Hank Williams, the band is marking its 15th year. Hall of Fame steel guitarist Russ Hicks, Grand Ole Opry veteran Buddy Griffin (fiddle), and guitarists Robert Shafer and Ritchie Collins recreate the vintage sound of Williams’s Drifting Cowboys band, while adding a fresh and creative spin to its classic songs.
Interesting anecdotes about Williams and his music add context, while good-natured banter between the musicians keeps the show lively and entertaining.
Formed in 2002 in honor of the 50th anniversary of the death of Hank Williams, the band is marking its 15th year. Hall of Fame steel guitarist Russ Hicks, Grand Ole Opry veteran Buddy Griffin (fiddle), and guitarists Robert Shafer and Ritchie Collins recreate the vintage sound of Williams’s Drifting Cowboys band, while adding a fresh and creative spin to its classic songs.
Interesting anecdotes about Williams and his music add context, while good-natured banter between the musicians keeps the show lively and entertaining.
John Lilly is an award-winning songwriter and performer from Charleston, West Virginia. Former editor of West Virginia’s GOLDENSEAL magazine and a former tour guide at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, John shares his historical knowledge as well as his singing and yodeling skills. John performs widely as a solo artist and with the band Blue Yonder.
johnlillymusic.com
johnlillymusic.com
Rob McNurlin iis from Ashland, Kentucky. An accomplished songwriter and performer, he hosted the weekly television program The Rob McNurlin Ranch Party for several years. Rob has recorded several albums of original material that reflect his roots in traditional country music.
www.robmcnurlin.com
www.robmcnurlin.com
Russ Hicks is a member of the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame and the Steel Guitar Hall of Fame. A Raleigh County native, Russ moved to Nashville in the early 1970s where he was a member of the Hee Haw television show staff band for 13 years. He has recorded or toured with Connie Smith, Ray Price, Marty Robbins, Larry Gatlin, Jerry Lee Lewis and others. Russ recently relocated to West Virginia.
www.wvmusichalloffame.com/Hicks.html
www.wvmusichalloffame.com/Hicks.html
Buddy Griffin is from Glenville, West Virginia, where he founded the first academic degree program in bluegrass music while a faculty member at Glenville State College. A multitalented performer, Buddy has toured and recorded with Maybelle Carter, Jim & Jesse and the Virginia Boys, Johnny Russell, and many others.
www.edandarts.wv.gov/news/Pages/BuddyGriffin,renownedfiddleplayer.aspx
www.edandarts.wv.gov/news/Pages/BuddyGriffin,renownedfiddleplayer.aspx
John Thonton plays bass for the Hank Williams Tribute band. Raised in a musical family, John began playing country music at age 15. He appeared in a succession of bands, including 30 years as a member of the popular Southern Mix band and several years as a member of the Pour House Crew. He also was in demand as a local studio musician. John makes his home in Putnam County.
Ritch Collins lives in Ashland, Kentucky, where he serves as technical director of the Paramount Theater. Ritch is also an audio engineer for NPR’s Mountain Stage radio show and co-producer of the Highway 23 Jamboree. A third-generation musician, Ritch plays guitar and sings with the Ritch Collins Three-O.
www.oritchinalmusic.com
www.oritchinalmusic.com
Robert Shafer is one of only a few guitar players to have won the prestigious Walnut Valley National Flat Picking Championship more than once, Robert has released several recordings, many in partnership with other champion pickers, including Robin Kessinger, Steve Kaufman, and Johnny Staats. Over the past few decades he has played his Telecaster guitar with country music bands including Southern Mix and the Pour House Crew. He currently plays with the band Blue Yonder.
This concert is presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.
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Update: 2016-12-15
